Museum Rotterdam will soon move to the Steigerkerk. This is the plan of the Rotterdam city council (B&W). The municipality will buy the church in the center if the city council approves the proposal from the council.

The municipality and the museum have been looking for a new, larger home for Museum Rotterdam. Link opens an external page. Now the city museum has a small place at the Coolhaven. In that museum, the city during World War II is central. 

The Steiger

The Steigerkerk (also known as The Steiger) is a church building. It was built during the reconstruction after World War II and is a national monument. The church is located on Hang street in the center of Rotterdam. 

The Steiger is also close to the place of the dam in the Rotte. This is where the city once began and from where the name Rotterdam is derived. The Steigerkerk is thus located in a historical place that suits a museum about the city. 

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Perfect location

Councilor Said Kasmi (Culture) is proud of the plan for the church. It is the perfect location where present and past come together. Here, Rotterdam residents and visitors will soon get to know the story of our city. The Steigerkerk is centrally located, easily accessible, and surrounded by the Markthal and the Library. This plan will only strengthen this place.

Also, the director of Museum Rotterdam, Léontine Meijer- van Mensch, is pleased. She considers the Steigerkerk a symbolic place. For a long time, the church has been a house of gathering and ritual. We will continue that tradition in a new form. As a city museum, The Steiger will be a welcoming place where the story of the history of Rotterdam will be told. This will always happen in dialogue with the present and the future.

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Sale and Redesign

The Steiger is currently owned by 3 parties: the parish, the Dominicans, and the diocese. They are working together on the sale. The last church service in the Steiger was in January of this year.

The church building will still be redesigned. In the church halls, there will be space for exhibitions, and on the large square on Hang, visitors from the center can enjoy. Museum Rotterdam is not aiming for a grand opening but wants to welcome new visitors step by step. 

To the council

The plan to buy the church building for Museum Rotterdam is a council proposal. The mayor and councilors present it to the city council. They have the final say. Only if the city council agrees to the proposal will the purchase of the church proceed.