Going to Van Nelle Factory

Outside the Van Nelle Factory in Rotterdam

Outside the Van Nelle Factory in Rotterdam

We were shocked at how expensive city parking is in the Netherlands. I was never keen on renting a car here. I thought that public transportation would actually be very good here but my friends seem bent on renting one. The car rental was cheap but apparently there was a reason why it was cheap, no one wanted it since parking is quite costly. We decided to just make use of the car to go around the country instead. There is no point doing it in the cities. The car is the perfect way to explore. However, I came up with the idea of going to Rotterdam because there is a famous factory here which happens to be a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Looking Through the Gates of the Van Nelle Factory in Rotterdam

Looking Through the Gates of the Van Nelle Factory in Rotterdam

This is probably the first time I have heard of a factory being named a UNESCO World Heritage site. My image of factories is that they don’t have character and most of all they are dirty. The Van Nelle Factory was once named as one of the most beautiful factories in the world. That doesn’t really sound very appealing to me. But the fact that it was good enough to be named to the UNESCO World Heritage list makes me curious about this place.

We managed to find the place through the use of our satnav. I wasn’t driving but I needed to make sure the we turn when we are supposed to turn. The factory seems to be in a rather remote part of the city of Rotterdam and I hope that isn’t a sign of something bad. Factories do tend to be built away from residential areas so it is probably not that surprising that is it like this. We finally arrived at the gates of the factory and I look forward to see what is so interesting about this place.

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