Rotterdam is the second largest city in the Netherlands and is located on the Nieuwe Maas. This river is the southern arm of the Rhine and is merged in Rotterdam with the river Rotte. Rotterdam is also one of the largest ports in the world and home to the huge Europoort facility. Rotterdam was almost completely destroyed by German air strikes in 1940. As a result, the center of Rotterdam was energetically rebuilt after the war and rescheduled with modern shopping streets, residential areas and high-rise buildings. This makes Rotterdam one of the most modern and architecturally interesting cities in Europe.
Despite its modern character, Rotterdam dates from the Middle Ages and prospered in the 13th century. In that century a dam was built to separate the Rotte from the Nieuwe Maas. This is how the city got its name. Rotterdam has long been important as a cultural center. Early prosperity led to the birth of the most celebrated citizen of Rotterdam, the humanistic Erasmus. Erasmus was born in Rotterdam in 1467. Nowadays Rotterdam is very popular because of its lively entertainment options as well as because of its many fine museums, beautiful architecture and maritime tourist attractions.