Natural history museum in Villa Dijkzigt in the Museumpark: animals, whale fossils, Rotterdam's urban nature, and curious “dead animals with a story.”
July 19, 2026 – October 25, 2026
Photography, video, and a sound installation about lichens as a partnership of fungus and alga – the result of a collaboration between an artist and an ecologist.
Special exhibition
Mini exhibition of twelve mice from the collection that met with accidents in unusual places – selected by former director Kees Moeliker.
October 18, 2025 – March 29, 2027
Some sixty examples show what dots, stripes, and spirals are for in nature – from camouflage to mate selection – and how humans imitate them.
October 4, 2026 – January 3, 2027
Staged photographs by Hans van Asch in which real birds appear in constructed sets.
November 5, 2026 – February 7, 2027
Photos and film by Karlijn van Diepen about the changing meaning of stranded whales for people.
January 16, 2027 – May 2, 2027
Mandy den Elzen presents 80 plant species from the Begijnhof garden in Breda with their active substances and historical uses.
The museum grew out of a society founded in 1927, whose intellectual father is considered to be Gerrit van Roon. The rapidly growing collection of birds, mammals, insects, shells, and fossils moved from the attic of a girls' school on the Schiedamsesingel via the Dirk Smitsstraat to a villa on the Mathenesserlaan.
In 1959 the museum had to relocate to a bank building on the Kastanjesingel, where it led an obscure existence; in the 1970s it effectively became a department of the Diergaarde Blijdorp zoo. In the mid-1980s the society, the city, and the business community set up a dedicated foundation, which in 1987 was given Villa Dijkzigt in the Museumpark. The Natuurmuseum Rotterdam opened there in 1988.
The Neoclassical villa was built in 1851/52 by J. F. Metzelaar for the Van Hoboken shipping family; today it is a Rijksmonument (national heritage site). A glass pavilion was added in 1995, and in 1996 the building was thoroughly renovated. Since 2006 the museum has once again been called the Natuurhistorisch Museum Rotterdam.
In addition to classic natural history, the museum conducts research on fossil whales from the Westerschelde and on urban ecology. It is known for specimens of animals that died in encounters with humans – such as the “Dominomus,” a sparrow that knocked over dominoes in an exhibition hall, or the McFlurry hedgehog.
| Adults | €13.50 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €7.50Children ages 4–18, students, CJP |
| Children & teens | €7.50free up to age 3 · Ages 4 through 18: €7.50; up to age 3 free |
| Visitors with disabilities | –companion free · Companions of visitors who cannot move around the museum independently are admitted free |
| Students & apprentices | €7.50 |
| Groups (16+ people) | €10 per personper person for groups of more than 15 people; groups of 10 or more must reserve |
Free admission: Free admission every first Wednesday of the month from 13:00 (not for groups)
Free with the Museumkaart, Rotterdampas, Dordtpas, and ICOM card – these free tickets are only available at the museum ticket desk. Friends of the museum free; patients of Rijndam Revalidatie and the Sophia Kinderziekenhuis also free.
Elevator for one mobility aid at a time (90 × 140 cm); one loaner wheelchair (reserve in advance); folding stools on every floor. Wheelchair-accessible restroom with baby changing facilities outside the exhibition rooms (ask at the ticket desk). Audio tour also suitable for blind visitors, tactile floor plan at the ticket desk, touch objects with cane holders, but no guidance lines. Video tour in Nederlandse Gebarentaal (Dutch Sign Language) via QR code and occasional tours with a deaf guide. Low-stimulus visits can be booked; certified “Dementievriendelijk” (dementia-friendly). Two accessible parking spaces below on the Westzeedijk. Emergency exits via stairs only.
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 3 |
|---|
Permanent search games for children up to age 6 and ages 6 and up, children's audio tour for ages 7 and up, explorer boxes; themed rallies and workshops often offered during school holidays. Monthly nature consultation hour for your own finds. Children's birthday parties for ages 4–6 and ages 7 and up; visits with after-school care groups by registration.
Kievitslaan · 1-min walk
Tram 8 (toward Spangen) to Kievitslaan, 1-minute walk. From Rotterdam Centraal station approx. 20 minutes on foot along the Westersingel.
No on-site parking at the museum.
No museum parking; parking is prohibited on the forecourt. The recommended option is the Museumpark parking garage (GPS: Museumpark 32), a 2-minute walk away; alternatively APCOA Scheepvaartkwartier, an 8-minute walk.
Drop-off directly at the museum is possible – drive underneath the Kunsthal parallel to the Westzeedijk. Free urban nature route via the Roods app from the central station to the museum.
Get directionsMuseum shop in the entrance hall, accessible without a ticket during opening hours. For coffee, the website points to nearby cafés such as the Kunsthal Café.
Salon of Villa Dijkzigt with a stucco ceiling from 1852 and a grand staircase, suitable for meetings and lectures.
Inquiries & details| Guided tours | yes · approx. 45 min |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes |
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Free audio tour on biodiversity and evolution (a good half hour of listening time) with touch and smell stations; children's version for ages 7 and up. Free open guided tour every Saturday at 13:30 (approx. 45 min.). Group tours for up to 15 people €85 (approx. 50 min.), with a curator or urban ecologist €165, plus admission in each case. Groups of 10 or more reserve via frontoffice@hetnatuurhistorisch.nl. |
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