Twin Cities

Baltimore and Rotterdam are both modern cities, because of historical events.  Rotterdam's central city district was destroyed at the beginning of World War II.  Faced with the task of rebuilding the city, Rotterdam chose to embrace the future rather than to resurrect the past - becoming a showplace for modern architecture in Europe.  The city center of Baltimore was destroyed in 1904 by the Great Fire. So both cities were built from the ground up during the 20th century. 

Rotterdam and Baltimore have approximately the same geographical and population size. These two cities have in common a deep maritime history, large port operations in estuarine waters, and both are home to prestigious universities, medical schools, and world-class museums and other cultural institutions.  They also share many of the problems and opportunities common to many large, modern cities with diverse populations.