Rotterdam Central is the only station with "CENTRAAL STATION" on the facade. Iconic letters that once disappeared but now proudly shine again. The letters were designed by architect Sybold van Ravensteyn and are over a meter tall.
After 50 years of serving as a symbol of homecoming and departure for many Rotterdammers, the familiar Central Station had to make way in 2007 for a new station building. Millions of travelers passed this Rotterdam icon, but the impending farewell was inevitable. A farewell that, as Peter Hopman and Margien Reuvekamp from Bureau Lakenvelder believed, had to be dignified, an ode to the architect Sybold van Ravesteyn.
Because he regularly visited the station, Hopman had the time to study the building closely and gradually gained increasing respect for the architect. An interesting detail, for example, is that Ravesteyn wanted to emphasize the width of the building by creating the illusion of four floors, while in reality, there were only two. Likewise, the neon letters CENTRAAL STATION, with the same “width effect,” were specially designed by the architect himself.
As happened with many post-war Rotterdam buildings, the demolition of this one was not allowed to pass “silently” for the residents of Rotterdam. Hopman devised a letter rearrangement, a (partial) anagram, in which the building, the architect, and the impending farewell had to be reflected. He made every effort to realize the composition TRAAN LATEN, which was finally installed four months before the actual demolition began.
On September 12, 2007, Mr. van Ravesteyn, the architect’s grandson, unveiled the new combination of neon letters. A breathtaking moment, and this was anticipated; upon arrival, every guest received a white handkerchief embroidered in blue with TRAAN LATEN.
Photo: Jeroen Musch Photography & Video
The unveiling was supported, among other things, by a short documentary in which the time-lapse photography of Arjen Slings from FirmView and the text and music by John Buisman and Keimpe de Jong merged into a poetic reflection. The reactions of Rotterdam, national and international passersby of TRAAN LATEN during those last four months were extraordinarily colorful, and above all, warm-hearted and grateful. Thus, this beautiful initiative achieved its main goal!
As a commemoration of this initiative, the Rotterdam City Council decided that the ‘old letters’ should return to the current new Station. Making this only exception in the Netherlands not ‘Rotterdam Central’ but once again; ‘Central Station’!
Project: Traan Laten | concept: Peter Hopman and Margien Reuvekamp
Film Traan Laten | Arjan Slings
Photography Traan Laten | Jeroen Musch fotografie & video
