Being on the move is part of what makes us human.
From the earliest wanderers crossing continents in search of food and safety to modern families relocating for work, love, or opportunity — migration has always been woven into our shared story. Every journey carries a mix of courage, uncertainty, and hope for a better life elsewhere.
In Rotterdam, a city shaped by waves of migration, a remarkable space brings these stories to life — The Fenix Museum of Migration. Built on the historic site of a former warehouse where thousands once departed for new lives overseas, the museum not only celebrates the movement of people across borders but also depicts the grim reality of migrant experiences. Opening its doors on May 16, 2025, it invited visitors to experience the journeys of migrants from all over the world, tracing how migration has shaped not just individual destinies but also the cultural fabric of our shared humanity.
Built in 1923, Fenix was once among the world’s largest transshipment warehouses, anchoring the Katendrecht Peninsula — Rotterdam’s historic port district. It served as a crucial hub for the Holland America Line, the legendary shipping company that connected Europe with the New World.
From this very pier, thousands of migrants and travellers boarded steamships bound for the United States and Canada, carrying little more than a suitcase and a dream of a better life. Many immigrants eventually settled in the city itself, now representing more than 170 nationalities.
In 2018, the Droom en Daad Foundation — founded in 2016 and led by former Rijksmuseum director Wim Pijbes — acquired the site, marking a new chapter for the warehouse. That same year, the architecture-firm MAD Architects - led by Ma Yansong - was appointed to lead the transformation of the building into the FENIX Museum of Migration, which now bridges the city’s past with its global future.
Drawing inspiration from the warehouse’s layered history, Ma Yansong reimagined Fenix as more than a museum — a space where architecture itself becomes a storyteller, giving form to the journeys, emotions, and transitions that define migration. Rather than erasing the past, his design embraces it.
The original 1923 concrete skeleton and green-framed windows of the Fenix warehouse were carefully preserved, allowing the building’s industrial character to speak through time.
Key to this restoration was Bureau Polderman, the Rotterdam-based heritage architecture firm entrusted with conserving the historical integrity of the warehouse. Together, their work focused on stabilising the century-old concrete structure, restoring original façade elements, and retaining the patina of time that anchors Fenix to its portside roots.
Rising from this historic shell is the museum’s most striking feature — the “Tornado,” a sweeping double-helix staircase made of 297 stainless steel panels, spanning 550 meters with 336 steps.
Visible from the street and open to the public, it symbolises the spiralling, tempestuous paths of migration. Visitors ascend through layers of light and space, echoing the emotional ascent from displacement to discovery.
By merging heritage and modernity, Ma Yansong’s design ensures that Fenix is not merely a vessel for stories, but a story in itself — one that speaks of resilience, transformation, and the ever-moving rhythm of humanity.
Through art, photography, and personal objects, the museum explores migration as both a universal experience and a deeply human story. Its three main exhibitions — All Directions, The Family of Migrants, and The Suitcase Labyrinth — invite visitors to see, hear, and feel the journeys that have shaped our world. From a migrant boat salvaged off the coast of Lampedusa and a fragment of the Berlin Wall to works by artists like Francis Alÿs, Sophie Calle, and William Duning, All Directions brings together over 150 evocative pieces that blur the lines between art and testimony.
In The Family of Migrants, a photographic tribute inspired by MoMA’s 1955 classic The Family of Man, haunting portraits by Dorothea Lange and Steve McCurry trace the migrant experience from departure to arrival — a journey told through faces, moments, and memory.
Meanwhile, The Suitcase Labyrinth offers a more intimate passage. Constructed from over 2,000 donated suitcases, the immersive installation leads visitors through a maze of stories, each bag carrying a whisper of a life in motion. As audio recordings recount personal experiences of migration — of leaving, longing, and belonging — the space becomes both sculpture and sanctuary.
At the heart of the Fenix Museum of Migration lies O Anatolian Café & Bakery, a warm, sensory extension of the museum’s storytelling spirit. Founded by Michelin-starred chef Maksut Aşkar, celebrated for his Istanbul restaurant neolokal, the café pays homage to the rich culinary diversity of Anatolia. Taking its name from the Turkish word “O”, meaning he, she, it, or that, the café becomes a symbol of universality — a tribute to everyone, every story, and every identity.
Here, food becomes memory: comforting dishes and street food favourites rooted in generations of family recipes. The menu blends heritage with accessibility, offering everything from syrup-drenched şekerpare and flaky börek to freshly baked pide and loaves made from ancient grains like Sarı Kılçık and Siyez.
Whether you’re stopping for Turkish tea and simit, or a full Anatolian breakfast of olives, cheese, honey, and homemade jam, O embodies what the museum itself celebrates — the flavours, migrations, and timeless connections that travel wherever people do.
Address: Paul Nijghkade 5, 3072 AT Rotterdam, Netherland
Time: Opens on all days of the week, except Tuesday - 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. O Anatolian Café & Bakery opens everyday from 10 am – 5:30 pm
Ticket: Tickets for Fenix are only available online, exclusively through their official website tickets.fenix.nl. Admission to the Museum is priced at €15 (approximately ₹1,500) for adults. Visitors aged 19 to 25 years can enjoy a reduced rate of €7.50 (around ₹760) per person.
1. What is the Fenix Museum of Migration in Rotterdam?
The Fenix Museum of Migration is a new cultural institution in Rotterdam, Netherlands, dedicated to exploring global migration through art, design, and storytelling.
2. Where is the Fenix Museum of Migration located?
The museum is located in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
3. When does the Fenix Museum of Migration open to the public?
The museum officially opened its doors on May 16, 2025.
4. What can visitors see at the Fenix Museum of Migration?
Key exhibitions include All Directions, The Family of Migrants, and The Suitcase Labyrinth, which explore migration through art, photography, and personal stories.
5. Is there a café or restaurant inside the Fenix Museum of Migration?
Yes. The museum houses O Anatolian Café & Bakery, founded by Michelin-starred chef Maksut Aşkar, offering authentic Anatolian dishes inspired by migration and heritage.
