Former red-light district transformed into ‘lively’ cultural and arts hub – with plenty of foodie spots
Katendrecht was “once at the heart of the world’s busiest port” and home to a “lively sailors’ quarter”, said Pat Riddell in The Guardian. But this “thin peninsula” on the south bank of the Nieuwe Maas River in central Rotterdam has undergone a dramatic transformation.
The regeneration of historic warehouses has seen the former red-light district turn into one of the city’s “most vibrant” spots, with craft breweries, boutique shops and galleries popping up everywhere. Last year, the opening of the Fenix museum of migration gave a boost to the “formerly downtrodden” neighbourhood’s “lively cultural and arts scene”.
Set within a “century-old warehouse”, this “showstopper” of a museum uses art to portray migration “not as an abstraction or headline, but as a shared human experience”, said Karen Bershtein in Time magazine. Inside, a “mirrored, double-helix steel staircase” winds up to “sprawling views of the River Maas” and the city. Contemporary works include the “Suitcase Labyrinth”: a striking installation “assembled from thousands of donated pieces of luggage”. And “don’t miss the Nederlands Fotomuseum” where you can see a vast collection of Dutch photography, said Derek Robertson in Time Out.
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Evenings are easy to fill at the Theatre Walhalla: an intimate venue that hosts an eclectic programme of over 300 performances each year. It’s also worth checking to see whether you can catch a family-friendly show at the youth circus school, Circus Rotjeknor.
When it comes to food and drink, Delistraat is “buzzing from morning to night”, said Riddell in The Guardian. Here you’ll find “flaky pastries” at Jordy’s Bakery, a “huge range of whiskeys” at Café de Ouwehoer, and the “small but perfectly formed fine dining establishment”, De Matroos en Het Meisje, which offers a daily changing menu of four to six courses.
Consider booking a room at Hotel New York where you’ll find luxurious suites in the “former offices of the Holland-America Line’s directors”, or check in at the “permanently moored” former cruise ship, SS Rotterdam, which has been turned into a 254-room hotel. With much of its original decor preserved, it feels like “stepping back in time”.
Irenie Forshaw is the features editor at The Week, covering arts, culture and travel. She began her career in journalism at Leeds University, where she wrote for the student newspaper, The Gryphon, before working at The Guardian and The New Statesman Group. Irenie then became a senior writer at Elite Traveler, where she oversaw The Experts column.
