Maritime Museum Rotterdam

The Maritime Museum Rotterdam, the Maritiem Museum in Dutch, lies on the Leuvehaven, where the city's port first began. Inside you discover six centuries of Dutch shipping, from old sea charts to working on a platform out at sea. Outside, historic ships and cranes that still work lie in the Museumhaven. In the workshops you can hear a blacksmith striking the anvil. Children dive into Plons, a hands-on exhibition about the sea of the future. That makes the museum a day out for anyone who loves ships, and for anyone who simply wants to see how Rotterdam became a world port.

What you see at the Maritime Museum Rotterdam

In Bestemming Havenstad (Destination Port City) you see how Rotterdam grew into a famous world port. In the Offshore Experience you stand on a platform at sea yourself and discover the work of drillers, crane operators, wind turbine specialists and helicopter pilots in the search for oil, gas and wind energy. The museum also owns pieces with a long history. The Mataró model is regarded as the oldest ship model in Europe and is more than six centuries old. There are pen drawings by Willem van de Velde, sea charts by Joan Blaeu and the Itinerario by Jan Huygen van Linschoten, the book that revealed Portuguese secrets about the sea route to Asia.

The Museumhaven at the Maritime Museum Rotterdam

Next to the building is the Museumhaven, which according to the museum is the oldest and largest museum harbour in the Netherlands. Here you will find historic ships and cranes that are still in working order, joined by visiting ships that moor for a while. Since 2014 the harbour and the museum have been one organisation. The workshops are in the Leuvepaviljoen. You can watch a blacksmith at work, while welders and shipwrights work at their benches. The Port Pavilion of the Port of Rotterdam Authority is also in this pavilion. The ram ship Buffel used to lie in front of the museum, but moved to Hellevoetsluis in 2013, where its own foundation looks after the ship.

Tips for visiting the Maritime Museum Rotterdam

Your Museumkaart is valid at the museum. If you are coming with children aged 5 to 12, book a time slot in advance for Plons! De toekomst van de zee (The future of the sea), because it is compulsory. Also allow time for the Museumhaven and the workshops, which are easy to miss if you only walk around inside. The museum is right in the city centre, so it is easy to combine with another museum nearby. The Marine Corps Museum on the Wijnhaven is within walking distance. Looking for more days out for the whole family? Read our tips for a museum visit with children.

Frequently asked questions about the Maritiem Museum Rotterdam

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