History

Discover more about the rich history of Rotterdam’s icon
Euromast, since 1960
The Euromast was built in 1960, on the occasion of the Floriade, by architect H.A. Maaskant and contractor J.P. van Eesteren.
From Eurotower to Euromast
In November 1958, Rotterdam newspapers carried the news that the viewing tower would be named Euromast. 'Euro' because Rotterdam is in the heart of the Euromarket area and 'mast' because not only Dutch people know what that is, but also English, German, Swedish, Norwegians and Danes. Those also write mast. In Poland one writes maszt, in Finland masto and in France mât. In Spanish it is mastil and in Portuguese mastro. Mast even resembles Russian matshta and Japanese masuto.
The first pole
The first pile was driven on December 10, 1958, by Mayor Van Walsum, dressed in an oilskin coat and with his head covered by a crash helmet. According to the Free People. Students from the Company School of the Wilton-Feijenoord Shipyard encouraged the workmen: 'Hei-op! Hei-op those 130 piles!
A 100-meter ship mast with bridge and crow's nest
Maaskant outfitted the tower at 32 meters with a replica of a ship's bridge, complete with navigation equipment and a chart room. In this space, the public could experience what it means to pilot a seagoing vessel.
In the 100-meter-high crow's nest came two restaurants
The Rottiserie, with a 1st class menu, silver cutlery and an upscale ambiance. The public restaurant, with views to all points of the compass. Built like a theater and upholstered in various shades of orange. On the first floor was a cafeteria where you could order microwave meals. (Very special in those days).
Restaurant shook up in five days
With this headline, the Nieuwe Rotterdamse Courant opened its report on the hoisting of the Crow's Nest restaurant on July 11, 1959. The 240-ton colossus was brought up in five days, ingeniously. Hundreds of people watched on warm summer evenings as it slid past the pole at a rate of 15 centimeters per quarter hour. The operation had been completed on July 10, when the restaurant hung at 100 meters, and had taken exactly 131 hours.
2021
The Euromast is now part of the M56 group / Magnicity, a French family-owned company with several beautiful tourist lookout towers spread across several cities. Still the Euromast is one of the favorite sights in Rotterdam where you can:
- Food and drink
- Enjoying the beautiful view of the city and Rotterdam's world port
- Abseiling
- Sleep
- & more!
City Archives

Euromast Rotterdam

More about the Euromast

Made of reinforced concrete, the tower has a diameter of 9 meters (inside) and a wall thickness of 30 centimeters. The foundation consists of 131 concrete piles. On this rests a 1,900,000-pound block of reinforced concrete, to counterbalance the above-ground structure. Thus, the center of gravity is below the ground for maximum stability. The crow’s nest is a 240,000-pound steel structure. The bottom hangs at 96 meters. It was built at the base of the mast and raised in 5 days. The ship’s bridge came to hang at 32 meters. The speed of the elevators is 4 meters per second. That means you get to 100 meters in 30 seconds.

On March 12, 1959, the Algemeen Dagblad called on its readers to guess when the Euromast would reach its highest point. By putting 50 cents worth of extra stamps on their postcards, participants would contribute to the Princess Beatrix Polio Fund. The action became a success. On March 26, at 2:59 p.m., a siren sounded over the docks; the first phase of construction was a fact. The action yielded the sum of fl. 67,000, = and the winners of the four main prizes could receive their respective car, scooter, TV set and washing machine.

In the 1960s, the Euromast was 100 meters high (excluding a 15-meter-high flagpole). Enough to tower above the skyline of the Maas city. But Rotterdam’s pride was overtaken left and right by other buildings. In 1970, the Euromast struck back. Eighty-five meters were added with the installation of the Space Tower. This made the Euromast the tallest building in Rotterdam again.

The Euromast was not Maaskant’s only contribution to the Rotterdam skyline. In the 1950s and 1960s, he left his mark on the city’s reconstruction. As early as 1949, he built the Zuidplein apartment building and, in the early 1950s, the Zuidwijk apartments. Later his office included the Groothandelsgebouw, the Hilton Hotel and the Lijnbaan flats. With the Euromast, he gave world port Rotterdam an eye-catching maritime monument.

For the first ten years, more than 6 million visitors came to enjoy the view. On fine days, they could see Antwerp, Moerdijk and The Hague in the distance. On less beautiful days, of course, Rotterdam in all its glory is beautiful too.

  • In August 1962, 6 staff members were arrested on suspicion of ticket fraud.
  • On April 25, 1964, the 2.5 millionth visitor to the Euromast was put in the limelight; Mrs. Groot from Aerdenhout was offered a bunch of flowers, lunch and a weekend in Rotterdam.
  • A commercial radio station from Luxembourg broadcast a Sunday afternoon program from the Euromast in May 1964: Teener Topper Time. The reason for this location is symbolic: the European idea is propagated in this way. Stars such as Françoise Hardy, Adamo, Anneke Grönloh, Wil Tura and Ciska Peters are in attendance.
  • In March 1964, the hostesses of the Euromast were given a uniform designed by Rotterdam couturier Cargelli. A golden yellow suit with black blouse and a hat in the shape of a round bonbon box.
  • In September 1965, Feijenoord wins over Real Madrid and the red and white Feijenoord flag flies triumphantly on the Euromast.
  • In 1970, the Euromast was raised to 185 meters with the arrival of the spacetower.

The Euromast was in danger of being wiped off the map in the 1990s by the ambitious Parkhaven Tower plan. A 392-meter-high tower by the London architectural firm Kohn Petersen Fox was to become Rotterdam’s new tourist attraction. As the largest building in Europe, it would have a residential, work and tourist function. Rotterdam’s city council eventually put a stop to it.