Overblaak Development

Rotterdam


Designed by Amsterdam-based architect Piet Blom and built between 1978 and 1984, this mind-bending development facing the Markthal is marked by its pencil-shaped tower and 'forest' of 38 cube-shaped apartments on hexagonal pylons. This vibrantly coloured, crazily tilting apartment block is one of the city's most recognisable structures. One apartment, the Kijk-Kubus Museumwoning, is open to the public; the Stayokay Rotterdam youth hostel occupies the supersized cube at the southern end.

Transportation

  • tram: Blaak
  • metro: Blaak

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Rotterdam attractions

1. Kijk-Kubus Museumwoning

0.01 MILES

Here, you'll be able to get a feel for what it's like to live in one of Rotterdam's most famous buildings, the 45-degree-tilted, cube-shaped apartments in…

2. Witte Huis

0.1 MILES

Dating from 1897–98, Europe's first 'skyscraper', the 11-storey, 45m-high Witte Huis, was designed by Willem Molenbroek in art-nouveau style using load…

3. Markthal

0.18 MILES

One of the city's signature buildings, this extraordinary inverted-U-shaped market hall was designed by local architecture firm MVRDV and opened for…

4. Willemswerf

0.22 MILES

Designed by Dutch architect Wim Quist and completed in 1989, this striking office building has a facade featuring two huge intersecting wedges.

5. Het Industriegebouw

0.26 MILES

Designed by Hugh Maaskant and Willem van Tijen in the post-war reconstruction period and completed in 1952, this building has recently been restored and…

6. Willemsbrug

0.29 MILES

Rotterdam's signature red-pylon bridge opened in 1981.

7. Maritiem Museum Rotterdam

0.41 MILES

Children adore this museum overlooking Leuvehaven, whose permanent exhibits are emphatically kid-focused. The best of these is the 'Offshore Experience',…

8. Timmerhuis

0.43 MILES

Designed by OMA, the 'Carpenter's House' (2009–15) incorporates apartments, shops, restaurants and Museum Rotterdam. Often described as a 'floating cloud'…

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