History of the Doelen
The history of the De Doelen concert hall goes back to the seventeenth century, when an orchestra of city musicians gave public concerts in ‘De Doele’ on the Haagscheveer. As a replacement, the ‘Groote Doelezaal’ on the Coolsingel was opened in 1844.
A new Doelenzaal was put into use in 1934, but it was destroyed in May 1940 during the bombing of Rotterdam. It was not until 26 years later, in 1966, that the current De Doelen was opened. The building is a municipal monument and, as the ‘final piece of reconstruction’, as it is seen in Rotterdam, is of great cultural-historical value.
De Doelen has been an independent foundation since January 1, 2006. On that date, the new Concert- en Congresgebouw de Doelen Foundation took over the operation of the municipal service Concert- en Congresgebouw de Doelen. All activities of the old service have been transferred to the new foundation, including the staff.
Most visited performing arts institution
The very broad programming, from major crowd pullers to specialist concerts for the seasoned music connoisseur, from children’s concerts to concerts with music from various countries of origin, makes De Doelen a music house for everyone. De Doelen is therefore the most visited Rotterdam performing arts institution.
