The Netherlands is a country of innovation. Stereotypically (and rightfully) renowned for its historic cultural iconography such as windmills, fields of tulips, the Dutch Masters and the picturesque winding canals, the Netherlands has sat at the forefront of innovation and design through the ages.
However the Netherlands is so much more than its history. This cultural hub has been innovating at pace to make its cities, villages, and everything in-between, greener, sustainable and more vibrant. So if you’re planning a trip to The Netherlands, don’t automatically head to Amsterdam. Why not take the road less travelled and experience the Netherlands beyond the expected? It’s time to discover The New Dutch – starting with the vibrant and unique city of Rotterdam.
We sent our journalist Victoria Reddington to discover the exciting hotspots in Rotterdam that are redefining the landscape. Here’s her guide to the new icons to immerse yourself in on your next trip.
1. FENIX Museum
Talk about iconic. It’s hard to miss the outline of this major new museum which is already an inspiring sight on the Rotterdam skyline. Located on a landmark site in Rotterdam’s city harbour, the FENIX Museum of Migration opens in Spring 2025, and it is an absolute must-visit destination.
Inspired by stories of global migration, the FENIX will be a home for timeless stories that transcend borders. I had the pleasure of speaking with FENIX Director, Anne Kremers, on what inspired this landmark project:
“FENIX’s story is Rotterdam’s. One of arrivals and departures, and of constant change to face the future,” Anne told me. “In its landmark new home, FENIX will inspire a profound new curiosity about the world we live in.”
The project as a whole includes the renovation of the Fenix warehouse, located on the city’s Katendrecht Peninsula, an important port of immigration in European history. Designed by the esteemed MAD Architects, FENIX features a striking centrepiece staircase – known as the Tornado – which extends from the ground and forms an observation deck at the top. This is an organic structure symbolizing migration journeys. Climbing its stairs, you will be able to take in stunning views across the River Maas.
FENIX is already a cultural location and is set to be a true icon of The New Dutch that marries the old with the new, and is not to be missed.
Discover FENIX’s story .
2. The Nederlands Fotomuseum
In 2025, this already well established museum will make its official move to the Santos building, a newly renovated historic landmark in the heart of Rotterdam’s dock area, ushering in a new age. We were welcomed into this new space by the director Birgit Donker, for an exclusive preview of the soon-to-be new home of the National Museum of Photography.
This multi-storied historic warehouse has yet to hold any art within it, but it already clearly showcases how this will be a stand out state-of- the-art home for their national collection of over 6.5 million photographic images; one of the largest museum collections of photography in the world.
It will include extensive exhibition spaces, a photography bookshop and library open to everyone, an education centre, community spaces, a museum café, a darkroom for professional photographers and amateurs alike, and a rooftop restaurant with panoramic views of the Rotterdam skyline. At the core of the building, a suite of new climate-controlled facilities will house the Museum’s collection and conservation centre. Glass walls will allow visitors to observe the collection and atelier spaces, with specialists working behind the scenes in areas such as restoration and conservation.
This move to the newly renovated Santos building is impressive on all eight of its levels. Above all, it will enable the museum to make its world-class collection more accessible and offer a new way to experience the art and technique of photography.
It’s a great example of art and architecture working together to educate and protect the photographic heritage of the Netherlands in a forward thinking vision.
Find out more about The National Museum of Photography.
3. Rijnhaven District
Rotterdam is at the forefront of creating public spaces that balance development with biodiversity, and nowhere is this more apparent than at The Rijnhaven.
Located in the heart of Rotterdam, between Katendrecht and Wilhelminapie, Rijnhaven is one of the oldest ports on the south bank of the Nieuwe Maas River and is now being reimagined into an urban area. The works are mid-way and the progress is fascinating to witness as machinery literally works to reclaim land from the ports and rework it into biodiverse public spaces. If you’re looking for a physical example of the old Dutch being transformed into The New Dutch, you don’t need to look much further than the Rijnhavenpark project.
I got the inside scoop from programme manager, Peter Spakman, and urban planner, Emiel Arends, on how the city of Rotterdam is implementing an exciting ‘Seven City Projects’ on the Rijnhaven. This encompasses initially five, but now seven, large projects all focused around public space that the municipality of Rotterdam has commissioned across the city to help Rotterdam build many new homes, invest in attractive outdoor spaces and give the city ‘green city lungs’: attractive public spaces for meeting people, exercising and recreational activities. These will also offer opportunities for other important tasks in the city, such as a better balance between car traffic, public transport and slow traffic, and they’ll be contributing to the health of Rotterdam residents too.
This development encompasses three sides of the harbour of this rapidly developing section of Rotterdam and turns it into a continuous waterfront landscape. Ingenious floating parks connected to the north and south quay walls complement a new 22-acre park on the filled land to the east, all linked by pedestrian and bicycle circuits. At the inland edge, two new plaza entrances adjacent to metro stations welcome park users from adjacent neighbourhoods and beyond.
The Rijnhavenpark development in Rotterdam is a model for inclusive and inviting development, built to tackle the need for both increased houses and green space, but done in an innovative and truly sustainable way.
Discover more about the development.
4. Atelier Van Lieshout (AVL)
The Old Masters will remain an institution in the Netherlands and beyond, but in The New Dutch, Rotterdam is home to works which blur the borders between art, design and architecture. I was welcomed by the artist Joep van Lieshout – one of the most renowned contemporary artist of the Netherlands – and the director of Brutus, Sanne ten Brink, to Atelier Van Lieshout (AVL) which is the studio and home of the Brutus Project, where they live and breathe this approach.
Joep van Lieshout (born in Ravenstein in 1963) is a Dutch artist and sculptor and founder of Brutus. Butus is divided into ‘Brutus Space’: dedicated to other artists’ projects and activities and ‘Brutus Base’: projects and activities related to the work of Atelier Van Lieshout. Atelier Van Lieshout’s studio name exists to undermine the myth of the artistic genius, and for over 30 years, Van Lieshout has established a multidisciplinary practice which dissects systems, be it society as a whole or the human body.
A visit to AVL is impressive, evocative and will command your senses. Van Lieshout combines an imaginative aesthetic and ethic with a spirit of entrepreneurship – his work has been internationally celebrated, exhibited and published and AVL is the place to visit if you want to experience art that is exciting, progressive and shaping the New Dutch experience.
More info can be found at www.ateliervanlieshout.com
Rotterdam is a thoroughly modern metropolis with a vibrant, unique character. If you’re ready to experience The New Dutch, find out more at www.holland.com.
Review and images by Victoria Reddington @vic_reddington
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