General Information
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Click here for the City Map of Rotterdam. |
Rotterdam
Rotterdam has the largest port of Europe, the second city and the industrial heart of the Netherlands and the economic, social and cultural center of the Rijnmond ('Rhine Estuary') region. In addition, Rotterdam is a city of modern architecture, events, leisure and recreation. More than one million people from 162 countries live in the Rotterdam region. Rotterdam was founded in the mid 13th century and received municipal rights in 1340. Over the centuries Rotterdam grew from a fishing village into an international center of trade, transport, industry and distribution. At the beginning of the Second World War, on 14 May 1940, virtually the entire city center was devastated by a bombardment. This explains why there are scarcely any pre-war buildings in this part of Rotterdam. After the war, reconstruction of what had been destroyed was given the highest priority. Now, sixty years later, a new, modern city center has risen from the ashes. The avant-garde architecture is famous at home and abroad.
For more information on the city of Rotterdam you can visit the tourist information website.
More information on The Netherlands can be found at the web site www.holland.com
Congress venue
The congress will be held at the Congress Center
"De Doelen", Rotterdam, The Netherlands. "De Doelen" is located in the
center of Rotterdam surrounded by many architectural interesting buildings,
museums, hotels and restaurants and is on walking distance from Rotterdam
Central Railway Station.
De Doelen Concert and Congress Center
Kruisplein 30, Rotterdam
The Netherlands
Tel: + 31 10 217 18 21
Fax: + 31 10 433 22 37
Website: www.dedoelen.nl.
Guide and
map to de Doelen.
Transportation
By air
From Schiphol Airport (main airport) in Amsterdam there is a direct
train connection to Rotterdam Central Railway Station (every half hour).
The traveling time is approximately one hour. See www.ns.nl
for the time table. It is advised to travel through Schiphol, however
it is also possible to travel to Rotterdam Airport. The center of Rotterdam
can be reached in about 15 minutes by car (A13) and by public transport
(bus 33).
By train
From Rotterdam Central Railway Station it is a 3 minute walk to the
Congress Center.
By taxi
Transport by taxi is quite expensive in the Netherlands. A ten-minute ride in the city, will cost between € 10 and € 15 and a transfer from Schiphol Airport to Rotterdam Center costs about
€ 125.
Parking
De Doelen has its own underground parking (Parking Schouwburgplein). In close distance another thousand covered parking spaces are available: Parking Plaza (underneath shopping center Plaza, entrance Kruisstraat) and Parking Weena (opposite De Doelen, entrance Karel Doormanstraat)
Language
The official language is English. Simultaneous translation will not be provided.
Currency
The currency used in The Netherlands is the Euro ( € ), for which the exchange rate is approximately 1 Euro = $ 1.30 (March 2005).
Climate
The Netherlands has a maritime climate and the weather in September
is usually sunny, although it could rain as well. The average temperature
is around 10 - 19 degrees Celsius. See for the current weather forecast
www.qwikcast.com
