Sfarson, this one is for you! Rotterdam - new pics

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A flat topped windmill to match the flat topped church tower..

For the man that gave us these fantastic then and now USA shots.......

The Rotterdam area, where his familty roots lie, used to have a lot of medieval buildings in its city centre.
The  http://en.wikipedia....Rotterdam_Blitz incendiary aerial bombing by the Nazis; wiped it of the map.


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This how it looked after the rubble was cleared...


The Laurenskerk had been there since 1525....



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As you will see, need to perfect the angles....   :tongue:



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This is how the church looked around the 1640's..... The sphire was wood and was removed after 1645.

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And now.....

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And confirmed fact, Dragons eat doner kebab too :tongue:



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So do pigeons by the way....


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With the church having a flat top, I had to look hard for the obligatory dutch windwill picture....



:laugh:

I can't imagine the destruction that was brought down on Europe during that war. Thanks for the picture and proof of resolve of the European countries.

so you are in Rotterdam today.  Leave Pien's sisters alone! :rolleyes:

Dutchy... Thanks and WOW.  Talk about leveling a city.  And that historic church crippled but seemingly in a way, still standing defiantly (and beautiful today).  I wonder the extent the bombing was indiscriminate, and if residential areas felt the fury of the bombs as well, and thus, if the home from my mom's side of the family is still there.  Thanks Dutchy.

Well, you give the adress and we'll have a look...   :tongue:

I will try and sneak my bike in those pictures then as well



The city centre was targeted on purpose. To force surrender by "any means".

The Nazis (I always write that on purpose because I donot want to link WW2 to current Germany) invasion was halted at a few key spots in the Netherlands. The airborne troops that landed near/on Rotterdam airfields could not advance either.  So an ultimatum was given. The surrender of Rotterdam was given late after some stalling tactics. By that time the squadrons were already airborne.  The German troops near Rotterdam saw the planes coming, feared "friendly fire", so fired the "ABORT" red flares with success, one squadron peeled off. The other squadron didnot see that and created a Guernica, Coventry, Dresden.....

The subsequent Nazi threat to bomb more city centres made the Dutch capitulate.

Intresting. I have been to Rotterdam once, 1997 when passing thro on a motorcycle trip. Did stop to eat thro, nice city, but had no clue it was so totalled during WW2. I should had been more awake on the History lessions.............

Some more pictures...

What the area used to look like and what the square in front of the church looks like today...

front

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back

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area (church in background)

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(Sphire was removed in 1645)




Today

(not a perfect stitch but there you go...)


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