Heijplaat

The cozy brick workers' houses with gardens give a real village feeling. The village is strongly connected to the Rotterdamse Droogdok Maatschappij shipyard. The drum and trumpet corps is one of the many associations in Heijplaat. The music band is named after the steam tugboats of the RDM. The Drum and Trumpeter Corps 'Dockyard', photo studio Spijkenisse, ca. 1975.

Mees: What are those bricks doing here now?
Jane: Those bricks belong to Heijplaat, the houses and buildings are made of these bricks. That is a part of Rotterdam that belongs to the RDM shipyard: the Rotterdam Dry Dock Company. Very large ships were built here, and you can also see them here. If you worked for the RDM, you lived in Heijplaat. The shipyard bosses had the houses built especially for the staff and their families.
Mees: So your colleague from work was also your neighbor?
Jane: Yes, exactly! The shipyard took good care of its staff. Not only did they give you a job, but you also got a house if you worked at the RDM.
Mees: And what if you were fired?
Jane: Then you would not only have lost your job, but also your house.
Mees: Mmmmmm then I'd rather not have my boss's house. Do people still live there who work at the RDM? Jane: No, Heijplaat is still there, but the shipyard no longer exists. The buildings are still there. Companies and schools are now located there and they are working on smart solutions for the future, such as new forms of energy.

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