Rotterdam, the second-largest city in the Netherland and the largest port in Europe, has been nicknamed “Manhattan on the Maas” or “Manhattan on the Meuse” (the Nieuwe Maas/New Meuse is a distributary of the Rhine River) since at least 1995. The nickname specifically refers to Kop van Zuid, a neighborhood on the south bank of the Nieuwe Maas (New Meuse) where many tall buildings have been planned and built.
Wikipedia: Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( /ˈrɒtərdæm/; Dutch [ˌrɔtərˈdɑm] ( listen)) is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and the largest port in Europe. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre. Its strategic location at the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta on the North Sea and at the heart of a massive rail, road, air and inland waterway distribution system extending throughout Europe means that Rotterdam is often called the Gateway to Europe.
Located in the Province of South Holland, Rotterdam is in the west of the Netherlands and at the south of the Randstad. The population of the city proper was 603,425 in March 2010. The population of the greater Rotterdam area, called “Rotterdam-Rijnmond” or just “Rijnmond”, is around 1.3 million people. Rotterdam is one of Europe’s most vibrant and multicultural cities. It is known for its university (Erasmus), its cutting-edge architecture, its lively cultural life, its striking riverside setting, its maritime heritage and the Rotterdam Blitz.
But the essence of Rotterdam is its huge, modern port. The largest port in Europe and one of the busiest ports in the world, the port of Rotterdam was the world’s busiest port from 1962 to 2004, at which point it was surpassed by Shanghai. Rotterdam’s commercial and strategic importance is based on its location near the mouth of the Nieuwe Maas (New Meuse), one of the channels in the delta formed by the Rhine and Meuse on the North Sea. These rivers lead directly into the centre of Europe, including the industrial Ruhr region.
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Nickname(s): Rotown, Manhattan on the Meuse
Wikipedia: Kop van Zuid
Kop van Zuid is a new neighborhood of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, located on the south bank of the Nieuwe Maas opposite the center of town. The district is relatively young and includes the Wilhelmina Pier and the V bounded by Rose Street / railway line between themselves and the Rotterdam-Dordrecht Hilledijk / Hill Street / Rijnhaven other.
The Kop van Zuid is built on old, abandoned port areas around the Binnenhaven, Entrepothaven, Spoorweghaven, Rijnhaven and the Wilhelmina Pier. These port sites caused the Nieuwe Maas with a large physical distance between the center and north of the Maas and southern Rotterdam. Through this area should be converted into urban area, and good connections to build, seeks North and South to unite.
tabblo
“Rotterdam, the Manhattan on the Maas”
(Photos—ed.)
Google Books
Toward Freedom
Volumes 40-42
1991 (Google Books date may be incorrect—ed.)
Pg. 16:
In Rotterdam, the country’s industrial and commercial capital, foreigners live in poor neighborhoods not far from the concrete office silos that have earned the core of the city the nickname, “Manhattan on the Meuse.”
Google Books
Competitive Cities:
Succeeding in the global economy
By Hazel Duffy
London: Chapman & Hall
1995
Pg. 119:
The first architectural sketches of skyscrapers won the project the title ‘Manhattan on the Maas’. The authorities, from the outset, wanted Kop Van Zuid to be an architectural showcase, mirroring the boldness of design which characterizes the Erasmus Bridge.
Google Books
Fodor’s 98 Europe
New York, NY: Fodor’s Travel Pub.
1997
Pg. 751:
Also nearby are Delft, a historic city with many canals and ancient buildings, and the energetic and thoroughly modern international port city of Rotterdam. The latter is known to the Dutch as “Manhattan on the Maas,” for its office towers as well as its cultural attractions.
Rotterdam’s year of architecture
Old and new buildings share the limelight in this historic city
Associated Press
updated 5/30/2007 2:27:14 PM ET
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The Kop van Zuid, on the banks of the Maas river that carves the city in two, is known as Manhattan on the Maas. Its towering office and apartment blocks flanking historic brownstone warehouses have been turned into swanky homes.
Google Books
De Red Apple en het Wijnhaveneiland = The Red Apple and Wijnhaven Island
By Paul Groenendijk; Kees Christiaanse; Ruud Brouwers; Steffen Maas; KCAP (Firm)
Rotterdam: Uitgeverij
2009
Pg. 69:
Eventhough the Erasmus Bridge and the Willems Bridge are nothing compared to the Brooklyn Bridge and the Washington Bridge, the people of Rotterdam cannot stop talking about their ‘Manhattan on the Maas’.