Built from light-blue steel, its one-armed pylon jutting out high into the sky and throwing a row of 40 steel cables across the water, the 800-meter-long Erasmus Bridge is a remarkable sight. At its highest point, the bridge is 139-meters tall. Known as the 'Erasmusbrug' in Dutch, the bridge has also been lovingly nicknamed The Swan (‘De Zwaan’) by locals due to the distinctive shape of that one, asymmetrical pylon. It was designed by Ben van Berkel and opened in 1996 by Queen Beatrix.One of Holland’s most famous bridges, the Erasmus Bridge spans the River Nieuwe Maas and forms an important connection between the northern and southern parts of Rotterdam. This can be explored particularly well as part of a bike tour through Rotterdam’s city center. On the tour, you cross the bridge to get from the futuristic Kop van Zuid neighborhood to the historic Delfshaven.