The Ark from Holland — A wooden icon, reborn

The atrium reimagined — restored timber, balconies, animal art and gardens

Inside the Ark today — the timber atrium and balconies

Now Envisioned

Inside the Ark — the timber atrium and balconies

The story

An icon you cannot build twice

It began as one man's dream and became a landmark known across the world. Built in the Netherlands from twelve thousand Scandinavian pines, the Ark is — beside the ancient story that inspired it — a living symbol of hope, craftsmanship and human imagination.

After years of silence, the Ark is now in new hands. The Ark from Holland is the foundation created to give this icon its second life: restored with care, and reimagined as a platform where the story is not just told, but walked through, touched and felt.

Not a ship to be rebuilt — a ship to be reawakened.

122 mLength

12,000Scandinavian pines

20,000Hours to build

2012First opened

4,000 yrOld story retold

The story it carries

The story the Ark carries

From the first rains to a returning dove — walk through the story as a scrolling journey.

Read the story

Explore the Ark

Eight decks, one journey

From climate-controlled animal quarters at the waterline to a rooftop of solar panels, atrium and greenhouse. Tap any deck to step inside.

↑ Tap a deck to explore

A sense of scale

How big is the Ark?

122 metres is hard to picture. Choose something familiar and see it measured against the Ark.

The Ark from Holland122 m

Football pitch105 m

For young and old

A voyage of discovery on board

The Ark is a hands-on museum. Visitors follow Ollie the elephant through the ship, collect stamps on a discovery card, and step right into the story — through film, water play, life-size animals and interactive exhibits.

Ollie the elephant

A mascot who leads children through the whole ark — footsteps to follow on every deck, so nothing is missed.

Stamp-card trail

Collect punch-press points at interactive posts across the ship and earn a reward at the information desk.

Cinema on board

Two cinemas — a grand hall and a children's screen — bring the story to life in multiple languages.

Life-size animal world

Elephants, giraffes, peacocks, doves, cows and rabbits — full-scale replicas you meet at eye level.

Science & workshop

A working water wheel and saw, Japheth's Sawmill and Shem's Forge — and hands-on experiments on how the Ark was made watertight.

The story, step by step

From the history of creation and Noah's own living room to a walk-through chronology of Biblical history — a route you move through, not a page you read.

Wonder

The animals come back to life

The life-size animal replicas that make the Ark so unforgettable are returning to the decks — restored where needed, joined by new sound and movement.

For a child, this is the moment of the Ark: standing before a full-size giraffe, at eye level. No screen, no video. Real presence.

A life-size giraffe replica on deck, overlooking the water

A life-size giraffe on the open deck, overlooking the river

The Ark reimagined

What she will become

Restored hull and timber, a rooftop of solar panels, a glass atrium and greenhouse, and decks of interactive culture, education and sustainability. This is the Ark we are building toward.

Artist's impression

Concept: a sustainability and education exhibition inside the Ark — **A sustainable future**Interactive exhibitions on energy, climate and innovation — the Ark showing what it stands for.

Concept: a greenhouse and growing deck inside the Ark — **A growing deck**A greenhouse and vertical garden on board — food, herbs and a living demonstration of circular design.

Concept: the restored timber atrium with greenery and visitors — **A living atrium**The timber heart of the ship reborn — light, greenery and space for thousands of visitors.

Images are artist's impressions of the restored Ark, created for this project.

The journey so far

From a dream to a voyage

The voyage

Different shores, one future

From its Dutch home port, the Ark becomes a travelling cultural platform — connecting continents and cultures. The route unfolds in phases, grounded in technical feasibility with our maritime partners.

Rotterdam → London → Lisbon → Tanger Med → Rio → Los Angeles

Follow the journey

Be part of the voyage

Want to follow along? Leave your email and we'll keep you posted on the restoration, the route and how to come aboard.

Film

See the dream in motion

Watch the story of the Ark

Replace the placeholder with your YouTube or Vimeo link — see the note at the top of the HTML file.

Good to know

Questions & answers

Lend a hand

Build the Ark with your own hands

The Ark is restored by hand — plank by plank. Craftspeople, students, retired professionals and willing hands work side by side, and experience is passed from one generation to the next. There is a place for everyone.

Woodwork & restoration Maintenance & waterproofing Installation & technics Sustainability & greenhouse Tours, hospitality & events Communication & organisation

Become a volunteer

Contact

Let's write the next chapter together

Whether you want to partner, volunteer or visit — we'd love to hear from you. Tell us how you'd like to be involved and we'll be in touch.

Emailinfo@thearkfromholland.com

FoundationStichting The Ark from Holland

Based inThe Netherlands