|
View
of Rotterdam Harbour
1694
The
Netherlands has always been a strong trading nation,
assisted by its ideal position on the North Sea
and its good connections with Germany over the
Rhine. By the end of the nineteenth century, the
port of Rotterdam had become the most important
port in the Netherlands; after the Second World
War it grew to be the largest port in the world.
|
|
|
Johannes
de Vou
Rotterdam met al syn gebouwen net
op haer maet geteekent en gesneden
1694
1044 B 21
Courtesy of Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The
Hague
|
Though
by no means as extensive as it is now, Rotterdam
was an important harbour in the seventeenth century.
In 1694 the City Council commissioned the Rotterdam
artist and map-maker Johannes de Vou to make a
large map of the city. Included in the map were
a view of the city from the river Maas; 12 depictions
of important buildings; and a strip with the arms
of Rotterdam, its ten manors, and its (then) four
Mayors, its Pensionary and the Town Secretary.
The map was etched by the famous Dutch artist
Romeyn de Hooghe. Around 1778, pictures of the
arms of all members of the City Council, and of
the Pensionaries and Secretaries since 1573 were
added.
The
map and accompanying engraving can be found in
three representations: as loose leaves, mounted
as a wall map (with or without the additions of
1778), and bound as a book. In the book version,
the leaves of the map, the view and the arms are
each pasted together, while the engravings of
the buildings and the loose arms (added later)
have been pasted on leaves of paper. From 1744,
these atlases were compiled for presentation to
members and relations of the City Council. This
copy is bound in vellum, with the arms of Rotterdam,
gold-tooled, in the centre.
Many
of the Dutch emigrants to Australia after the
Second World War left the Netherlands by boat
from Rotterdam Harbour. In the late 1940s the
view would have looked very different though—in
1940 the city centre of Rotterdam was largely
destroyed by German bombing.
|