Ongebroken Verzet

ongebroken verzet rotterdam hubert van lith street art monument

Still standing

The bronze Ongebroken Verzet statue (1965) in Rotterdam is a war monument by Hubert van Lith. Its title means Unbroken Resistance.

The 2.80 meters tall monument symbolizes the Rotterdam resistance and the fallen ones during World War 2 (1940-1945). It shows a man still standing strong and fierce. With his eyes raised to the sky while facing execution by a firing squad. Also someone who has endured the sufferings from the camps seen from his torn clothes.

Most noteworthy is that the word Ongebroken is larger than the word Verzet. Because the people didn’t want the statue only symbolizing the Resistance but also all the fallen ones. As a sign of respect people still place flowers every year around the Ongebroken Verzet statue in Rotterdam.

Also part of the Westersingel Sculpture Route is the totally different Santa Claus sculpture. Here is the location!

ongebroken verzet rotterdam hubert van lith street art monument

Yellow Free Zone

yellow free zone adrien lucca rotterdam street art maashaven

Mellow Yellow

The Yellow Free Zone (2018) artistic creation in Rotterdam is by Adrien Lucca. It is a light installation at the Maashaven subway station.

The special white light comes from lamps invented by Adrien Lucca. As result this white light filters away the color yellow. Moreover it transforms the yellow into something else. Therefore creating a magical and in a way a mystique atmosphere. It is all up to the spectators to experience the Yellow Free Zone in their own perceptive way.




As part of the many eye-catching artworks in Rotterdam the Yellow Free Zone is quite an fascinating one. Here is the location!

yellow free zone adrien lucca rotterdam street art maashaven

Zonder Titel

zonder titel untitled richard artschwager street art rotterdam

Four seasons

The artwork with the Zonder Titel (Untitled) sign at the Eendrachtsweg in Rotterdam is without an actual name. It is by Richard Artschwager and since 1998 in Rotterdam. Instead the name depends on the season. During summers it’s Flame and by fall it becomes Gate. While Ice at wintertime and Flower during the spring.

This way the artist tells that there is not just one explanation for his untitled creation. Unlike many other works in the art scene it lacks a clear shape and name. Moreover it is all up to the imagination of the spectator.

Nearby the abstract concrete artwork is the bronze tree Elevazione by Giuseppe Penone. Meanwhile Richard Artschwager’s artwork Zonder Titel is still part of Rotterdam. Here is the location!

zonder titel untitled richard artschwager street art rotterdam

Make it happen 2

daan botlek make it happen street art rotterdam

Human tower

This second Rotterdam Make It Happen street art work is by Daan Botlek.

As part of the Rotterdam Make It Happen series the one by Daan Botlek is a human tower. It has several steel steps and handle bars which turn it into an interactive artwork. Together with the one that actually climbs the steps they make it happen. It is nearby the De Verwoeste Stad statue since 2017.

The first creation of the series presents a ship by Bart Smeets while several bikes make the third artwork by Calvin Sprague. Altogether with the 26 meters high human tower quite interactive street art. Here is the location!

daan botlek make it happen street art rotterdam

Breathe Walk Die

breathe walk die rainbow rotterdam street art ugo rondinone

Happy colors

The Breathe Walk Die rainbow artwork in Rotterdam is by the artist Ugo Rondinone. The artwork is on top of the Boijmans van Beuningen museum in Rotterdam since 2016.

Together and in a colorful, happy but also sad way the words show the volatility of life. The Walk Breathe Die artwork in Rotterdam is 8 meters wide and has a height of 4 meters. It is made of glass, foil, aluminum and neon materials.

Another artwork in the area is the For You My Love sculpture by Hulya Yilmaz. But first the luminous rainbow by Ugo Rondinone. Here is the location!

breathe walk die rainbow rotterdam street art ugo rondinone

De Dijkwerkers

de dijkwerkers ek van zanten street art rotterdam

Hard workers

The De Dijkwerkers sculpture in Rotterdam is by the artist Ek van Zanten. It’s a sculpture of two humans while lifting a basalt rock together. The symbolic value is about the many port workers. Moreover a way that shows that South Rotterdam is what it is through hard work.

An other interesting artworks in the area is the The Idler’s Playground by Cosima von Bonin. Meantime the location of the De Dijkwerkers sculpture is at a truly beautiful Rotterdam view. The bronze creation by Ek van Zanten is from the year 1970 and 2.20 meters high. Here is the location!

de dijkwerkers ek van zanten street art rotterdam

Horn of Plenty

hoorn des overvloeds horn of plenty art markthal rotterdam

Plenty much

The artwork Hoorn des Overvloeds (2014) in the famous Markthal in Rotterdam is by Iris Roskam and Arno Coenen. It is the Horn of Plenty and refers to the Cornucopia from the ancient Greek mythology. Hence the many enlarged pieces of fruit, vegetables, grains, sweets, fish, flowers and insects.

This immense artwork inside the Markthal is printed on 4000 steel panels. Altogether the Horn of Plenty by Iris Roskam and Arno Coenen is 11.000 mlarge. Furthermore the image exists out of 400.000 megapixels with a size of 1470 gigabytes (1.47 terabytes). Therefore similar servers used by Pixar Studios were necessary to accomplish the artwork as it is.

Beside all the fruit and vegetables the Hoorn des Overvloeds also shows construction cranes and the medieval Laurens church in Rotterdam. As part of the Markthal the Horn of Plenty in Rotterdam is a true masterpiece. Here is the location!

hoorn des overvloeds horn of plenty art markthal rotterdam

Rotterdam Art Ride

roar rotterdam art ride street art

Colors

Altogether 18 pilars form since 2018 the extra colorful Rotterdam Art Ride (ROAR) street art in Rotterdam South. Before the concrete pillars were just grey and surely no eye-catchers. Now they show a collection of paintings realised by different artists.

The Rotterdam Art Ride surely brings more colors, live and joy into the area. The happy street art makes visual art accessible and inspiring to everyone. Between the pillars making the ROAR stands the Dijkwerkers artwork. The Rotterdam Art Ride is a project by the MESH Foundation and Marjon van der Linde. Here is the location!

roar rotterdam art ride street art

De Verwoeste Stad

Humans

While the De Verwoeste Stad by Ossip Zadkine since 1953 stands in Rotterdam in the meanwhile an entire city is built around the scultpure. When in 1946 on the train through destroyed Rotterdam the artist Ossip Zadkine was devastated by all the destruction. With nearly 3 years later during one of the artist’s exhibitions the De Verwoeste Stad introduction to the world. Where the De Verwoeste Stad means The Destroyed City.

verwoeste stad ossip zadkine street art rotterdam

The De Verwoeste Stad in Rotterdam shows a desperate human with the hands towards the sky. As a symbol of the destroyed Rotterdam city center the hole in the human’s chest is where the heart belongs. The tree trunk supports the human. The statue is in the Abstract Expressionism art style.

The statue’s purchase and anonymous donation was by the De Bijenkorf store in Rotterdam. The store lost many Jewish employees during World War 2. Also because of the suffering of the Rotterdammers. The only condition for the gift was to keep the statue forever on the same place. It is nearby the Cascade sculpture by Joep van Lieshout. Since 1978 the anonymous donation of the De Verwoeste Stad is public.



Every year on May 4th during Remembrance Day people gather around the The Destroyed City in Rotterdam. All listen the speeches and stories during the ceremony.

The De Verwoeste Stad in Rotterdam is on a square in the Maritime district. Here is the location!

Fikkie

fikkie joeki simak rotterdam street art

Fikkie

Fikkie is a bronze dog in Rotterdam by the artist Joeki Simák. It’s close to the Guard figure by Hans van Bentem.

This sculpture is a gift from the Rotterdam Student Corps. Due to their 50th anniversary in 1963. The turd in front of Fikkie in Rotterdam is an addition later by the artist Hans Citroen. This was during a campaign for a cleaner city by the garbage disposal company Roteb.

The decision for a dog is because students are often wild and rebellious. Similar to puppies. The sculpture itself says enough. Who else buys an artwork of a dog than a bunch of young and wild students?

Since 1963 the bronze dog by Joeki Simák is kidnapped three times. Also returned every single time to the police. Here is the location!

fikkie joeki simak rotterdam street art