Visit the Cube Houses of Rotterdam

The Netherlands has long been considered a forward-thinking country where imaginative ideas flourish. Many people consider Rotterdam to be the creative capital of the Netherlands. Rotterdam’s Cube Houses are a shining example of the city’s enthusiasm for all things avant-garde.

In the late 1970s, city officials in Rotterdam were contemplating how to build a housing complex in close proximity to a harbor and a pedestrian bridge. Visionary architect Piet Blom proposed a row of interconnected Cube Houses that would function as a sort of urban forest. Blom said that every Cube House was its own tree. Blom’s Cube Houses were painted bright yellow to further highlight their vitality and eye-catching uniqueness.

The Cube Houses appear tilted—with 3 sides facing the ground, and 3 sides facing the sky. Each Cube House is a tri-level dwelling with numerous windows that allow natural light to stream in. The triangle-shaped ground floor houses a dining room, bathroom, and a work desk. The second floor features numerous rectangular and triangular windows, two bedrooms, and a bathroom. The top floor features a glass pyramid that offers a sweeping view of Rotterdam’s Old Harbor and city center. The third floor serves as a bedroom, lounge, or sunroom.

Travelers who are curious about the interior of Rotterdam’s Cube Houses can visit the Kijk-Kubus Museum-house. For a small fee, visitors can tour the Cube Houses’ angular interior. The Kijk-Kubus Museum-house features custom-made furniture such as benches and dressers that conform to the Cube Houses’ slanted walls. Depending on your personal taste, the irregular lines of the Cube House will leave you feeling like you just toured a disorienting funhouse, or visited an ultra-modern dwelling with a cutting-edge design that should be replicated worldwide.

If the slanted walls of the Cube House don’t compel you to pop a motion sickness pill, Stayokay offers travelers the opportunity to spend the night in a Cube House. Visitors can rent a Cube House studio with a private entrance that offers free breakfast, a comfy bed, and a panoramic view of Rotterdam.

The residents of Rotterdam take great pride in the modern appearance of their city. Few structures showcase modern architectural innovation quite like the Cube Houses of Rotterdam. No trip to Rotterdam’s Blaak Train Station is complete without a stop to admire the ‘Blaakse Bos’—or, forest on Blaak, Rotterdam’s bright yellow Cube Houses are a jolly urban forest that is certainly worth seeing.

Address:
Overblaak 70, 3011 MH
Rotterdam
Netherlands

Explorer Passport

Next badge: Trail Scout

Unlocked after exploring 5 different unusual places.

0 of 5 places explored