Markthal

Arch-shaped covered market with 100 stalls and an apartment block above

Address Dominee Jan Scharpstraat 298

Rotterdam's horseshoe-shaped indoor food market is one of the most extraordinary buildings in the Netherlands. Designed by the Rotterdam firm MVRDV and opened in 2014, the building consists of a market hall enclosed in a giant arch — 228 apartments are built into the arch above, their windows looking down onto the market floor below the dramatic painted ceiling.

Inside, about 100 stalls sell fresh produce, cheese, meat, fish, and specialty foods from the Netherlands and around the world. The ground floor is ringed by restaurants and food stalls. Even if you're not buying, the building is worth visiting as a piece of architecture — the scale of the interior, the ceiling artwork, and the peculiar sight of apartment balconies overlooking a market are all genuinely surprising. Located next to the Cube Houses at Blaak.

things to do architecture market
A story
The giant Horn of Plenty artwork covering the Markthal's interior arch was the largest artwork in the Netherlands when it was unveiled in 2014 — 4,000 square metres of photographic images showing enlarged fruits, vegetables, and insects. The building is simultaneously a food market, an apartment complex (228 units are built into the arch above the trading floor), and a piece of architectural theatre designed by MVRDV.