Erasmus Bridge – Rotterdam – The Netherlands
I was born in Rotterdam, 56 years ago. The city was still suffering from the Second World War. The city centre was destroyed in May 1940 causing thousands of victims. Rotterdam was a construction place for dozens of years. My playing ground as a kid was a wasteland. The Erasmus Bridge is one of the latest monuments reflecting the ‘reborn’ city.
Rotterdam is one of the largest main ports in the world. By far the largest harbor in Europe. The economic engine of Holland. However, in Amsterdam they have the illusion that they are running the country. Not. They have the Nightwatch, we have the money.
Erasmus Bridge (Dutch: Erasmusbrug) is a cable-stayed bridge across the Nieuwe Maas, linking the northern and southern regions of Rotterdam, Netherlands. The Erasmus Bridge was designed by Ben van Berkel and completed in 1996. The 802-metre-long (2,631 ft) bridge has a 139-metre-high (456 ft) asymmetrical pylon, earning the bridge its nickname of “The Swan”.
The southern span of the bridge has an 89-metre-long (292 ft) bascule bridge for ships that cannot pass under the bridge. The bascule bridge is the largest and heaviest in West Europe and has the largest panel of its type in the world. After costing more than 163 million euros to construct, the bridge was officially opened by Queen Beatrix on September 6, 1996.[1] Shortly after the bridge opened to traffic in October 1996, it was discovered the bridge would swing under particularly strong wind conditions. To reduce the trembling, stronger shock dampers were installed.
Bron: wikipedia
WitchWithaView 
Mooie foto’s van een mooie brug. Wat fijn toch dat sommige gemeenten het aandurven om iets anders dan anders te doen. In Utrecht heb je de Prins Clausbrug. Dat is natuurlijk van een heel andere orde, maar toch lijkt hij wel op de Erasmusbrug.
Aan de andere kant… die twee Willemsbruggen naast elkaar had ook wel wat hoor.
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Ik vond de Willems bruggen prachtig. Met veel historie natuurlijk!
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Absoluut. Heel vaak overheen gefietst en gelopen.
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A very impressive bridge indeed. I love the angle of the second photo that emphasies just how tall it is. Glad to hear that dampers were installed. It would be scary if the bridge shook around in the wind – it could topple over! 🙂
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Hi Mabel! Thanks for your kind reaction. The bridge was closed for several weeks after the ‘shaking’ incident. Scary, but exciting also!
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What a coincidence. I did a blog about this bridge only a few days ago: http://blewbird.wordpress.com/2014/04/11/over-de-brug/ Lovely pictures!
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Love your blog!
So do you want to follow this blog: http://www.gossipgirlnetherlands.wordpress.com THAT WOULD BE AWESOME!
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Prachtig, ik vind Rotterdam echt wel iets hebben,
daarbij zo heel anders dan Den Haag, Amsterdam of Utrecht.
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I love beautiful bridges, and this is one for sure.
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