Mapping Modernity

9. Compass of Rotterdam

25 October 2023

Bombardment as basis for modernization 

This is the first map published of Rotterdam shortly after the devastating terror bombing that occurred on May 14, 1940, resulting in the complete destruction of the city centre. The scale of the devastation is extensive, yet  despite the destruction, many buildings are left standing, only to disappear at a later date, indicating the city’s large-scale rehabilitation plan to make the city more accessible for modern traffic.

Compass, Compass of Rotterdam, The Hague (1940). Coll. S/T V.523, 80 x 96 cm.