De Hef · 50 × 70
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Rotterdam
De Hef
Steel, water and an open sky. De Hef stands at the heart of this Rotterdam harbour scene, while a tugboat brings movement to the water.
In the illustration
- The steel towers and raised span of De Hef
- A tugboat on the blue water
- Pale clouds behind the dark bridge structure
The story behind the poster
De Hef gives Rotterdam a distinctive silhouette of steel and movement. Completed in 1927, the railway lift bridge over the Koningshaven brought rail and shipping together in the harbour landscape.
Engineer P. Joosting designed the bridge, built between 1925 and 1927. Its 52-metre central span can be raised using cables, wheels and concrete counterweights, allowing vessels to pass beneath the railway. When the railway tunnel was completed in 1993, De Hef lost its rail function. Its distinctive silhouette remained as a reminder of Rotterdam’s elevated railway.
A photograph dated 1927–1932 from The Utrecht Archives’ De Pater Collection was an important reference for the towers and raised span. The poster translates these principal forms into a bold city scene. The neighbouring Koninginnebrug was deliberately omitted; light, colours, vessels and surrounding buildings were freely interpreted.
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