De Hef

De Hef is the popular name for the Koningshaven Bridge, a railway lifting bridge over the Koningshaven in Rotterdam that has been out of use for train traffic since September 24, 1993. The bridge formed part of the Breda - Rotterdam railway line.

A little bit away from the center, the railway lift is one of the real landmarks of Rotterdam.

In the Mysteries section we discuss a strange or weird fact from the city every week. This time we wondered: why does the Hef sometimes go down?

The coolest bridge in the Netherlands is in Rotterdam: the Hef (which is actually called the Koningshaven Bridge). The green giant that connects the South with the North Island is an icon of the city. In the past, the Hef was an important link in traffic to and from Rotterdam. The train track ran over the green bridge. Originally it was a swing bridge, but this caused problems for shipping, which had to pass under the bridge. The Hef as we know it today opened on October 31, 1927. With a section that can be lifted up and down if ships need to pass underneath.