A bright yellow wooden pedestrian bridge, looping cheerfully through the air and connecting three parts of the city. That was the Luchtsingel. Because after years of loyal service, international fame, graffiti artists, and, unfortunately, a fair amount of wood rot, it’s time for a successor. Welcome to Luchtsingel 2.0, including the longest rooftop park in the Netherlands.
At around three to four metres above street level, you stroll along a 390-metre bridge.
Winner of the Stadsinitiatief
The story behind the Luchtsingel is just as remarkable as the bright yellow walkway itself. It begins in 2012, when architecture firm ZUS entered the Stadsinitiatief, a competition run by the City of Rotterdam.
The brief: come up with a plan to make the city more vibrant. Of the 40,000 or so Rotterdammers who cast their vote, nearly half chose the Luchtsingel. ZUS was awarded the prize money of four million euros and got to work.
Crowdfunding
But in Rotterdam, people like to be part of things. So a crowdfunding campaign was launched alongside it. Four thousand people each paid 25 euros to have their name or a personal message engraved on one of the bridge’s 17,000 planks. Together, they raised 100,000 euros. In the end, the pedestrian bridge was built for 2.5 million euros and opened in 2015.
The Luchtsingel consists of three sections, connected by a roundabout. At around three to four metres above street level, you stroll along the 390-metre bridge between the Schiekade, the Pompenburg, and the Hofpleinlijnviaduct.
A corner of Rotterdam that had been overlooked for years, suddenly connected to the rest of the city. Lonely Planet wrote glowingly about it, tourists came to visit, and Rotterdammers rediscovered their own city.
At the other end you find the Hofbogen, a former railway viaduct now buzzing with cafés, restaurants, and lifestyle and design entrepreneurs.
The longest rooftop park in the Netherlands
At one end of the bridge, Schieblock awaits, with a rooftop farm on its roof growing vegetables, fruit, and edible flowers, alongside a brunch café with views over the skyline. At the other end you find the Hofbogen, a former railway viaduct now buzzing with cafés, restaurants, and lifestyle and design entrepreneurs.
The roof of the Hofbogen is set to become a green space: the Hofbogenpark. At two kilometres long, it will immediately become the longest rooftop park in the Netherlands, complete with a smart circular water system that collects and purifies rainwater. Good for the climate, and for the plants, ponds, and water play areas throughout the park.
A permanent successor is coming, one that’s safe and built to last: Luchtsingel 2.0.
Closed and demolished
Maintaining the wooden walkway turned out to be quite a challenge. Graffiti artists found the yellow bridge an irresistible target, which meant the municipality had to repaint it every two weeks. And then there were the visitors who treated the bridge as a public toilet.
In 2024, sections of the Luchtsingel were closed off because wood rot and subsidence had made them unsafe. A large part of the walkway was permanently demolished, with a few sections remaining accessible. And the crowdfunding planks? They went back to their rightful owners.
Luchtsingel 2.0
But Rotterdam isn’t about to let its icon disappear. A permanent successor is coming, one that’s safe and built to last: Luchtsingel 2.0. Whether it will resemble the original is an open question, because the area around it, including Pompenburg, is also set to change.
The first preparatory phase for the new Luchtsingel is complete, the technical requirements are in place, and the municipality is now looking for a designer. Someone who can make Rotterdam a little more exciting and beautiful once again.
Curious about the latest updates on the dismantling, the name planks, and the design selection? Visit: mijn.rotterdam.nl/link/project/vervangingluchtsingel.
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