Discover The Passage In Roosendaal- A Beautiful Place You Must Visit

To find the most unique and interesting shopping center in the Netherlands, and maybe even in the Benelux, you need to head to the small city of Roosendaal. Roosendaal is the last city in the Netherlands before you get to Belgium, but it is also the home of The Passage. The Passage is a shopping center with a character. Not only does it have a fantastic range of shops, it is also architecturally a brilliant building. 

The Passage is a shopping center that connects the historical Raadhuistraat to the Nieuwe Markt, right in the heart of Roosendaal. The idea for this shopping center came about in the late 1950s, right in the middle of the post-World War II economic revival. At this point, Roosendaal recognized the need to develop more shops and businesses to help redevelop the area. Two already established entrepreneurs, Meneer Been, and Meneer Braat, took up the challenge to expand their businesses and help rejuvenate commerce in the city. 

After exchanging land, making plans, and construction, the Passage finally opened in 1960. It was one of the first covered shopping streets in Brabant. At the time, it housed an apartment complex with 25 apartments and 30 shops. After its opening, the shopping center proved to be a great success. It received rave reviews in the local Newspapers. This helped spark more business in the city.

As naturally happens in the cycle of shopping centers, over the years The Passage needed renovations. After the death of the initial creators, a disinterested son inherited The Passage. His motivation for working on the project was low. Therefore, very few changes and renovations were made to the center. Eventually, in 1996, the building was put up for sale and purchased by Metterwoon. For several years new plans were created and presented, but then abandoned. Finally, in 2003, a new project leader took over the renovations and, suddenly, things started to move more quickly. 

Inspired by the Venetian in Las Vegas and the keywords: “Italian”, “Unique”, “Warmth”, and “Experience”, amongst other words, artist Toine van Den Broek sketched some early ideas. These were turned into color prints and animations by Louis Sjouwerman designs. The designs were enthusiastically agreed to by all parties allowing the slow process of construction to begin.

Construction in The Passage was particularly complicated for several reasons. The first and foremost reason was that the shopping center was still in use throughout the renovations. Therefore, there were certain limitations on timings and procedures that could happen in different parts of the shopping mall. Another reason it was complicated is that the renovations were part of a hobby project. This meant that, throughout the process, many changes and additions (around 200) happened to the plans. It turned into a slow, long-term process. 

But despite this, the effort was absolutely worth the work. Nowadays, The Passage is a unique sensory experience for shoppers and visitors alike. 

The Passage is a shopping center like no other. It has been designed in a Venetian style combined with Jugendstil and Art Deco elements. So you have to imagine that there are paintings everywhere. It is busy, bright, and ornate. The floors are made of natural stone mosaics, and there are large stained glass skylights in the ceiling that filter the light coming through. The place is full of dark wood, wrought iron, and glass. There are plants, flowers, archways, and shutters in every corner of the building. 

Throughout The Passage, there are several, big, eye-catching installations. The most surprising of these is the “Live orchestra”. This is placed on a balcony above the terrace and is made from moving dolls created in America. The orchestra is an animatronic quartet with a pianist, cellist, accordion player, and singer. Every fifteen minutes, they perform an Italian song. 

Another eye-catching piece is the large clock. This can be found at the entrance to The Passage. It is a beautiful clock with gold, stained glass, and wrought iron. As the second hand moves around the clock, little colored glass measures light up. The clock has a fully functioning Carillon (a set of bells)that plays when the clock strikes.  

There are many other eye-catching pieces, from a giant globe to statues of Marco Polo and Columbus. The Passage is a multi-sensory experience, with plenty to see, music and bells to hear, and even scent columns to make this a truly atmospheric place. 

The Passage is decorated seasonally throughout the year. It is particularly magical to visit during Christmas when it is filled with Christmas trees and festive decorations. 

While the architecture and aesthetics of The Passage are important, it is still a shopping center, so what shops can you find in The Passage? 

Each shop in The Passage has been chosen consciously. There is a selection of unique shops and chain shops. This means that you can browse in shops and find designs you’ve never seen before, but you can also drop by a shop and pick up the things you need in a hurry. 

The center has a wide range of boutique fashion and jewelry shops, focusing on independent shops from exclusive entrepreneurs. Shops to check out include Fabienne’s Vintage, WeLoveFootballshirts, Gossip, and Omoda, among others. 

The Passage also has a few different places to sit down and recharge from your shopping. The most notable of these is Lunchroom Milano. Lunchroom Milano has been in The Passage for 25 years and is in the central terrace area, underneath the statues of Colombus and Marco Polo. It serves authentic Italian pizza, delicious ice cream and milkshakes, and loaded fries of all different varieties! Lunchroom Milano is the place to sit and soak in the atmosphere of The Passage with coffee in your hand.

Throughout the year, The Passage organizes events for both the old and young to celebrate different festivities and create a community atmosphere. There are events to celebrate Mother’s and Father’s Day where you can nominate your parents as the “liefste vader”, or loveliest father in English. There are also regular visits from characters such as Anna and Olaf from Frozen or Sula and Bing from Bing. These visits bring the characters to life for younger children and will create lasting memories. 

The real fun happens in December when we get visits from both Sinterklaas and the Pieten, and Father Christmas. The Passage is at its most beautiful over the Christmas period. You can expect tasteful decorations, with Christmas lights lining the hallways and decorated Christmas trees dotted throughout the building. There are baubles, festive flowers and more. A visit to the Passage is guaranteed to get you into the Christmas spirit. 

The passage is somewhere that is unique and atmospherical. It is definitely one of the most interesting shopping centers in the country. It is filled with eye-catching things to look at, listen to, smell, eat and buy. The Passage is an experience that consumes every one of your senses!