Hoogvliet Rotterdam – Nature, Animals and Art

Nature

On the outskirts of Hoogvliet along the Oude Maas lies the 2-hectare Visserijgriend nature area. Under the influence of the tides, the water level there rises and falls by an average of 1.5 metres every day.

The daily movement of the water is therefore an integral part of the character of Visserijgriend. The area shows the Oude Maas not as a static riverside landscape, but as a natural environment shaped by the tides.

The 5-hectare Ruigeplaat lies directly beside the Botlek Bridge near Hoogvliet. Willow and reed areas characterise the tidal nature influenced by the Oude Maas. Ruigeplaat is designated as a Natura 2000 site and is among the European Union’s top nature areas. The area has a footbridge where visitors can safely experience the freshwater tidal nature without getting their feet wet.

At Ruigeplaat, the open willow and reed areas merge with the changing influence of the Oude Maas. The footbridge leads through this natural environment and provides direct access to the designated freshwater tidal nature without visitors having to step onto the ground.

Activities

The Groene Gordel is a natural area surrounding Hoogvliet. It can be reached on foot from Tussenwater metro station, and it is also accessible by bicycle from there. Park de Heerlijkheid has a car park for visitors arriving by car.

The Groene Gordel can therefore be reached from different directions: the route from Tussenwater metro station is intended for pedestrians and cyclists, while Park de Heerlijkheid offers an option for arriving by car. These different ways of arriving are specific features of the area.

The Urban Sports Park in Hoogvliet is part of the Groene Gordel. It also has a large indoor area dedicated entirely to urban sports. The site does not combine any additional sport with the park: the indoor area is expressly reserved for urban sports.

The express dedication of the indoor area makes the Urban Sports Park a clearly designated part of the Groene Gordel. The natural area around Hoogvliet therefore also includes a place whose use is entirely dedicated to urban sports.

Animals

In Hoogvliet, the De Oedenstee city farm gives visitors the opportunity to get to know farm animals in a playful way. On the grounds, visitors can walk among goats and sheep or take a look inside the stables.

The city farm combines spending time among goats and sheep with looking inside the stables. Visitors therefore encounter the farm animals both on the grounds and in the stable areas.

Free activities are regularly held at De Oedenstee. These events include a spring festival, a pancake day and a sheep-shearing festival.

Other destinations include Pernis, Hoek van Holland and Rotterdam.

Culture

There are more than thirty works of art in Hoogvliet’s public spaces. Some of these works recall the reconstruction of the 1950s. Others commemorate the urban beautification of the 1960s. Still others reflect the functional thinking of the 1970s. The works of art also recall later periods.

The public art therefore follows a chronological sequence that reveals several stages in Hoogvliet’s development. From reconstruction through urban beautification and functional thinking to later periods, the works point to different decades and their respective urban-planning ideas.

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