Page 46 - DreamScapes Magazine | Spring/Summer 2026

C I T Y S P O T L I G H T
SWAPPING Quaint
for Cutting Edge
in RotterdamBY KAREN BURSHTEIN
AFTER THE 1940 LUFTWAFFE BOMBING
of its historic centre, Rotterdam reinvented
itself as a laboratory of socially aware,
sustainable, and just plain out-there archi-
tecture.
THE FENIX RISES
Beside the famous Hotel New York—once
Holland America Line’s headquarters—stands
an imposing brick warehouse topped with
what looks like a giant steel waterslide. This
twisting double-helix stairway, designed by
MAD Architects and nicknamed the Tornado,
leads to a rooftop viewing platform. It crowns
the new FENIX Museum of Migration, one of
Europe’s buzziest cultural institutions.
Inside, bold, emotionally charged works of
contemporary art tell migration stories, a
theme central to Rotterdam’s history. The
Tornado’s spiralling form is a striking
metaphor for movement and change.
ART IN A FLOWER POT
From FENIX’s rooftop, across the Maas River,
another steel marvel gleams: the Depot Boij-
mans Van Beuningen, affectionately dubbed
the Flower Pot. Designed by local firm
MVRDV, it flips the museum concept inside
out. Instead of hiding treasures in storage,
this mirrored bowl-shaped building displays
them in glass-walled rooms that rise like a
vertical street. You can also see art restorers
repairing a Rembrandt from behind glass.
SURF AND THE CITY
Enjoy an aperitif of bitterballen and beer
while watching people surf in the middle of
the city. RiF010 is one of Rotterdam’s most
daring projects yet: an urban surf pool in a
repurposed canal. Want to try hanging ten?
Beginner lessons are offered. And, for the
more experienced surfers, they really crank
up the wave machine. It’s also environmen-
tally minded. The waves are generated by 100
percent sustainable energy. The amorphous
arch-shaped building looming in the back-
ground is Markthal, the city’s covered food
market, another landmark from MVRDV. It’s a
reminder you’re in the thick of a city.
AN IMPORTANT NEW BUILDING
In under an hour drive outside of town
you’ll see a stack of rotating container-ship-
inspired boxes overlooking Europe’s busiest
port. Portlantis, another project from
MVRDV, is an experience hub that is meant
to draw local youth to the port and aspire to
work there, not necessarily hauling cargo;
the focus is on managing port and
climate issues through high-tech jobs.
It’s bringing a lot of visitors, too, for its
cool design and state-of-the-art interac-
tive exhibits.
ROTTERDAM’S ACCOMMODATIONS
ARE ALSO BUZZY
Think spending the night in a coffee
roastery. The Man Met Bril Koffie is a
chic new boutique hotel at the back of
a local coffee roaster (the world’s first
coffee hotel btw). It’s in the tranquil,
gentrifying neighbourhood of Crooswijk
where people dine at hip restaurants bor-
dering the Rotte River, as swans swim by.
It's only a twenty-minute walk along
tranquil canals from the bustling centre.
WHY GO NOW?
As Amsterdam actively tackles over-
tourism, visitors are opting to stay in
Rotterdam which, in addition to its own
offerings, is a perfect base for visiting
other parts of the Netherlands. The
Hague—and its Vermeer paintings—
is only a 22-minute train ride away.
Amsterdam is under an hour from
Rotterdam, Dordrecht and Utrecht.
PHOTOS: IWAN BAAN | IRIS VAN DEN BROEK | ADRIENNE WILDEMANN
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DREAMSCAPES SPRING/SUMMER 2026