Rotterdam's new centre of modern architecture with a lot of skyscrapers, museums, restaurants and the cruise ship terminal.
Wilhelminapier is a small peninsula, located at the south bank of the river Maas at the foot of the Erasmus Bridge. One modern building after another has risen here since the beginning of the new millennium and this makes Wilhelminapier the icon of modern Rotterdam!
You will find many striking buildings at Wilhelminapier and it’s certainly worth a visit. One of the eye-catchers is the beautiful New Luxor Theatre, where many famous Dutch and international artists perform. The well-known Hotel New York can be found at the end of Wilhelminapier as well. This hotel used to be the headquarters of the Holland America Line (HAL), but now you can relax here at their outdoor terrace and enjoy the great view at the river Maas.
Above all Wilhelminapier is known for its skyscrapers. The Montevideo tower (152 meter), the World Port Center (124 meter) and the New Orleans tower (160 meter) are all clustered closely together, like in Manhattan, New York. The icing on the cake is a brand new building De Rotterdam, the biggest building of the Netherlands.
Wilhelminapier has an impressive history, as hundreds of thousands Europeans migrated from this pier to America at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century by huge Holland America Line passenger ships. Everything at this modern pier reminds of its illustrious past: many docks and streets are named after American cities or HAL ships and this district is still packed with all kinds of maritime objects.
The days of passenger ships heading for America are long gone and Wilhelminapier has been converted into a modern cruise terminal that enables docking of the biggest cruise ships of the world. For cruise ship passengers to Rotterdam, Wilhelminapier is the starting point of their visit. And that’s a great start: besides the great panorama, you could spend a full day visiting the Nederlands Fotomuseum, the cinema / theatre LantarenVenster, the fine restaurant Las Palmas and of course the New Luxor Theatre. The nhow Bar Rotterdam and Gauchos aan de Maas are also worth a visit as they offer a breathtaking view on the river.
Presently, you can spend the night at the four stars Hotel New York and the nhow Rotterdam, but witin the next years the brand new Chicago from WestCord Hotels will open its doors.
Have a look at the extensive Rotterdam architecture guide for an overview of the most striking buildings!
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