Madurodam, the miniature amusement park that showcases “the most beautiful and best of the Netherlands” has opened a new section focused on the city of Rotterdam, featuring the Markthal and Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen. The two MVRDV-designed buildings accompany other Rotterdam landmarks such as the Cube Houses, Euromast, Erasmus Bridge, De Rotterdam, and many more. The new section of the park was opened this week by Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb along with the 16-year-old mayor of Madurodam Noor and Rotterdam’s “child mayor” Dominique.

Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb (top), Rotterdam child mayor Dominique (left) and Madurodam Mayor Noor (right) ring doorbells in the Markthal. Image courtesy of Madurodam

Madurodam was opened in 1952 and offers an interactive and fun way to get acquainted with the sights of the Netherlands. The goal of the amusement park is for visitors “to discover what connects them in an accessible, fun, and educational way” while donating their proceeds to children’s charities. The park explains that the new Rotterdam additions “show why Rotterdam is known for its innovative architecture”.

The miniatures are brought to life with a wide range of playful elements. To facilitate this, MVRDV assisted in planning the layout of the new Rotterdam section. This resulted in the Markthal being placed above a path, so visitors can walk through and “ring the doorbell” of famous and lesser-known Rotterdammers to hear from them.

The green rooftop of the depot. Image courtesy of Madurodam 

The Markthal, which opened in 2014, has become one of the iconic images of Rotterdam. Conceived as an entirely new take on a typical market square and its surrounding buildings, it combines food, leisure, and living, with a covered market square nestled beneath a large arch featuring the world’s largest artwork, “Cornucopia” by Arno Coenen and Iris Roskam. Learn more about the project here.

The Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, which opened in 2022, is the world’s first fully accessible art depot, home to the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen’s entire collection of over 151,000 works of art and design. While many international museums can only showcase six to seven per cent of their collections, the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen breaks with this tradition of concealment, making all of these previously invisible artefacts accessible to the public. You can find out more here.