Erasmus Bridge in Black and White by Jaco Verheul

Besides the Willemsbrug, the Erasmus Bridge is the second bridge across the Nieuwe Maas river in the centre of Rotterdam in the Port of Rotterdam and is named after the Dutch priest and humanist Erasmus. The bridge connects the Kop van Zuid district with the city centre on the north side of the river. Architecture[edit] The Erasmus Bridge was designed by Ben van Berkel (UNStudio) and completed in 1996. The 284-metre-long cable-stayed bridge has a 139-metre-high articulated asymmetrical steel pylon,[1] giving it the nickname "The Swan". Between the Kop van Zuid and the pylon, there is an 89-metre-long bascule bridge for ships that cannot pass under the cable-stayed bridge. This bascule bridge is the largest and heaviest bascule bridge in Western Europe. In the news[edit] In November 1996, shortly after the bridge was opened, it was found that the bridge deck began to sway unexpectedly at wind force six,[3] due to raindrops slightly altering the profile of the tethers and making them more sensitive to wind-induced vibrations. To dampen the vibrations, new dampers were therefore fitted. In mid-2004, the bridge was in the news as designer Ben van Berkel went public about his belief that the "abuse" of his design should end. According to him, this kind of design is also subject to copyright; if vendors want to sell photos or scale models, they have to ask permission from the copyright holder and pay a fee. As far as we know, this only applies if bijvo