ABSTRACT
Since the dawn of history people have been fascinated by the possibility of travelling on water. In numerous myths and legends there are tales of unseaworthy ships that were drawn on by the tempting expanses of water. Driven onwards by the desire for conquest or economic gain, the explorers and traders sailed the world’s seas to extend their opportunities. In places where their ships could moor villages and towns grew up. Mooring places grew into quays and developed into ports and trading places. The numerous ports did not reflect the influence of trade and industry on human prosperity alone; they also bore witness to the continuously increasing understanding in the fields of technology and building materials.
In this chapter the history of quay walls is summarized on the basis of the development of trade and shipping in a short overview of the most important West-European ports. The last section describes the development of quay wall construction in Rotterdam and by this means illustrates the solutions found by the builders of the quay walls for the problems that confronted them. Examples and experiences from other countries are given in Chapters 3 and 12.
