You don’t have to be a chess player to enjoy the beautiful chess pieces in the Chess Pieces Museum at the Blaakse Bos. The cube houses in Rotterdam are home to a unique collection of chess boards and pieces made of glass, wood and other materials. Founder Ridder Dijkshoorn started the Chess Pieces Museum in Rotterdam. What began mainly with his own collection slowly grew into a museum with more than nine hundred sets.
A world opens up as you enter the museum, because of the colours, shapes and charisma of the designs. The game with thirty-two pieces fought out on a board of sixty-four spaces takes the visitor to times from a distant past. There are boards with Vikings opposite Christian Knights, and on another board, you’ll find the Dakota Indians opposite the soldiers of Abraham Lincoln. Chess games from all over the world can be seen here.
The Chessmen Museum
History comes to life in the well-equipped museum on the Blaak. The unique sets are neatly arranged and look fresh. At a modest rate or with a museum card, everyone can marvel at the pieces in the museum, which is easily accessible by public transport. In an annual design competition, the winner can raise a nice amount of money. This private museum also appeals to the imagination of children. Especially the cartoon characters and film heroes attract the attention of the youngsters. The Chess Pieces Museum is not unique for Rotterdam and the rest of the Netherlands, but for the world, because it has the most extensive collection worldwide. The games are exhibited to the public in all kinds of forms. Football fans also get their money’s worth through a football match that is fought on the chessboard.
Those who are motivated by watching the chess pieces can also delve further into the history of chess. There’s exciting literature available in the museum. If you would like to design your own chess set, you can hand in your creations to the Chess Pieces Museum from the beginning of Museum Night in early March until 1 March of the following year. Everyone is free to submit his or her entries. The conditions can be read on the website of the museum. The source of inspiration, just like the game of chess, is inexhaustible, because whether it concerns classics between football clubs or struggles between tribes and soldiers, it is possible to come up with your theme.
The surroundings of the Chessmen Museum Rotterdam
After you visit the Chess Pieces Museum, you may feel the need to play a game of chess. The terraces at the Oude Haven can be a great location, where you can play a game while enjoying a drink. I would bring your own chess board because they are not available everywhere.
