Historical Figures

Historical Figures of Rotterdam

In this section, we highlight some historical figures who contributed to the construction and development of the city of Rotterdam. There are monuments, street names, events, or associations in their honor throughout the city.

Erasmus of Rotterdam (1469–1536)

Considered the most famous person from Rotterdam. He was a man of great intellect and became one of Europe’s greatest thinkers, being the founder of the Humanist movement.

Erasmus began his education at age 4, at a school in Gouda. At 9, his father sent him to a prestigious Latin grammar school, where his natural academic abilities flourished. After his parents died of the plague in 1483, Erasmus was placed in the care of guardians who insisted he become a monk.

In 1492, poverty forced Erasmus to enter monastic life and he was ordained a Catholic priest, although he never actively served as a cleric. His life changed dramatically when he became secretary to Henry of Bergen, Bishop of Cambrai, who was impressed by Erasmus’s command of Latin. The bishop allowed Erasmus to travel to Paris to study classical literature and Latin, where he was introduced to Renaissance Humanism.

While in Paris, Erasmus gained fame as a brilliant scholar and lecturer. In 1499, he traveled to England and met Thomas More and John Colet, who had a major influence on him. Over the next ten years, Erasmus divided his time between France, the Netherlands, and England, writing some of his best works.

On July 12, 1536, while preparing to return to the Netherlands, Erasmus fell ill and died of a dysentery attack. Although he remained loyal to the Roman Church, he did not receive last rites.

His Works

Among his most notable works are: Adages, The Manual of the Christian Knight, On the Method of Study,In Praise of Folly, The Education of the Christian Prince, Translation of the New Testament into Latin, Colloquies, On the Firm but Gentle Education of Children, Ecclesiastes (a treatise on preaching), and Preparation for Death.

All of Erasmus’s works were censored and included in the “Index of Prohibited Books” by the Council of Trent. Similarly, they were condemned by most Protestant thinkers. He was even accused of laying the groundwork for the Reformation.

Johan van Oldenbarnevelt (1547–1619)

Born in Amersfoort into an aristocratic family with feudal roots. He was Grand Pensionary of Rotterdam, a kind of state attorney in charge of the city council’s financial and judicial departments.

Under his leadership, work began on expanding the Waterstad area, and the port’s capacity was increased. In 1586, van Oldenbarnevelt became Prime Minister of the regions of West Friesland and Holland, which was then smaller than it is today due to Spanish occupation in the south.

During this time, he helped create the world’s first multinational, the VOC (Dutch East India Company), and involved Rotterdam in the enterprise. The VOC brought raw materials from the Indies and sold them in Europe.

This spice trade brought great wealth, and the Dutch regions prospered. A Golden Age dawned for merchants. Van Oldenbarnevelt ensured Rotterdam received a share of the business.

He played a major unifying role in the politics of the United Republic of the Netherlands, which then included what is now northern Belgium and the Netherlands. He was condemned to death for high treason under questionable circumstances and was beheaded at the Binnenhof in The Hague in 1619.

Piet Heyn (1577–1629)

He was born in what is now the Rotterdam neighborhood of Delfshaven. In 1623, he was appointed Vice Admiral in the service of the VOC (West India Company). One of the main missions of the WIC was to send out privateer ships. He acted as a privateer during the Eighty Years’ War fought between the United Provinces and Spain.

He sailed with the company on its first mission, which consisted of 26 ships ordered to take the city of Bahia, on the coast of Brazil.

Heyn captured numerous Spanish and Portuguese ships before becoming famous for capturing the Spanish Silver Fleet in 1628, near Matanzas Bay (Cuba), which was carrying Spain’s annual shipment of precious metals extracted in Mexico and Peru.

He returned to the Netherlands in 1629 with loot valued at 11 million guilders. He had planned to retire with his share of the treasure, but was called back to active duty with the rank of Lieutenant Admiral of Holland.

Piet Heyn was given command of the entire republic’s fleet and tasked with clearing the North Sea of Dunkirk pirates, who were in the service of King Philip IV of Spain. Although his fleet defeated the pirates, Heyn died in battle.

He became such a famous figure that he inspired children’s songs:

“Piet Heyn! His name is short / his feat, great / he was the one who captured / the silver fleet.”

Willen Nicolaas Rose (1801–1877)

W.N. Rose was born on January 8, 1801 in Cheribon, Java (Indonesia), into an influential family. He studied at the Artillery and Engineering School in Delft, where he graduated in 1822.

After his training, he remained in the army until 1839, designing fortifications. His military experience made him a skilled engineer. He had a strong interest in architecture and excelled in that field.

From 1839 to 1855, he was regarded as the architect of Rotterdam. He is considered one of the greatest architects in modern Dutch history.

Rose is regarded as one of the best architects in Dutch contemporary history. He improved the city’s infrastructure, such as the sewer system, gas and electricity supply, construction of schools, and the creation of a forest in Kralingen. He also designed bridges, docks, ports, buildings, and urban development plans.

His vision included creating green spaces, canals, and boulevards in Rotterdam. However, his plans for a new city and ports were consistently rejected. His “Water Project,” which involved building canals around the city and expanding the ports in the Feijenoord area, was completed by his successors. He introduced sidewalks and gas lighting in the city.

Gerrit Johannes de Jongh (1845–1917)

De Jongh received military and technical training at the Royal Military Academy in Breda. At 20 years old, he became a Second Lieutenant of Engineers. He worked on the construction of fortifications and other military works, as well as taking on private commissions, such as the restoration of a church in ’s-Hertogenbosch.

In 1879, he became the director of municipal works in Rotterdam, succeeding the accomplished W.N. Rose. De Jongh developed a large harbor complex on the left bank of the Meuse River, which included Rijnhaven and Maashaven.

His work focused on facilitating the mass transit of goods during that time. Over time, general cargo transportation shifted to the right bank of the Meuse River, where De Jongh also built or designed port docks.

He also modernized the port facilities by introducing electrical equipment. He promoted industrial development by constructing the port railway.

He improved the city’s infrastructure by working on the sewer system, gas and electricity supply, building schools, and creating the forest in Kralingen.

De Jongh provided advice for constructing Laakhaven in The Hague and other projects in different parts of the Netherlands. He also helped enhance harbor facilities in Gothenburg, built ports in Ireland, and introduced floating docks in Portugal and Surabaya. He served as an advisor to national governments on various state committees.

After retiring in 1910, De Jongh continued to be a member of the Provincial States of South Holland until 1916. During his later years, he lived in The Hague but remained connected to Rotterdam as a commissioner for the Holland-America Line.

In a speech to the city council after De Jongh’s death, Mayor Zimmerman paid tribute to the man whose spirit “inspired the entire industry of port construction in Rotterdam.”