Blijdorp district

Geschiedenis

Blijdorp is a neighbourhood in northern Rotterdam and is part of the borough Noord. The neighbourhood has around 9500 inhabitants.Construction of the districtThe construction of Blijdorp between 1931 and 1940 became possible after filling in the Rotterdamse Schie in the Blijdorpse polder, from which the district is named. The district is bounded by the Noorderhavenkade (the location of the Noorderhaven, filled in in 1940), the Noorderkanaal, the Schie-Schie kanaal and the railroad to Hook of Holland and Utrecht. Blijdorp borders the districts Bergpolder to the east and Provenierswijk to the south. Blijdorp is closely associated with the Rotterdam Zoo in the same district.Blijdorp was not affected by the bombing of Rotterdam of May 14, 1940 though rubble from the city center was used to fill in certain areas in the district. After the bombardement many houseboats were built on the Noorderkanaal to meet the increased need for new houses.Conservation areaBlijdorp has been nominated bij the municipality Rotterdam for the status of conservation area.