The backdrop of impressive historic ships makes the Oude Haven (Old Port, part of the Maritime District) a popular place for locals to meet, eat, drink and dance. On summer days, the terraces of the bars and restaurants here like Noah (voted best cocktail bar in the Netherlands) are full until the wee hours. Right behind ‘The White House’, Europe’s first skyscraper, you will find café Het Witte Huis, open late for drinks and dining. Other hotspots here are Stockholm, Mooii and Popocatepetl.
The Oude Haven is part of the Maritime District and can be reached by metro or train (stop Blaak) or water taxi.
The White House is a building and National Heritage Site in Rotterdam, Netherlands, built in 1898 in the Art Nouveau style. The building is 43 m (141 ft) tall, with 10 floors. [1] It was also the first high-rise building in Europe. The building is listed as a Rijksmonument.
Construction
The architect Willem Molenbroek designed the 10-storey building, at the time an unprecedented height in Europe. The site at Wijnhaven 3 is just 1 m above sea-level and skeptics claimed that the soft soil of Rotterdam would be unable to adequately support the building, so before construction could properly begin, 1000 piles were driven into the ground to support the building's weight. The building is constructed from iron, steel and concrete, and includes two thick interior walls which increase the building's strength. Unlike many other contemporary buildings of the time, wood was not a significant construction material due to the fear of fire. The building cost 127,900 Dutch guilders.
It was also one of the few buildings in central Rotterdam to survive the German bombing campaigns of World War II.
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