Every design for Barendrecht

Barendrecht lies on the island of IJsselmonde, on the bank of the Oude Maas and right beside Rotterdam, and its name says exactly that kind of place: a muddy river crossing.

For many people the town brings back a feeling of space close to the city. Within a few minutes of the shops on the Middenbaan you can be at the Carnisse Grienden nature area by the river, or walking in the Landschapspark Zuidpolder, the Spinozapark or Park Buitenoord. The old village still gathers around its water tower, while to the west the newer district of Carnisselande has grown up since 1997, linked to Rotterdam by tram line 25.

Daily life runs on routines that shape the place. Along the eastern edge, transport firms store and ship fresh fruit and vegetables. The railway lines run beneath the Kap van Barendrecht, a long roof over the tracks with a park on top where people walk and park their cars. The land itself was won from the water in stages, polder by polder, from the Middle Ages on. If you grew up here, you know the trip along the Oude Maas, past the Heinenoordtunnel and the campsite, and you know Barendrecht is more than a suburb.