The Destroyed City, South Holland Province, The Netherlands
4.5 (250 reviews) Spent Ranking #17 in Rotterdam Monuments & Statues
Desperation and helplessness!
A monument to the fallen in the bombing and devastation of Rotterdam during World War 2. A six metre high bronze statue of a human figure, weighing three tonnes. The sculptor of this art work, Ossip Zadkine described his design as 'a cry of horror for the human monster, who devised the executioner's work in order to let his brothers pay for a crime they did not commit'. This is a symbol of pain, horror, helplessness, desperation, man's inhumanity to man..... It speaks to all of us perhaps in different ways. You can't fail to see the horror and desperation, however! When it was unveiled, in the 1950s, it caused a bit of controversy, but it still stands there today, as a stark reminder about human history and the lessons people still have not learnt! This is a must see!
Address
Plein 1940, 3011 Rotterdam The Netherlands
Website
http://rotterdam.info/locaties/de-verwoeste-stad/
Current local date and time now
Wednesday, May 15, 2024, 13:31
User Ratings
4.5 based on (250 reviews)
Reviews
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4Hermes_NL ?? 5:00 PM Mar 6, 2019
The Destroyed City by Ossip Zadkine
This highly symbolic sculpture was made by the prolific French/Russian artist Ossip Zadkine in 1953. It symbolizes the heart if the city of Rotterdam, destroyed by German bombs in 1940, to force the capitulation of the Netherlands. It has a prominent location at the Maritime museum. Many schools in the Netherlands were named after Zadkine.
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4KodoDrummer 5:00 PM Jun 4, 2018
The heartless bronze statue tells the sad story
This is a city that was destroyed by the war. As a memorial, there is a large, six-metre high, three-ton, bronze statue of a body with an open heart area, i.e., a body with a lost heart. It signifies the devastation brought to the city by heavy bombardment by the Nazi-German military during World War II. Rotterdam is the second largest city in the Netherlands and is home to the largest port in Europe. The city’s name comes from the dam that empties into the river in the center of the city. The urban area is more than 200 square kilometers and the port area more than 100 square kilometers. Most of the city had to be rebuilt after World War II.
