The New City (video loop)
On the 14th of May 1940, the city centre of Rotterdam was almost completely destroyed by the German Air Force. Shortly after, the city’s architect W.G. Witteveen presented a plan for the reconstruction of the city. This plan considered the future needs of the city but also attempted to give the historical city centre back to the people of Rotterdam.
Although initially accepted, it was ultimately replaced by a new plan, focusing on the future and radically breaking with history. In this new plan modernity, strongly influenced by industries, prevailed.
Nowadays only a few buildings remain to remind us of how the city used to be and how it could have become. They are the silent witnesses of the bombing and the equally important decisions that were made afterwards. The reflections of modernity are cast upon these historical buildings by the modern constructions surrounding them today.