Footsteps of WWII · The Netherlands
Rotterdam 1940: 'The Destroyed City' monument
Memorial · 14 May 1940
The story
On 14 May 1940 German forces besieging Rotterdam sent an ultimatum to the Dutch commander, Colonel Scharroo. While negotiations were still under way, around 90 Heinkel He 111 bombers approached in two groups. Red flares signalled a recall; the southern group mostly turned back, but the north-eastern group bombed the old city centre. The fires that followed destroyed about 25,000 homes, and around 85,000 people were made homeless. Faced with a similar threat to Utrecht, the Dutch high command capitulated that evening, signing on 15 May. Ossip Zadkine's bronze 'De Verwoeste Stad' (The Destroyed City), unveiled on 15 May 1953, shows a figure with its heart torn out.
What to look for
A tall bronze figure, arms flung to the sky and a hole where the heart should be, stands on Plein 1940 at the head of the Leuvehaven, beside the Maritime Museum. Almost nothing old survives around it: the modern skyline is itself the legacy of the 1940 fire.
Plan your visit
Public square, open at all times and free. Central Rotterdam, a short walk from Beurs or Leuvehaven metro stations. The 'fire boundary' (brandgrens) of 1940 is marked by lights across the city centre.
Things change, so check opening times before you travel.
Nearby sites
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