Euromast

Euromast is an observation tower in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, designed by architect Hugh Maaskant and built between 1958 and 1960. It was made for the 1960 Floriade, a big flower show, and has been a listed monument since 2010.

The first tower stood 101 metres tall. In 1970 an 85-metre addition called the Space Tower was added on top, bringing the total to about 185 metres. It has a lookout platform and a restaurant. It was the tallest building in the Netherlands for a time, before other buildings passed it. The tower is built of concrete and its inner diameter is 9 metres.

How it was built

The tower is a concrete tube with an inside diameter of 9 metres and walls only 30 centimetres thick. A huge concrete block of about 1,900,000 kilograms holds it down, which puts the centre of gravity below ground so the tower stays stable.

The lookout platform, nicknamed the crow's nest, is about 96 metres above the ground. The thin walls make it light, but the heavy base makes it very safe, so that even strong winds do not tip it over.

Tallest in town

When finished, Euromast was Rotterdam's tallest building. In 1968 the Erasmus MC hospital tower, 113.5 metres high, took the title, but the Space Tower extension of 1970 brought it back.

For a time it was even the tallest building in the Netherlands, before other buildings overtook it. Together the original 101 metres and the 85-metre Space Tower add up to roughly 185 metres in all.

On the globe

Find it on the globe in Rotterdam in the Netherlands and zoom in to open its card.