Pension Almonde is a temporary home for modern city nomads, adventurous sleep-over guests and orphaned neighbourhood initiatives. An experiment for the future city in 53 houses in a street in Rotterdam that will be demolished.

 This week Pension Almonde is the back yard of Art Rotterdam:

 – Not For Profit Art Party
– Every night: Secret XBar 
– Saturday night: XBar everywhere in Pension Almonde
– The best place to stay during Art Rotterdam

First I had a small webshop for cakes. Now that we have a space we do much more: catering, lunches, meals. Our lunchroom became a central meeting place for the street, the neighborhood and people working in the offices around the street.

– Bryan, initiator Keju Kitchen together with partner Jaleesa and daughter Nova.

“I am an exchange student from Hungary. This is the first time I live abroad. Here I found a place to live for 4 months and met a lot of people. Pension Almonde is a home away from home.”

– Eszter Nagy, citynomad

I do feel like a city nomad. As an artist I work on projects in different countries and cities. I am from Germany and currently I am working in Rotterdam. Pension Almonde really is a nice alternative for a hotel, where you would be alone in your room at night. Here I immediately met nice people.”

– Jantje Almstedt, pensionguest

“Thanks to  the boardhouses Rotterdam has become the international city it is today. Nowadays for many people it is hard to find a house. Gentrification has a strong influence on neighborhoods like this. A temporary place to stay, live, work or create fulfills the needs of many urban people. It helps to keep the city inclusive.”

– Melle Smets, kwartiermaker Pension Almonde

“Some of the ladies are living in the Netherlands for years now, but they never spend time outside of their houses. When their husbands fall ill or pass away, they all of a sudden have to learn Dutch. With these ladies we practice Dutch in our new classroom in the Almondestraat.”

Tazim, volunteer at Taalent010

“They don’t want to leave, but this is not your problem. They have big words but is it realistic? A solution? Find it! No solution? Be disappointed! Here it was allright, the rest of the city: unaffordable!”

– Writer Younes wrote about the life of original resident Idris.