Hey! My name is Natalia Matuszczyk and I am studying Economics and Business Economics at Erasmus School of Economics. Although Rotterdam is known for its modern design, skyscrapers and large port, Rotterdam also has plenty of nature to offer. In fact, the city has over 615,000 trees, more than one tree per resident!
I recently visited one of Rotterdam’s best (and biggest) recreational areas: Kralingse Bos and Kralingse lake. Come rain or shine, this area draws people year-round. It is the perfect place to relax, visit a restaurant or practice sports such as running, cycling, horse-riding, golf, rowing, and sailing.
History of the Kralingse Bos and Plas
The Kralingse Bos is a forest and encircles the Kralingse Plas lake. The whole area covers 200 hectares northeast of Rotterdam center. Originally, the Kralingse Bos was created around the Noorderplas lake, as the Kralingse Plas was previously called.
The Kralingse Plas is a 100-ha lake. One trip around the lake is approximately 4 km, depending how close you stick to the shoreline. Like most Dutch water-features, it is not natural and was created by farming peat. The 17th century saw an increased demand for fuel in Rotterdam, resulting from the brick and gold pipe industries and population growth. The peat was a dense and readily available fuel source; the Rotterdam people literally burned the ground out from under themselves (at other locations in the Netherlands the ground sank because the marshes were drained, and then oxidised when exposed to air, or because of groundwater withdrawal).
Soon they found themselves surrounded by more and more water, with the lake growing ever larger due to edge erosion and less space to develop. Eventually, they even had to move the town of Kralingen to its current location because of the encroaching erosion. The lake was named Kralingse Plas when Kralingen was integrated into Rotterdam in 1895. The Kralingse Bos was constructed in 1906 using dredged material from the Rotterdam harbour.
On 14 May 1940, the Germans bombed and destroyed the city centre of Rotterdam. Only a church, post office, trade centre, and town hall remained. That's why Rotterdam looks and feels so different compared to other cities in the Netherlands - the city was completely rebuilt, taking advantage of this opportunity to better plan the city. Some of the rubble excavated from the destroyed city centre was deposited in the Kralingse Plas, creating the broad green stretch and islands along the south edge of the lake.
Two windmills stand on the east edge of the lake: De Lelie (The Lily, 1740) and De Ster (The Star, 1886), both of which are still used to grind spices. A beach lines the west side of the lake, with the northernmost corner a designated nude beach!
The lake began to be used for recreational purposes around the 1900s; the first water sports club also dates from this era. Today there are as many as five water sports clubs near the Kralingse Plas and the area has evolved into one of Holland's best recreational parks.
If you want to escape the hustle and bustle of Woudestein campus or the Rotterdam metropolis, why not visit the lake and forest? And if you have brought your running shoes with you, you might want to give the famous ‘Kralingse Plas tour’ around the lake a try.
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This item is part of Backbone Magazine 2023. The magazine can be found in E-building or Theil-building for free. Additionally, a digital copy is available here. Backbone is the corporate magazine of Erasmus School of Economics. Since 2014, it is published once a year. The magazine highlights successful and interesting alumni, covers the latest economic trends and research, and reports on news, events, student and alumni accomplishments.
