Museum de Fundatie, Art museum in Blijmarkt, Zwolle, Netherlands
Museum de Fundatie is an art museum housed in the historic Paleis aan de Blijmarkt in Zwolle and at Kasteel Het Nijenhuis near Heino, showing paintings and sculptures spanning several centuries. The main building in Zwolle with its neoclassical facade gained a modern oval extension on its roof in 2012, adding new gallery space above the original structure.
The collection began in 1958 at a country estate near Heino through support from private art lovers and foundations. Decades later, growing interest led to the move in 2005 into the former courthouse on Blijmarkt in central Zwolle, where further expansion followed.
The name comes from a foundation built on private collections donated by patrons and collectors who wanted to share their art. Inside the former courthouse, high ceilings and classical columns create a quiet dignity that frames each canvas with care.
The doors open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 until 17, with adults paying 9 euros and children under 17 entering free. Rooms are on ground level or reachable by elevator, so all galleries remain accessible without much effort.
The oval rooftop carries more than 55,000 individual ceramic tiles that shift color depending on light and weather, giving the building a living face. Every angle reveals a new shade, so the exterior never looks quite the same.
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