Culture Rotterdam

Kunsthal

A museum that dares you not to feel.

1 min readMuseumpark

Located in the Museumpark, the Kunsthal is a striking venue that has hosted changing exhibitions since 1992. Though it has no permanent collection, it is widely regarded as a full-fledged museum. Each year, it presents around 25 exhibitions across five galleries.

Designed by renowned Rotterdam architect Rem Koolhaas, the building covers 3300 square meters and stands out for its unconventional use of materials. Marble and parquet mix with corrugated steel, raw tree trunks, and concrete. A slim, high tower adds a dramatic vertical element to the otherwise flat structure.

What sets the Kunsthal apart is its broad and eclectic programming. Exhibitions have ranged from North Korean art and works by Giacometti and Da Vinci to more unexpected topics like chip stands, Feyenoord football culture, Japanese commuters, and the history of Playboy in the Netherlands.

Map showing Museumpark, Westzeedijk 341, 3015 AA Rotterdam
Museumpark, Westzeedijk 341, 3015 AA RotterdamRotterdam
Get directions

Sources. Story: Source Story: Photos: Source Photo: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Hear it where it happened

Rotterdam is an open-air museum. Walk it with ROODS.

Kunsthal is one stop on our map of Rotterdam. Open ROODS in your browser, walk to a pin and the story plays.

  • Stories on a map, with narrated audio
  • Walk at your own pace, stop where you like
  • Runs in your browser. An app is optional.

More stories nearby

More from Rotterdam →

Walk a route in Rotterdam

See all routes →