The Witte Huis (White House) is the ten-storey office building on the Wijnhaven in Rotterdam, at the corner of the old harbour basin, the Oude Haven. Finished in 1898 and 43 metres tall, it is often called one of the first high-rise buildings in Europe. In May 1940 it was one of the few buildings in the city centre to come through the German bombing.
The Witte Huis at a glance
- Where: Wijnhaven 3, on the corner of the Geldersekade and the Oude Haven, in the east of the city centre.
- Built: 1897–1898; the year 1898 is set into the top of the north facade.
- By: the architect Willem Molenbroek; the facade statues are by the sculptor Simon Miedema.
- What it is today: an office building and a rijksmonument (national monument), which you see from the outside.
- Time needed: 15 minutes for the facades, longer if you stop at a café on the Oude Haven.
A tower on soft ground
At the end of the 19th century Rotterdam was booming as a port, and the company N.V. Het Witte Huis, which gave the building its name, commissioned an office block on the Wijnhaven. Molenbroek drew an eclectic design influenced by American office buildings, with Art Nouveau details. Sceptics doubted that the soft Rotterdam soil could carry ten floors, so about 1,000 piles were driven into the ground before building began. Inside, a central staircase and two lifts served offices arranged around the core, and the flat roof was used as a viewing terrace and for advertising billboards.
On 14 May 1940 the German air raid destroyed almost the entire historic centre of Rotterdam. The Witte Huis was one of the few buildings in the centre to survive. It did not come through untouched: the statue of Labour on the south facade was lost, and the statue of Seafaring was later moved from the north facade to take its place. Today the building is protected as a national monument, and in a city rebuilt with modern towers it is one of the clearest reminders of what Rotterdam looked like before the war.
What to look for
- The white glazed brick of the upper floors, which gave the building its name, with geometric bands of yellow, red and blue brick. The two lowest floors are faced with natural stone.
- The statues by Simon Miedema at first-floor level, standing on pedestals under stone canopies, with gilded inscriptions: Seafaring on the south side; Progress, Agriculture and Industry on the east; Trade on the north.
- The round bay windows on the corners, which rise through every floor and end in small turrets. At their base, look for stone reliefs of winged dragons.
- The name of the building in the arched niche of the east gable, and the round clock faces in the south and north gables.
- Colourful tile panels with Art Nouveau flowers, signed by the Utrecht firm Holland.
- The wrought-iron lamp brackets with floral motifs, and the iron railing that runs along the edge of the roof.
Europe's first skyscraper?
You will often read that the Witte Huis was Europe's first skyscraper. At 43 metres it was exceptionally tall for a European office building in 1898, which is where the title comes from, but claims like this depend on how you define a skyscraper and are hard to prove. Treat it as a nickname rather than a record. What makes the building special today is simply that it is still here, a rare survivor of the pre-war city.
Tips for your visit
- For the best view of the whole building, stand on the far side of the Oude Haven: from there you see the east facade with its statues and the turrets on the corners.
- Come on a sunny afternoon, when the white brick and the coloured tiles stand out most clearly.
- It is a working office building, not a museum. Enjoy it from the street and don't wander into the entrance hall uninvited.
- Combine it with the Cube Houses and the Markthal: all three are within a few minutes' walk of each other.
Nearby
- Cube Houses (Kubuswoningen): Piet Blom's tilted yellow cube homes above the street, completed in 1984. One of them is open to visitors as a show home.
- Markthal: the horseshoe-shaped market hall opened in 2014, with flats in the arch and a huge artwork of fruit, vegetables and flowers covering its vaulted ceiling.
- Oude Haven: Rotterdam's oldest harbour basin, right next to the Witte Huis, with historic ships moored along the quays and café terraces in summer.
- St Lawrence Church (Laurenskerk): the late Gothic church a short walk away, the only medieval building in the city centre that still stands.
See Rotterdam with World City Trail
Our Rotterdam scavenger hunt turns the city centre into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 54 minutes of walking. Along the way it includes City Hall (Stadhuis) and St Lawrence Church (Laurenskerk).
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Rotterdam.
Play the Rotterdam scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Rotterdam →
Play the outdoor escape game in Rotterdam →
Facts checked in October 2026.