Diergaarde Blijdorp

Diergaarde Blijdorp (Official Dutch name: Stichting Koninklijke Rotterdamse Diergaarde, Foundation Royal Zoo of Rotterdam) is a zoo in the northwestern part of Rotterdam, one of the oldest zoos in the Netherlands. In 2007 it celebrated its 150th anniversary.

Diergaarde Blijdorp is a member of the Dutch Zoo Federation (NVD) and the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA).

History

The Rotterdam Zoo moved to its new location in the Blijdorp district prior to the bombing of Rotterdam in World War II, which destroyed most of the city centre. The original zoo had been heavily damaged in a bombing two days prior to the Blitz but it had not been touched by the main bombardment on May 10, 1940. Some streetnames, such as Diergaardesingel (Zoolane), still recall the old zoo. Blijdorp was rebuilt slightly to the north, where it opened to the public in its current location on December 7, 1940. The new zoo was designed by Dutch architect Sybold van Ravesteyn, who designed the central railway station in Rotterdam, as well. In 2001, Blijdorp became almost twice as large when it opened a new western part, which includes the aquarium Oceanium. In 2007, the zoo was declared a rijksmonument.

Blijdorp district

Blijdorp is a neighbourhood in northern Rotterdam and is part of the borough Noord. The neighbourhood has around 9500 inhabitants.

Construction of the district

Blijdorp was built between 1931 and 1940 in Blijdorpse polder, where the district is named. The district is bounded by the 1940 subdued Noorderhaven, the Noorderkanaal, the Schie-Schie kanaal and the railroad to Hook of Holland. Blijdorp borders the districts Bergpolder and Provenierswijk.

With the name "Blijdorp" almost everyone thinks about the Rotterdam Zoo in the same district. If people told they lived in the district Blijdorp, they were often called monkeys.

The construction of Blijdorp became possible after filling in the Rotterdamse Schie. Blijdorp was not affected by the bombing of Rotterdam of May 14, 1940 by the Germans. A monument because of the bombing is in a green strip on Statenweg (between Statensingel and Nieuwpoortstraat). The damping was already before the war began.

After this bombardment were the need for new houses great and the Noorderkanaal built many Houseboats. The original idea was that they would disappear after a number of years, but they are still there.

Blijdorp RandstadRail station

Blijdorp is a RandstadRail station located in Rotterdam-Blijdorp, the Netherlands.

The station was opened on August 17, 2010, together with the tunnel connecting the metro station of Rotterdam Centraal to the Hofpleinlijn, which is part of the RandstadRail project. Since the station opened, line E trains run from Rotterdam Centraal towards Den Haag Centraal. After approximately one year, in 2011, a connection will be established with the existing metro network of Rotterdam, allowing a direct connection between Slinge station and Den Haag Centraal.

Train services

The following services currently call at Blijdorp:

References