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Lijnbaanflats

The Lijnbaanflats form part of Rotterdam’s famous Lijnbaan district and were developed between 1953 and 1969. Hugh Maaskant acted as supervisor and designed the Cityflat, while Herman Dirk Bakker and Arie Krijgsman designed several of the other residential blocks.

The flats introduced a new model of post-war urban living. Instead of traditional perimeter blocks, the buildings are arranged as repeated compositions around landscaped courtyards. High-rise residential blocks are combined with lower buildings containing shops and services.

The organisation separates different forms of movement. Pedestrian routes, residential access, commercial activity and traffic are carefully arranged to create a modern urban environment. Galleries provide access to apartments, while balconies on the southern façades open the homes towards sunlight and views.

The buildings express the optimism of the reconstruction period. Their scale, repetition and open space represented a radical departure from the dense nineteenth-century city.

The Lijnbaanflats were part of a larger vision of Rotterdam as a modern, efficient and pedestrian-oriented city. Together with the Lijnbaan shopping street, they created an urban ensemble that became internationally influential.

Today the flats remain an important residential component of central Rotterdam and are recognised as part of the city’s post-war architectural heritage.