Erasmusbrug

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Erasmusbrug is a bridge next to the Willemsbrug and the second one over the Nieuwe Maas in the centre of Rotterdam. The bridge connects the new area of Kop van Zuid with the centre and the north side of the river.

The Erasmusbrug was developed by Ben van Berkel (UN Studio) and completed in 1996. The 808 metre long bridge has 139 metre-high asymmetrical 'pylon,' earning the bridge its nickname of "The Swan." In between Kop van Zuid and the pylon, there is a 89 metre long bascule bridge for ships that cannot pass under the bridge. This basculebrug is the largest and heaviest in West Europe.

Shortly after the opening of the bridge, in October 1996, it seemed that the bridge would swing under particularly strong wind conditions. To reduce the trembling, new parts were installed.

In mid-2004, there were new reports in the news about the bridge as developer Ben van Berkel called for an end to the ‘abuse’ of the project. According to van Berkel, there is a copyright on development projects such as this. In order to buy photographs or scaled models, permission has to be obtained from the owner of the copyright and due payment has to be made. This however is only applicable if the photos are used for commercial purposes.