The Erasmus Bridge is Rotterdam’s most iconic hotspot. Affectionately known as the Swan. Walk across it and you’re surrounded by the imposing skyline of the coolest city in the Netherlands. The bridge across the Maas connects the city, making it one whole. Its angled pylon is a symbol of Rotterdam as a city with nerve, one that looks to the future and dares to think big.
Build a bridge to the south
Rotterdam in the 1980s. The city is still rebuilding after the bombing in the Second World War. Mayor Bram Peper wants Rotterdam to have the feel of a true metropolis.
Director of Urban Development Riek Bakker knows what the conditions for success look like: build a bridge to Zuid, is her message. The northern city centre turns its back on the river, while half the city, the Zuid district, lies on the other side of the water. A bridge could make it one whole.
If the city council hadn’t had the nerve, Rotterdam would have become a very different city.
And the Rotterdammers of Zuid said yes. Because Zuid wanted to move forward, and fast. They said yes to Riek Bakker, this no-nonsense woman with vision. This determined, idea-driven person they recognised something of themselves in. Because how much more Rotterdam can you get? Sleeves rolled up and not afraid to speak your mind.
A design with a pylon too expensive
Architect Ben van Berkel produced a daring design with an angled pylon. It was actually too expensive, but Mayor Bram Peper goes for it. As he tells Gers! Magazine: ‘We felt the city deserved that bridge. It had presence.’
On 4 September 1996, the Erasmus Bridge opens. And it works: the court of justice makes the crossing, the first new build in the run-down harbour area on the left bank of the river. A metro station follows (Wilhelminaplein), Hotel New York grows into a major attraction, and the Watertaxi sets up its floating headquarters there. On the north side of the bridge, the tour boat fleet of Spido finds its home.
Riek Bakker is convinced of the Erasmus Bridge’s crucial role. ‘If the city council hadn’t had the nerve and hadn’t stuck its neck out, Rotterdam would have become a very different city.’
An icon that has put Rotterdam on the map, far beyond the country’s borders.
Architect Michiel Raaphorst works with V8 Architects right at the foot of the Erasmus Bridge. ‘Every single day I still look at this bridge with wonder and awe. What never stops surprising me is how timeless and yet expressive this structure is. Some designs gradually dissolve into their surroundings. This bridge doesn’t: it always stands out. It’s a true icon.’
An icon that has put Rotterdam on the map, far beyond the country’s borders. The bridge was expensive but has given the city so much in return. Because Rotterdam is extraordinarily popular: the coolest city in the Netherlands, a mecca for architects, Manhattan on the Maas for investors, metropolitan and international for expats.
Kop van Zuid
The area on the south side of the bridge is the Kop van Zuid. It has grown into a much-loved neighbourhood for living, working, and going out. The Luxor Theatre found its home here, the Port of Rotterdam Authority has its offices here, and the municipality works out of Rem Koolhaas’s De Rotterdam. The Fenix Museum opened its doors in 2025. Cruise Port Rotterdam welcomes cruise ships, and a little further along you can visit the SS Rotterdam. Even the restaurants and terraces on the Deliplein in Katendrecht are now within easy walking distance.
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The idea that the bridge didn’t always exist is simply impossible to imagine.
A metaphor for renewal
The Erasmus Bridge also carries emotional weight: Rotterdammers are proud of ‘their’ bridge and identify with it deeply. Spotting the Swan after a holiday means you’re home. The idea that the bridge didn’t always exist is simply impossible to imagine.
And the bridge is a metaphor for renewal. Just as the Euromast in 1961 symbolised a battered Rotterdam rising from the ashes after the Second World War, the Erasmus Bridge stands for a city that has found its pride again.
The whole world watches
Everything happens on that bridge: the fireworks show at New Year, the marathon the whole world watches, the Eurovision Song Contest, the World Port Days. And with the Watertaxi and Spido, you can also cruise right underneath it.
Rotterdam could never do without that one bridge. The kink above the water is a symbol of the new Rotterdam. Of the city of today and of the future.
The world’s highest talk show
To mark the Erasmus Bridge’s 20th anniversary, RTV Rijnmond produced the TV series HOOG: the world’s highest talk show. From the very top of the Swan, 136 metres up, two Rotterdammers sat down in conversation each episode, accompanied by reports of the bridge and city troubadour Arie van der Krogt.
25 years Erasmus Bridge
Also worth watching: this video made by Rotterdam Make It Happen to mark the Erasmus Bridge’s 25th birthday. A tribute to the bridge, packed with footage from the countless films and advertisements in which the bridge has appeared.
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