Museum 4, 1920

• Virtual Museum Schielandhuis
• Paul van de Laar, real exhibition
• Five March, virtual reconstruction

Second Room, Rotterdam 1920-1930

Around 1920 there have been big changes in the character of Rotterdam. The red light district, famous even in Paris is demolished to make room for the new town hall, a new post office and a new trade centre. This could not have been a real coincidence. The main street of Rotterdam is constructed by making a big road instead of the existing canal, part of the inner harbour which became obsolete. The poor workers lived in appalling conditions and the socialists became involved in new initiatives to improve housing conditions. The money demanded amusements, which was found for instance in dancing Pschorr, which was visited even by people from The Hague. The management of work was improved, necessary because of the huge commerce generated by the new harbours. But also the global world affected Rotterdam, with the international crisis caused by the New York Stock Exchange disaster. The dutch should have had some experience with this, given the fact that they suffered already heavily under the first real speculation crisis around tulips in the 17^th century.

In the exhibition three people are singled out:

Zimmermann the mayor who was responsable for the main street, the Coolsingel, the townhall, the postoffice and the new stock-exchange, and the demolishing of the district, the Zandstraat, wich was necessary to make room for this modenisation.

Koos Speenhoff, the first celebrity singer of Rotterdam. He commented upon all what happened in Rotterdam. He made his songs himself, accompanying himself on the guitar. In the exhibition a few seconds of his songs are included in his guitar and the picture of the newly build tower of the town hall.

Arie Heijkoop, city councellor. He protested against appaling living conditions of the workers and their families and succeeded in planning new garden villages in the south of Rotterdam, made of prefab concrete. These districts are still famous and a joy to live in, having a very human scale and a peaceful atmosphere.

http://www.hmr.rotterdam.nl