Rotterdam: A real urban legend

With cutting-edge architecture and a thriving design scene, Rotterdam is a worthy rival to the first city of the Netherlands, writes Tony Clayton-Lea

Rotterdam skyline: the Dutch city was completely rebuilt after being destroyed in World War II

From the spring of 1940, everything changed for Rotterdam. The Netherlands’ second city (after Amsterdam) and Europe’s largest port was virtually obliterated by the Luftwaffe. So began a slow, arduous journey from being a city with a once beautiful array of 17th-century houses, cobblestone laneways and decorous architecture to what it is now: a bold, glorious tribute ...