FROM 2 SEP '26 UNTIL N/A – A new photo exhibition in the Maastunnel puts Rotterdam music venue Baroeg in the spotlight, tracing more than four decades of alternative music and youth culture in the city. ‘Baroeg: The legendary venue in Rotterdam-Zuid’ has been on display along the tunnel’s escalators since 2 September.
Image: A new Baroeg exhibition in Rotterdam’s Maastunnel traces the music venue’s history through photographs, from its 1981 beginnings to its new home. Photo: Lotte Stekelenburg
Baroeg’s story in forty frames
The exhibition looks back at Baroeg’s history since 1981 and its place in Rotterdam’s cultural landscape. The venue became closely associated with hard and alternative music, while providing an early stage for acts including Within Temptation, Volbeat and Epica.
Rotterdam artists and cultural figures have also appeared at Baroeg over the years, including Raven van Dorst, Jules Deelder and Frédérique Spigt. In 2021, the venue was officially recognised as Echt Rotterdams Erfgoed, or Authentic Rotterdam Heritage, reflecting its longstanding role in the city.
The photographs are displayed in the forty frames that line the Maastunnel’s escalator sections. The images turn a journey through one of Rotterdam’s best-known transport links into a brief look at the people, performances and moments connected with Baroeg.
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From old venue to new chapter
The exhibition also arrives during an important period in Baroeg’s history. Its former building closed in April 2024, bringing an end to decades at the old venue while work continued on its replacement.
After a two-year wait, Baroeg moved into a new building on Spinozaweg in Lombardijen in 2026. Following a series of try-outs, the new venue was officially opened on Saturday 25 April by Rotterdam alderman Simons.
The Maastunnel exhibition follows that transition, showing how Baroeg developed over the years while remaining part of Rotterdam’s alternative music scene.
A new Baroeg exhibition in Rotterdam’s Maastunnel traces the music venue’s history through photographs, from its 1981 beginnings to its new home. Photo: Lotte Stekelenburg
Exhibition arrives before Baroeg Open Air
Its opening also comes just ahead of Baroeg Open Air 2026. This year marks the first time the outdoor festival for hard and alternative music takes place across two days.
Around 40 acts are scheduled to perform at Rotterdam’s Zuiderpark on Friday 11 and Saturday 12 September 2026, adding another chapter to a particularly eventful year for Baroeg.
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Maastunnel becomes exhibition space
The Baroeg exhibition is part of an ongoing programme by the Municipality of Rotterdam and Museum Rotterdam. Together, they curate the photographs shown in the Maastunnel’s forty permanent frames.
The displays change three times a year. One recurring exhibition focuses on the Maastunnel itself, combining historical photographs with images from its renovation and restoration. Two other exhibitions provide space for changing stories about Rotterdam, its places and its people.
With Baroeg now occupying the frames, Rotterdam’s music and youth culture becomes part of the tunnel’s continuing visual history. ‘Baroeg: The legendary venue in Rotterdam-Zuid’ can be seen along the Maastunnel escalators from 2 September 2026.
