Speed Skating: A Visual History – Dutch Ice Culture in Rho
During the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milan Cortina 2026, the eyes of the skating world are on Rho. For a while, Rho becomes the skating heart of the world. In the Netherlands, skating is in the DNA,
not only because of the Olympic medals, but because the ice once made distances disappear. When the canals and lakes froze, people could travel from town to town. Rich or poor, it didn’t matter. Ice was the road. Ice was for everyone. When the temperature drops, the heart of the nation heats up. Meetings are set aside. Work stops. Factories empty. The ice takes over. A thin layer is enough to transform daily life into something shared. On the ice, everybody is equal. No hierarchy. Just the same cold, the same surface, the same rhythm. And people look after each other, without being asked. Ice also brings freedom to move. In a
country with a long love-hate relationship with water, the frozen surface turns the barrier into a promise. You hear the crackles beneath your feet, the singing of the ice. You feel speed, lightness, and a connection to nature. Skating also carries a story of equality and women’s rights. In the 19th century, women’s races drew crowds of 10,000. Women claimed their place on the ice, early and boldly. Driven by a hunger for more ice,
the move to artificial rinks in the 1960s transformed the sport. This shift accelerated innovations like indoor arenas, skinsuits, and the clap skate. Today, the quest continues with a new generation of sustainable rinks and cutting-edge technology. Still, when natural ice returns, the fire reignites. Many skaters keep training for the legendary Elfstedentocht in Friesland, a race last skated in 1997, yet still alive in people’s hearts.
In Rho, past and present meet. As do nature and technology, local culture and the global sports elite. It is a place to discover champions alongside everyday skaters; to explore the roots, the passion, and the innovations of the sport. Feel how ice can transform a country, and connect a world. The exhibition is made possible thanks to the collaboration between the Municipality of Rho, the Municipality of Heerenveen, the Province of Friesland, the Thialf Ice Stadium, the Heerenveen Region ‘n Gouden Plak (regional promotion organization), and NOC*NSF (Dutch Olympic Committee), and it takes place under the of the Embassy and the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Italy.
The exhibition will be open at the following times:
Monday to Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
For schools and groups of over 20 people, visits can be arranged by appointment, subject to staff availability. You need to contact the Tourist Infopoint of the Municipality of Rho by phone at 02 93332 223, or visit in person at the office in Piazza San Vittore 19 during opening hours. Reservations by email are not accepted. For information, you can contact the Culture Office: cultura@comune.rho.mi.it; tel: 02 93332269 /238/518.
