Museum Rotterdam prepares to leave Coolhaven
The current public site devoted to the war remains open through 15 November. The wider city collection will later find a new home at Het Steiger.
On 14 October, Museum Rotterdam has no general museum site where its permanent city collection can be viewed. According to its website, Museum Rotterdam ’40-’45 NU at Coolhaven is the only site currently open to the public and schools. Its presentation addresses the Second World War and the bombing of May 1940.
The museum invites visitors to see the current site once more, through 15 November 2026. Its homepage gives that date as the last day open to the public. Check shortly before setting out that the visitor information is still current.
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According to its website, Museum Rotterdam’s collection comprises more than 100,000 objects, from clothing and tiles to a period room. That does not mean those objects are now on view at Coolhaven. The museum says part of the collection will move to a new location, where it will eventually be accessible to the public again.
That new location is Het Steiger. The museum describes the building as a postwar reconstruction monument by Kraaijvanger Architecten, with a church hall, chapel, bell tower, convent residences and courtyard garden. V8 Architecten is designing the renovation. According to the website, the work will take place during 2027; no exact opening date after the renovation has been announced.
The ’40-’45 NU presentation is also intended to return at Het Steiger. The museum further mentions plans for a historical timeline of Rotterdam, interactive installations for families, education and a place to meet. These are plans for the new site, not features visitors can see on 14 October.
The current museum is at Coolhaven 375, 3015 GC Rotterdam. Its website lists hours of 11 am to 5 pm, Tuesday through Sunday; Monday visits are by appointment only for school programmes. According to the museum, a visit takes an average of one to one and a half hours. Online tickets and timed slots are not required.
An adult ticket costs €12.50, according to the museum website. Children aged seventeen and under enter free, as do Museumkaart and Rotterdampas holders; admission is also free on the first Wednesday of each month. Payment is by card only.