The rush outside this structure on a busy day, one would assume it was a portal to Narnia, one after the other and Aslan greeting them with his blessings. But in the real world(yes, that was all fictional, come back to reality), it is a Fruit and Vegetable market, not ‘a just another’ one though. It is a Fruit and vegetable market with a housing project on top and a lot of excited people (Not for vegetables or fruits) trying to get a good look at this closed market hall called ”Markthal” swarming at the gate.

It is said to be feted by architecture critics for enclosing around 100 market stalls beneath a gigantic, brightly decorated archway that contains 228 apartments. Informally being called out by names like the “Horseshoe” Market or as it is marketed, the “Valhalla of food”, this property opened its gates to the public earlier this month in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam and instantly became an attraction to visit in this busiest container port city of Europe along with being the home to the Netherlands’ most popular Zoo as well.

The structure is designed by Dutch architectural firm MVRDV, and is marked as one of the key initiatives in regeneration of the city center around Rotterdam’s Binnenrotte Square. Its promotions describe it as “The combination of an apartment building covering a fresh food market with food shops, restaurants, a supermarket and an underground parking is found nowhere else in the world”.

But just to burst the bubble, this only indoor fruits and vegetable market has been built solely in response to the new regulations of food retailers to be in a covered location. So when you leave the place and finally get a chance to stop looking around in amazement, you could just supress your urge to turn back and go in there again by calling it a “Just another fruit store” casually to yourself.