Strange Things to See In Rotterdam

Overview of Rotterdam

Rotterdam is the second largest city in the Netherlands, famous for it’s strange, iconic skyline. There are many strange things to see in Rotterdam, including visiting strange buildings, wandering through old market spaces and wandering the various harbor walkways. The port city has many strange architectural features including cubic buildings, modern market halls, a diverse set of bars and manicured greenspaces.

Strange Things to See In Rotterdam

Schaakstukkenmuseum (The Chessmen Museum)

This is a small, profoundly well-appointed museum filled with antique, modern, hand carved, painted and pop culture chess sets.  The museum has homages to famous chess players, grandmasters and pop culture icons regarding the game.

Hat Badkonijn

A profoundly strange art installations, this sculpture depicts a giant, floating rubber-duck and rabbit hybrid. The sculpture is painted a new design yearly, with different artists choosing images to express political events, important moments, personal art styles and unique designs.

Trompenburg Arboretum

This is an excellent garden area with a special focus on exotic species of cacti. The park is especially nice for its numerous canals, which are used to provide water to the area and drain the land.

Cube Houses

In theme with Rotterdam’s strange architecture models, the Cube Houses are a string of buildings with tilted housing cubes near Blaak Train Station. The houses are an especially iconic feature of the city, with the geometric surfaces built at tilted and boggling angles.

Markthal

The covered market in a 40 meter archway-hall is a major shopping center in the center of the city. The shopping center appears as a giant central tunnel with light and shows projected onto the wall. Window shopping at Markthal is a surreal experience.

The Westersingel and Witte De Withstraat

This is a portion of the city known for numerous sculptures between Museum Park and the Witte de Withstraat (the prime location for Rotterdam’s nightlife). Visitors can walk down various sidewalks, browsing artworks, nightlife and other unique features of Rotterdam.

Fenix Food Factory

This is a chain of workshops, tastings and open markets with numerous treats and snacks. It is a popular culinary hub by the waterfront.

Kinderdijk’s Windmills

Kinderdijk is a famous UNESCO destination 20 kilometers east of Rotterdam, with 19 protected and scenic windmills overseeing a countryside and network of canals. The area is a popular and gorgeous day trip out of the city, with overlooks of dikes, reservoirs and other low-land features. The scenery is best experienced by biking the numerous trails in the area or following the waterway footpaths. Numerous museums exist near or within the preserved windmills.

Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen

An impressive art and sculpture museum with tranquil grounds surrounding the main building. The museum contains the collections of Frans Jacob Otto Boijmans and Daniël George van Beuningen, two of the most influential collectors in the Netherlands. The museum is further accented by a set of reflective canals and the Kunsthal Rotterdam Art Space is within walking distance to the south.

The Witte Huis

One of the most impressive buildings in Rotterdam, this Art-Nouveau styled structure is one of the few survivors of the WWII Blitzkrieg. The building is now a prominent National Heritage Site of Rotterdam with the interior hosting a great artisan biers. The building is also Europe’s first High-rise building (Hoogbouw). It is quite close to an accessible metro station.

Old Harbor

A rather excellent walking area with views of Rotterdam’s skyline and modern boats alongside old, preserved shipping vessels.  It is home to Rotterdam’s Maritime Museum. The Harborhas many sculptures, artworks and other strange things to see in Rotterdam.

Keukenhof

An extremely famous tulip garden is best seen for eight weeks during spring.  A combination of demonstrative shows, 1,600 types of flowers and a large number of statues makes it a very popular destination.  Surrounding the area are fields of flowers beyond the town edges

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