Museum Rotterdam opens first exhibition at Het Steiger on 18 December

HAPPENING FROM 18 DEC '26 | Museum Rotterdam will open its first exhibition at Het Steiger, its new home in the city centre, on Friday 18 December 2026. Entitled Opnieuw beginnen (Starting Again), the exhibition explores how Rotterdam rebuilt itself after the destruction of 1940. It also marks the first opportunity for the public to visit the museum's new location, even as the building's transformation continues.

ROTTERDAM, 30 October 2026 - After years of searching for a permanent home, Museum Rotterdam is preparing to welcome visitors to Het Steiger at Hang 17. The former church complex, itself a monument to Rotterdam's post-war reconstruction, will eventually become the city's main historical museum.

But rather than waiting until the extensive redevelopment is complete, the museum is opening its doors with a temporary exhibition that reflects both Rotterdam's history and the institution's own new beginning.

How do you rebuild a city?

Opnieuw beginnen examines the choices Rotterdam faced after the German bombing of 14 May 1940, when large parts of the city centre were destroyed.

How much of the old city should be preserved? Which buildings and objects could be given a second life? And what could Rotterdam become if planners, architects and residents had an opportunity to rethink the city?

The exhibition explores how Rotterdam responded to those questions through ambitious plans, changing ideas about urban life and the reuse of materials and buildings.

Museum director Léontine Meijer-van Mensch emphasises that the reconstruction was shaped by conflicting emotions. Residents were dealing with loss and memories of the city they had known, while new plans offered a different vision of Rotterdam's future.

The exhibition brings together objects from the museum's collection, new artworks and contributions from communities across Rotterdam.

It also connects Rotterdam's experience with questions facing communities in war-affected regions today. Rebuilding, the exhibition argues, is about more than replacing destroyed buildings. It involves people, memories, identity and decisions about what should come next.

Het Steiger becomes part of the exhibition

There's another layer to the story: the building in which the exhibition takes place is itself a product of Rotterdam's reconstruction.

Het Steiger, formerly known as the Steigerkerk, was designed by Kraaijvanger Architects and forms part of a post-war complex near the historic heart of Rotterdam.

The ensemble includes a large church hall, chapel, bell tower, former monastery accommodation and an inner garden.

The museum's new home therefore serves as both the setting and part of the exhibition's subject. Visitors will be exploring Rotterdam's post-war history inside a building that emerged from that same period.

Museum Rotterdam officially received the keys to Het Steiger in May 2026, beginning a new chapter after years without a permanent home for the wider city museum.

A museum that is still taking shape

Visitors should not expect a fully finished museum when the doors open in December.

Opnieuw beginnen is the first public exhibition at Het Steiger, but the wider building is still being developed. According to Meijer-van Mensch, the intention is to allow visitors to experience that process from its earliest stages.

The transformation will take place in phases over the coming years. Plans include a large exhibition hall for changing presentations, interactive installations for families and a historical timeline tracing Rotterdam's development.

A heritage cabinet will provide space for collaboration with other organisations preserving the city's history, while the surrounding square is intended to become a place for public activities.

Museum Rotterdam '40-'45 NU will also move to Het Steiger. Its current location at Coolhaven closes after a farewell weekend from 13 to 15 November 2026, ahead of the relocation.

Ultimately, the museum wants to bring Rotterdam's past, present and future together under one roof. For now, the first exhibition offers a glimpse of what that could look like.

Activities, tours and dog-friendly museum days

Alongside Opnieuw beginnen, Museum Rotterdam plans to organise guided tours, lectures, educational programmes and other activities at Het Steiger.

The museum's popular dog-friendly visiting days are also expected to continue at the new location, allowing visitors to bring their dogs on designated dates.

The programme will develop while the building is being renovated. The museum also wants to involve Rotterdam residents in shaping the new location, encouraging them to share their own memories, experiences and stories about the city.

Specific activity dates will be announced through the museum's official channels.

Visiting Opnieuw beginnen at Museum Rotterdam

Opnieuw beginnen opens on Friday 18 December 2026 and will remain on display until spring 2027. An exact closing date has not yet been announced.

Exhibition: Opnieuw beginnen (Starting Again)
Opening date: Friday 18 December 2026
Until: Spring 2027, exact closing date to be confirmed
Location: Museum Rotterdam, Het Steiger, Hang 17, 3011 GG Rotterdam
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00 to 17:00
Admission: €12.50 for adults; free for children aged 17 and under
Information: Museum Rotterdam exhibition announcement
Website: museumrotterdam.nl

Standard museum admission conditions apply. Check the museum's website for current discounts, accepted museum passes and special opening hours around Christmas and New Year.

The opening represents an early step in the new museum's development rather than the completion of the project. Still, the subject of Opnieuw beginnen makes that unfinished setting particularly appropriate: a city that once had to start again is now opening a museum that is doing much the same.