ROTTERDAM, a city of Holland in the province of South Holland, on both banks of the New Maas, at the confluence of the canalized Rotte, and a junction station 141 m. by rail S.S.E. of The Hague. The population of the city, which is the principal Dutch port, was about 20,000 in 1632; 53,212 in 1796; 105,858 in 186o, 379,017 in 1905 and 586,952 in 193o.
Rotterdam probably owes its existence to two castles, which existed in feudal times. In 1299 John I., count of Holland, granted to the people of Rotterdam the same rights as were enjoyed by the burghers of Beverwijk, which were identical with those of Haarlem (K. Hegel, Stddte and Gilden, 1891, Bd. ii.). This privi lege marks the origin of the town. It continued to increase in size, various extensions of its boundaries being made, and its trading importance is to a large extent the result of its commer cial intercourse with England. Its shipping facilities have made it the first commercial city of Holland, and the third largest port on the continent. By means of the New Waterway (1869-9o) to the Hook of Holland it is accessible for the largest ships. Ships drawing 24 ft. can come up at any time, and those drawing 24 to 32 ft. at high water. The length of the quays is about 16 m. The principal quay is the Boompjes ("little trees"), forming the river-front on the north side. The river is spanned by a road bridge (1878) and a railway bridge (1877) passing from the Boompjes to the North Island, whence they are continued to the farther shore by swing-bridges through which the largest ships can pass to the upper river. These bridges prove useful in break ing up the ice which forms above them in winter. On the south side of the river are numerous large docks and wharves, which have been enlarged since the World War, while the city proper on the north side consists of a labyrinth of basins and canals with tree-bordered quays.
In the centre of the town is the Beursplein or Exchange Square. Behind the exchange is the great market-place, built on vaulting over a canal, and containing a bronze statue of Erasmus, who was born in Rotterdam in 1467. The statue is the work of Hendrik de Keyser, and was erected in 1622 to replace an older one. Beyond the market-place is the High Street, which runs along the top of the Maas Dyke. On the west of the city a pretty road leads from the Zoological Gardens (1857), on the north to a small park, which contains a statue of the popular poet Hendrik Tollens (d. 1856), a native of the city. Among the churches of Rotterdam is an English church, originally built by the 1st duke of Marlborough, whose arms may be seen with the royal arms over the entrance. The Groote Kerk, or Laurens Kerk (end of the 15th century), contains a fine brass screen (1715), a celebrated organ with nearly 5,000 pipes, and the monuments of Admiral Witte de Witte (d. 1658), and other Dutch naval heroes.
In the New Market adjoining is a fountain adorned with sculp tures erected in 1874 to commemorate the jubilee of the restora tion of Dutch independence (1813). The museums of the city comprise an ethnographical museum, the maritime museum estab lished by the Yacht Club in 1874, and the Boyman's Museum (1867) containing pictures, drawings and engravings, as well as the town library. Of the original collection of pictures bequeathed by F. J. 0. Boyman in 1847, more than half was destroyed by fire in 1864; but the collection has been enlarged since and is representative of both ancient and modern artists. Close to the museum is a statue of the statesman Gysbert Karel van Hogen dorp (1762-1834), a native of the city. Among the remaining buildings must be mentioned the old town hall (17th century; restored 1823), the new town hall, the concert-hall of the "Har monic" club, the record office (1900), the leeskabuiet, or sub scription library and reading-rooms, and the ten-storeyed Witte Huis (1897), which is used for offices and is one of the highest private buildings on the Continent.
The industries comprise the manufacture of tobacco, cigars, margarine, rope, leather, etc., and there are breweries, distilleries and sugar refineries. Shipbuilding yards extend above and below the city, one of the earliest being that of the Netherlands Steam boat Company (1825). It is, however, as a commercial rather than as a manufacturing city that Rotterdam is distinguished, its progress in this respect having been very striking. Between 185o and 19o2 the area of the port was increased from 96 to more than 30o acres. Rotterdam has a great transit trade of goods in bulk, and, besides its maritime trade, it has an extensive river traffic, not only with Holland, but also with Belgium and Ger many. Its overseas trade is principally with the Dutch colonies, New York, La Plata and the east and west coasts of Africa. The great harbour works on the south side of the river required to accommodate this growing trade were planned by Stieltjes (d. 1878). Besides being easily accessible from the river and con nected with the railways, the docks are provided with every facility for coaling and loading or discharging cargoes. The larger passenger steamers of the Rotterdamsche Lloyd to Netherlands India and of the Holland-American Steamship Company (the two principal passenger and cargo steamship companies at Rotter dam) have their berths on the south side of the river in the centre of which are mooring buoys for 3o vessels.