2025 is an exciting year for cultural exhibitions in the Netherlands with two major museums opening in Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
Independently, they offer an exciting customer experience but whilst you are there, why not turn your mini break into a road trip and visit both Drift and Fenix museums.
Drift Museum – Amsterdam
Amsterdam is famed for its canals but there is so much more to this unique city and there is about to be a monumental addition. Alongside the already vibrant cultural scene, this year will see the opening of the Drift Museum.
The Drift Museum is being sustainably renovated out of five old dockland warehouses that were previously used to produce steam trains. The renovations will create an epic 13,300 sqm exhibition and entertainment space. Two of the halls will house the Drift Museum, which will cover 8,000 sqm. The other halls will house sports activities, restaurants, offices, and start-ups.
The grandeur, robustness, and industrial character of the Van Gendt Hallen (warehouses) will not only provide space but also enhance Drift’s space-filling artworks and kinetic installations. Drift Museum is co-owned by three entrepreneurs, two of whom are artists. Their work has already been exhibited worldwide, including a successful stint at the Stedelijk Museum, which saw 275,000 visitors in four months. The same exhibition will be shown when the museum opens this year.
Visitors will be transported from the centre of Amsterdam to the Drift Museum by electric boat, which will dock inside one of the converted warehouses. The entrance is dramatic and exciting, likely to thrill adults and children alike. If you love bold, brave, dramatic art, then add Drift to your list.
Fenix – Rotterdam
Whilst in Amsterdam you might as well hop on a Eurostar to Rotterdam. With a journey time of 30 minutes, this could easily be done in a day. Rotterdam is a city respected for its bold art installations, and they are about to open the jewel in their crown.
Fenix is the world’s first museum dedicated to the theme of migration. Aptly situated in the heart of docks, this transformed warehouse was originally owned by the Holland America Line, a shipping company responsible for the transportation of over three million migrants.
If you would like to submerge yourself further into the history of the area you could stay at Hotel New York. The hotel is in the old headquarters of the Holland America Line and is a well-preserved step back in time, which provides 4-star 19th-century elegance laden with memorabilia of that by gone era. The hotel is directly opposite Fenix and would complement the visit.
The distinctive Tornado structure has been designed by award-winning Beijing-based architects MAD, it is constructed out of a double helix staircase that starts at ground level enabling visitors to climb to the top. There they will find a viewing platform that enables them to take in the city’s skyline from the shores of the River Maas.
Fenix will open in May 2025 with two exhibitions. All Directions: Art That Moves You is a collection of 150 artworks and objects that depict individual stories of migration and also contains iconic objects such as a piece of the Berlin Wall.
The Family of Migrants is a photographic exhibition made up of 194 photographs taken in 55 countries taken by 36 photographers. Given the current climate of political unrest and displacement, this is sure to be an emotional exhibition that we can only hope provides a layer of understanding and empathy to those affected.
Both Drift and Fenix museums have a striking number of similarities. They are huge in scale, located in renovated warehouses in the docks, with great attention being given to the architecture as well as the exhibition space. It will be interesting to see how they differ once they open. I for sure will be hopping on the Eurostar to find out.
Review by Emmie Blower @emmiebhungry
Images supplied
