Market Hall is a residential and office building with an oversized market running through its center that is located in Rotterdam, Netherlands. This spectacular building is unique in almost every aspect. Its modern architecture resembles a horseshoe-shaped arch but on the outside it reminded me of a futuristic airplane hangar.

The building is 11 stories high and houses 228 apartments. The apartments are located from the second floor up. Each apartment has a balcony on the outside of the building but also has windows facing the market on the inside of the building.

The main attraction of the Market Hall is the market which is located on the ground floor that runs through the center of the building. In the basement are a supermarket and a four story parking garage with over 1000 parking spaces

The building appears to be open on the ends as you can see through the building from the front of the building all of the way to the back but each end is made of glass and metal cables that is the largest glass/cable structure in Europe.

While the building itself is extraordinary, the art on the inside of the Market Hall is truly mesmerizing. Immediately upon entering the building my focus was drawn to the walls and ceiling. The inner core of the building is decorated with larger than life representations of fruits, flowers and animals that are illustrated in bright and vibrant colors.

The artwork completely covers the inside of the building with roughly 4000 aluminum panels that creates a stunning graphic mural that has been given the nickname of “the Rotterdam Sistine Chapel”.

The indoor market has 100 fresh produce sellers, 15 food shops and 8 restaurants. Shopping in the indoor market is an experience in itself as you’ll find everything that you could want from fresh bread to delicious cheese, fish, poultry and even flowers all under one roof. There are plenty of places to sit down for a drink and a snack if you want to take a break or even stop for a meal at one of the restaurants.

The Dust on My Shoes

The multiple functionality of the building that incorporates living spaces, shops, restaurants and parking garage makes this building a living city all in one building. It is located in the center of Rotterdam and it is easy to stop in for a visit when seeing some of Rotterdam’s other attractions.

My initial interest in the Market Hall was due to its modern architecture and that made me want to see this building when I visited Rotterdam but the artwork on the inside makes this building even more special. After wandering through the various shops and eating at one of the restaurants, I still wanted to stay for a while and keep looking at the artwork because the longer that I looked, the more new things that I kept seeing.

The Market Hall is a great example of the modern architecture that can be seen when visiting Rotterdam. Don’t overlook Rotterdam when visiting the Netherlands!

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