Excursion M4H Rotterdam

Discover this huge tranformation of the city port or Rotterdam!

Take an excursion through the dynamic M4H area in Rotterdam and discover the developments of this exciting port area. The M4H area, located in Rotterdam West on the border with Schiedam is the epicenter of the city transformation. Here the old port area comes together with a lively mix of young entrepreneurs, creative initiatives and industrial heritage.

What was once the heart of the port of Rotterdam will be transformed in the coming years in such a way that by 2032 we can expect a completely new district where people can live, work, study or enjoy art and culture.

In the meantime, the shift of port activities outside the city offers space for new developments and innovative projects. The M4H area, together with the RDM Campus, forms the Rotterdam Makers District. A space where the manufacturing industry of startups, sustainable entrepreneurs, artists and young makers flourishes.

During the excursion you will get a glimpse into the rich history of the M4H and discover icons such as the HAKA building, the Citrus Auction, the Departures Hall Oranjelijn and the Europoint Towers. The route also takes you past special pioneer locations such as the Floating Farm, the Keilepand and Brutus by Atelier van Lieshout. You will be accompanied by a professional guide from UrbanGuides, who will tell you everything about the history of the early 20th century general cargo port and current developments such as the future new Merwehaven city district for 2,500 new homes.

Book a Tour! For reservations and more information about the tours, you can contact the RDM information centre via telephone number 0031 10 – 252 44 72 or by sending an e-mail to rondleidingenrdm@portofrotterdam.com.

Tip! If you want to see the other side the river with the beautiful former headquarters of the RDM, then book our RDM Campus tour. Every 15 minutes there’s is a ferry from M4H to the RDM-Campus site.

Type

Walking Tour

Prijs/Duur

On request
Max 15 persons per guide

Start Locatie

Boek nu

Around the Rijnhaven

Looking out from the Veerhaven over the Southbank of the Meuse, you’ll see an architecture spectacle that could be best described as almost un-Dutch. No modest housing projects on the Wilhelmina pier or Katendrecht nowadays! You’d sooner imagine yourself standing in the docklands of London, New York or Shanghai. And the impressive skyline of Rotterdam is still growing day by day.

The high rise on the Wilhelmina pier and Katendrecht are the result of some 30 years of urban development around the former Rijn harbour. A big change was brought along by the Erasmus bridge, which made the Southbank instantly so much more accessible. The Wilhelmina pier started to develop itself from a deserted dockland into a mundane part of the city centre. World-famous architects, such as Rem Koolhaas, Alvaro Siza Vieira and sir Norman Foster left their landmarks at the pier.

In the meantime, it is precisely new buildings such as Floating Office and the Fenixlofts that provide the Rijnhaven their spectacular image.

They don’t sit still at the other site of the harbour, either. With the construction of Fenix, the first museum in the world that tells the story of migration through art, and the transformation of the old Santos warehouse from 1903 into the new Dutch Photo Museum, Katendrecht gains two new icons. In addition, Katendrecht is also a very special residential area in the middle of the port. With its infamous dockland as the past and its shiny new architectural designs as a promise for the near future.

In an architecture tour with UrbanGuides, you’ll walk along the Wilhelmina pier and Katendrecht, crossing spectacular residential towers, monumental warehouses, industrial silos and cargo bike neighbourhoods. A professional guide will tell you everything there is to know about the historical land future developments of these areas and who was at the base of these plans. The architecture of a harbour city at its best!

Extra visit informationcentre Rijnhaven; Using information panels and a spectacular model, the municipality outlines the ambitions and conditions for how the Rijnhaven will further develop in the short term into a sustainable place to stay with a lot of attention and space for greenery. An UrbanGuides guide can explain the plans further.

Tip! interested in more exciting developments of the city ports of Rotterdam, UrbanGuides can also arrange excursions in the Maritime District, Lloydkwartier or M4H area.

Type

Walking Tour

Prijs/Duur

€ 210,- excl. BTW per guide
2 hours
Max 15 persons per guide

Start Locatie

In consultation

Boek nu

RDM Campus

One of Rotterdam’s most spectacular examples of repurposing can be found at Heijplaat. There, the hundred-year-old shipyard of the Rotterdam Dry Dock Company (RDM) has been transformed into a dynamic Makers District. The vast complex is now used to provide education and stimulate innovation. It can be admired in all its glory during an UrbanGuides tour.

With the establishment of the RDM in 1902, a complete factory village was also built on Heijplaat, based on the English garden villages. Together with the Quarantine site, this area forms a special enclave in the middle of modern Rotterdam.

A visit can be organized from two different perspectives: with an interest in technology & education or based on the cultural-historical value of the former shipyard and the adjacent garden village.

RDM Innovation: Nowadays you can experience the former construction site of the SS Rotterdam as an educational campus in a tour from UrbanGuides. Together with a guide you will visit the former RDM Innovation Dock machine hall, a monumental industrial hall with an area of approximately 23,000 m2 and heights of up to 20 meters. Today, technical education (Albeda and Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences) and companies work together here under the motto Research, Design & Manufacturing (RDM) on sustainable and innovative solutions in the field of construction, mobility and energy. The Campus is part of the Rotterdam Makers District, a collaboration with the M4H area across the river.

History and garden village Heijplaat: It is one of the port areas with an important cultural-historical value in the city. The old head office has been completely renovated. The main part of this dates from the years 1913–1916 and has a monumental marble floor and a boardroom and commissioner’s room in Art Deco style. This characteristic building, the former RDM Submarine Wharf and the

During a walk through the RDM grounds and Heijplaat, you and an architectural guide will explore the monumental main building, the former Submarine Wharf and the garden village and see how new life is being given while preserving history.

Tip! Also visit the Garden village Vreewijk with UrbanGuides.

Type

Walking Tour

Prijs/Duur

On request
Max 15 persons per guide

Start Locatie

Klinknagelstraat 2

Boek nu

Van Nelle Factory

Along the bank of the Delfshavense Schie lies a remarkable UNESCO World Heritage site: the Van Nelle Factory. This unique building from 1931 is considered to be the symbol of Dutch modernism.

In the 1920s, the Rotterdam company Van Nelle decided to build a new, large factory on the edge of the city. The existing, dark and poorly ventilated buildings in the city center would make way for a progressive design that approached air, light and space in a revolutionary way. The result was a masterpiece of modern architecture that even Le Corbusier said during a visit to the factory: “the most beautiful spectacle of modern times”. To this day, the Van Nelle Factory is without a doubt one of the most special factory buildings in the Netherlands.

Would you like to discover for yourself why this building is so unique? UrbanGuides has been offering exclusive tours of this ‘glass palace’ since 2004. During an hour-long tour you will learn everything about the architecture, the history of Van Nelle, the production process in the factory and the impressive transformation into a new future as a business complex and event location.

Join one of our expert (architecture) guides and discover why this groundbreaking design was not only a milestone in architectural history, but remains an international source of inspiration to this day.

More interest, more time; If you are extra eager and want to hear more, the tour can be extended to 1.5 hours. The factory stands for so much more; for example technology, social history, colonial past and the special relationship with the famous design school Bauhaus. In short, enough to talk about further.

Public Tours; Are you going out alone or in a small group? You can also join one the public tours we organize during the weekends with the Chabot Museum. Please look here for more information.

Interested in more Dutch Modernism? The also visit the social housing project The Kiefhoek.

Type

Building Tour

Prijs/Duur

€ 100,- excl. BTW per guide and € 2,50- entree per person excl. btw
1 hour
Max 15 persons per guide

Start Locatie

Van Nelleweg 1

Boek nu

Urban Renewel Central District, Hofbogen and ZoHO

Rotterdam’s Central District has undergone an impressive transformation in recent years, from a neglected area between Central Station and the former Hofplein Station to a lively station area. This transformation was partly initiated by the architectural firm ZUS, in which their striking 350-metre long wooden pedestrian bridge, De Luchtsingel, served as a connecting element for this urban development and created enormous dynamics in the area.

The Luchtsingel was not just an infrastructure project, but a catalyst for further urban interventions, including connecting the new Rotterdam Central Station with the renovated Hofplein Station. The success of the Luchtsingel led to a broader redevelopment, in which a diverse mix of start-ups, cultural institutions, music venues and green initiatives, such as the DakAkker, Het Luchtpark on a former station stop, and the repurposing of the Hofbogen, further enriched the area .

In the meantime, parts of the Luchtsingel have been demolished, but that does not alter the fact that the Central District is on the eve of major new developments. What stands out is the transformation of the infamous Hofplein traffic circle into a car-free strolling park, part of the 7 City Projects, from Weena to Coolsingel. It doesn’t stop there, because other projects such as the new residential/work building The Modernist by MVRDV, the renovation of Delftseblok and the spectacular rooftopgarden of the elevated Hofbogen railway viaduct across Rotterdam North are also in the starting blocks or are already in development.

The tour can be expanded with an additional loop through the new ZoHo. A future lively district with a mix of residential buildings, work and entertainment places for the ‘urban creative’ in a former industrial reconstruction neighborhood Zomerhofkwartier.

For all people professionally interested in placemaking, this part of Rotterdam offers both inspiration and examples for future urban projects, in which sustainability, innovation, multifunctionality and social impact are central.

An additional visit to DakAkker is possible, but with an extra fee of €12,50 ex VAT per group.

UrbanGuides has been located in this part of the city since 2010 and sees the area changing on a daily basis!

Tip: Interested in the green side of urban development? Check out our Green City tours!

Type

Walking Tour

Prijs/Duur

€ 160,- excl. BTW per guide
1.5 hour
Max 15 persons per guide

Start Locatie

Boek nu

Excursions Rotterdam South

On the south bank of the Meuse lays an interesting and inherent part of Rotterdam. About the size of a regular Dutch provincial city, this area is full of examples of urban and social-cultural renewal in The Netherlands from the nineteenth century until now. There’s a lot to explore at Zuid, both for Rotterdammers and for (inter)national visitors.

Nineteenth-century harbours and neighbourhoods
Halfway through the nineteenth century, the inhabitants of Rotterdam move southwards. At the island of Feijenoord and around Katendrecht they develop harbours and accompanying neighbourhoods for the dock workers. The city districts like Feijenoord, Afrikaanderwijk, de Kaap, Hillesluis and Bloemhof each have their particular history which is embedded with contemporary themes like gentrification, energy transition and social cohesion.

Garden cities and ‘concrete villages’
Rotterdam-South is the nursery for experimental public housing in The Netherlands. A lot of the neighbourhoods were built in the nineteenth century with new and modern ideas and principles to provide good and affordable housing for the working class. Famous are the garden cities and ‘concrete villages’ like Vreewijk and Heijplaat; Kiefhoek, Stuhlemeijer and the Kossel. About a century later, these neighbourhoods provide a fascinating image of time.

Large-scale projects
To increase the quality of life in South Rotterdam, a number of mega projects stand out. The area developments around Stadionpark (better known as Feyenoord City) regularly make it to the press. In the meantime, Hart van Zuid is taking shape with the brand new Theater Zuidplein and Rotterdam’s first Olympic swimming pool. In the oldest port area of South Rotterdam, the Kop van Feijenoord, a major area development has already started on fascinating sites such as De Kaai, former Unilever, Nassauhaven with the waterfront homes and new residential and work projects in the Piekstraat.

The optimism of the garden cities after WWII in Rotterdam-South
After World War II, innovative city districts were developed along the outskirts of the city to cover the enormous housing shortage. Modern architects worked under the direction of municipal urban developer Lotte Stam-Beese to design the ideal garden city. Together they developed the ‘wijkgedachte’, in which every neighbourhood within a district has its own facilities to improve social cohesion within the city. Neighbourhoords like Pendrecht, Zuidwijk, Lombardijen and Groot-IJsselmonde are primary examples. While these areas are still open and modern in design, their optimistic character has faded to the background. Nowadays, there are new social and cultural initiatives to reinvent these garden cities in the twenty-first century.

Tip! If you have little time, but still get a taste of Rotterdam South, book a tour Around de Rijnhaven.

Type

Walking Tour

Prijs/Duur

On request
1 till 3 hours
Max 15 persons per guide

Start Locatie

In consultation

Boek nu