To spot Eendrachtsplein, just look for the bright yellow "M" metro sign rising above the trees and the busy intersection, with red railings and plenty of bikes parked right at the entrance.
You’re now standing where the heartbeats of several Rotterdam neighborhoods meet: Centrum, Cool, Dijkzigt, and the Oude Westen. Eendrachtsplein might look like a busy, modern square now, with trams zipping by and people bustling above the metro station-opened in 1982, by the way-but this spot once echoed with splashing water! In the 19th century, city planner Willem Rose gave Eendrachtsplein its start as part of his grand Water Project. Imagine children laughing near the canal and, on the west side, a grand school for secondary students built in 1863-so fancy it became a police station during wartime, and later transformed into the café Heilige Boontjes, where you can grab a coffee with extra history on the side. On the east, imagine 14 stately mansions built in the late 1800s-a little parade of architectural charm. The canal was sadly filled in when the Westblaak road cut through, but Eendrachtsplein added some modern flair with the striking Santa Claus statue, and every Tuesday, you’ll find a lively organic market here. It's a place where pigeons and locals gather, and you can nearly hear the old stories whistling past with the trams.
