Rotte (river) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rotte |
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| Rotta | |
| River | |
 Source of the Rotte
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| Country | Netherlands |
|---|---|
| City | Rotterdam |
| Source | |
| - location | Lansingerland |
| Mouth | Nieuwe Maas |
The Rotte is a river in the Netherlands. It flows through the province of South Holland. The famous city of Rotterdam is actually named after this river! "Rotterdam" means "dam on the Rotte." The city began when a dam was built across the river.
The river was originally called Rotta. This name came from an old Dutch word, 'rot'. It meant something like 'muddy' or 'dirty'. This was because the river was very muddy. The 'A' part of 'Rotta' meant 'water' in old European languages.
Contents
The Rotte's Journey Through Time
Ancient Connections and Changes
Long ago, during the Roman Empire, the Rotte river was connected to the big Rhine river. This connection helped water flow. However, the Rotte was later cut off from the Rhine.
The area where the rivers once met changed a lot. It became a bog, which is a type of wetland with lots of peat. After people dug out all the peat from the bog, the area turned into a swamp. This swamp then became the new source of the Rotte river.
How the River Lost its Source
In the 1600s, the swampy area was "empoldered." This means it was drained and turned into dry land called a polder. After this, the Rotte river no longer had a natural source.
The Birth of Rotterdam
In the early Middle Ages, people tried to build settlements near the river. But floods often made it impossible to live there.
Later, around the year 1270, a long dam was built along the river. This dam was about 400 meters (1,300 feet) long. People started to live on this dam. This is how the city of Rotterdam was founded! Today, this historic dam is a street in Rotterdam called the Hoogstraat.
Images for kids
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The Rotte in Bleiswijk
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The Rotte river no longer joins the Nieuwe Maas directly
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Former Windmill "De Oorsprong" at the Rotte source
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The first meters of the Rotte from the perspective of the mill
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The Rotte near Hollevoeterbrug
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The Rotte near Prins Alexander
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The Rotte near Rotterdam
