Curious about the domestic life in Rotterdam before and after the Second World War? Then you should definitely go to the Oude Jacob Catshuis in the north of the city. The museum residence consists of two houses. One is an original alcove house. That is special, because most have already been demolished.
The alcove house, which was built around 1897, was discovered in its original state in the nineties. Pretty special! An alcove is a sort of gap without windows, which was often used to sleep. In this house you can see how hard-working Rotterdammers lived before the war.
The other house has been brought back to the style of reconstruction, which after years of war was marked by innovation. Thanks to Marshall Aid from America, the Netherlands slowly became increasingly prosperous. You can see that in the home, for example because money was available for household appliances.
Is this old house in the middle of the Oude Noorden district? Less than ten years ago, 'petty' criminals shot each other here. Thanks to intervention by the police and the municipality, it is now a trendy neighborhood. Nice boutique shops and tasty restaurants are currently popping up like mushrooms.
Walk towards the Noordsingel and enjoy a piece of historic Rotterdam. This building used to be the home of Rotterdam's custody, also known as the Noordsingelbajes. The prison has been closed for a number of years now. For a long time it was not known what would happen with it, but in the meantime there have been built quite expensive apartments.
