K - Katendrecht
Katendrecht
Katendrecht at kop van zuid has been considered for many years (and still is, shamefully) one of the ghettos of Rotterdam. That, it seems, will always be the fate of the part of town which holds a majority of immigrants (even if they are 2nd and even 3rd generation in the Netherlands). Usually these stigmas have a reason, and Katendrecht’s history is no different. On the outskirts of the city center and tangent to the mass, Katendrecht has been the working class area in a working class city. Immigrants, poverty, drugs and prostitution will usually give a place a bad name (except Amsterdam) (Katendrecht used to be the “Red-light district” of Rotterdam.). Today Katendrecht is a whole different story. It is still very industrial, but I believe that will change in years to come, also because of the value of the land and also because of the Maasvlakte 2 that is being built that will home many companies using the harbor area closest to the city. Katendrecht is and will be going through some drastic changes. It is one of the fastest developing areas in Rotterdam, and you should see what luxury houses are being built there. A few famous architecture offices have already built houses there along the water in the less developed part of the peninsula. As the area in the city runs out (and once again, this is always the case with large central cities) people are looking to live at the closest place to the city center with easy transportation – all those make katendrecht a prize area. Especially because it is still so cheap. On Sunday’s when the weather is nice, all the neighbors take out tables and chairs and have drinks and food and music which gives the neighborhood a warm and lively feeling. Too bad that in about 20 years Katendrecht will have probably gone through all the fazes, and reached the point where it’s an expensive and fartsy area. I would have kept it just the way it is.
Did i already mention that it was te best place to see the Red-Bull Air Race from ?
