The Harbor Museum in Rotterdam can be described as a working museum. A visit to this museum is quite an experience for both young and old. The extensive collection of the Port Museum gives a picture of the port of Rotterdam, as it was between 1850 and 1970. The museum revives earlier times with commercial vessels, ship engines and steam engines, all of which have been refurbished.
You can find the Harbor Museum on the quay of the Leuvehaven, where the Verolme pavilion is located. This glass pavilion has served as the main entrance to the Rotterdam Harbor Museum since 2009. The quay of the Leuvehaven not only houses the Verolme pavilion, but also a large number of ships and old cranes used for loading and unloading goods. The Harbor Museum is open from Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM and on weekends and public holidays from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
The renewed Verolme pavilion was put into use in February 2009. The glass and thus transparent structure is not only intended as a main entrance. The presentation 'Port in the picture' is shown in the pavilion, among other places. This presentation consists of 200 films which have been selected with great care. They provide a picture of the activities in the port of Rotterdam in the very distant past, but also in the more recent past.
The entrance to the Harbor Museum in Rotterdam is free and the renovated Verolme pavilion can serve as a reception area, but also as an exhibition space. You can also rent one of the pavilion's many rooms for business meetings. In the vicinity of the pavilion is the workshop where demonstrations and presentations are given about old crafts and the hustle and bustle that still takes place around the port of Rotterdam.
The Havenmuseum is the largest cultural-historical museum in the Netherlands. The museum has several facets, such as the collection of still working authentic harbor tools, engines and of course ships. This collection shows the history of the port of Rotterdam between 1850 and 1970. The existence of the Rotterdam Harbor Museum is remarkable on one side, since the Rotterdam harbor had disappeared from the cityscape after a stormy development. The establishment of the Harbor Museum has restored the original cityscape.
A small number of people still own historic company vessels. The Rotterdam Harbor Museum offers mostly private owners the opportunity to restore their valuable possessions by using one of the berths. Historic harbors such as Delfshaven, Haringvliet, the Oude Haven and the Wijnhaven are used as berths. These historic harbors are an interesting spectacle for visitors.
Scheepshelling Koningspoort is located at the Oude Haven in the heart of Rotterdam. The slipway has a cross-slope with a length of 38 meters and was taken into use in 1983. A large number of owners of historic commercial vessels have their property restored at this do-it-yourself yard. The slipway is built in the style of the twentieth century and has several tools available. In addition, professionals provide appropriate advice and they also help restore the old historic company vessels.
You can of course visit and scour the Harbor Museum independently, but a guided tour lets you hear, see and experience more. The Rotterdam Harbor Museum offers a wide range of alternatives for visits with several people. For example, you can take advantage of a guided tour by a museum employee. The one-hour walk takes you past exhibitions, warehouses, ships and workshops. Incidentally, the minimum size of the group must be 8 people, the maximum size of the group is set at 50 people. It is always required to make a reservation and the costs per person are € 6.00.
In addition to guided tours, boat trips are also offered. The Harbor Museum has four tugs at its disposal, namely Dockyard 4, Dockyard 5, Volharding 1 and the river tug Pieter Boele. The crew of the tugs can tell you everything about the tugs, while they sail through the port of Rotterdam. The cruises take place on Sundays in July and August and cost € 6.00 per person (adults) or € 3.00 (children up to and including 12 years). You must always make a reservation for a cruise.
Terug naar The Netherlands and museums