Sonneveld House
Sonneveld House Accessibility
Nieuwe Instituut and Sonneveld House want to offer a space that is accessible to everyone, and where everyone feels welcome. Due to the historical layout of the Sonneveld House Museum, a listed building dating from 1933, this is not entirely possible. For example, some facilities are missing, such as toilets and a lift. Read below about how we try to make Sonneveld House as accessible as possible for all visitors. For personal assistance, please ask our staff at the reception desk or email receptie@nieuweinstituut.nl.
Getting to the museum house
Sonneveld House is located in the centre of Rotterdam, a 15-minute walk from Rotterdam CS train station. It is located on the edge of the Museumpark, next to the Nieuwe Instituut. Sonneveld House can be reached by public transport with the metro (Eendrachtsplein stop), tram 7 (Eendrachtsplein stop or Museumpark stop), tram 4 (Eendrachtsplein stop), bus 44 (Wytemaweg stop) and bus 32 (Breitnerstraat stop).
The Museumpark car park is opposite the Nieuwe Instituut. More information about parking near Sonneveld House.
Nieuwe Instituut has a parking space for visitors with a (functional) disability. On the website of the City of Rotterdam you will find an overview of parking spaces reserved for wheelchair users.
The entrance
The entrance to Sonneveld House is located at number 12 Jongkindstraat, on the corner of the Museumpark and the Rochussenstraat, next to the arcade of the Nieuwe Instituut. In front of the gate there is a small slope and a drainage grid. The gate is quite narrow: visitors in wheelchairs should use the wider gate next to it. Our staff will be happy to open this for you. The front door is on a small rise with a black post at the corner. From here, a narrow corridor leads to the reception desk and the cloakroom. There are also two thresholds. To enter the house, people who are not wheelchair users will need to wear shoe covers over their shoes. These are available at the reception desk.
Wheelchair Access
The majority of the 1930s listed building is not wheelchair accessible due to multiple staircases, narrow corridors and steps. However, visitors who use a wheelchair or prefer not to climb stairs can view the entire house in 3D using an iPad or VR glasses, including an audio tour, from the wheelchair-accessible studio on the ground floor of Sonneveld House.
Assistance
Sonneveld House can be visited with a guide, service or assistance dog that is under its owner’s control. Call or email the reception if you are coming with a guide or assistance dog and our staff will be happy to provide a bowl of water for the dog. Attendants of visitors with a (functional) disability have free access. Reservations are not necessary.
Toilets
There are no toilets in Sonneveld House. Nieuwe Instituut has toilets on the ground floor that are accessible to everyone, regardless of gender identity or expression. There is a baby changing table in the adapted toilet.
Audio tour
An audio guide is available free of charge for all visitors to Sonneveld House. It is available in Dutch, English and German. The tour can also be listened to or read on your own mobile phone or tablet, in Dutch or English (download the MapMyVisit app).
Sonneveld House offers an audio tour for visitors who are blind or partially sighted. In this Dutch audio tour, Simon Dogger, a designer who is blind himself, guides visitors through the house. This audio tour is part of the Multi-Sensory House initiative, which adds a sensory layer of touch, smell and sound to the house.
Texts
On the Sonneveld House website you can learn more about the house and its original residents. There are stories about the architecture and interiors, art and design, and the Sonneveld family.