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{{Otheruses|Utrecht (disambiguation){{!}}Utrecht}}
Utrecht ({{IPA-nl|ˈʏtrɛxt|-|Nl-Utrecht.ogg}}) city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the
DutchThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
province of
UtrechtUtrecht is the smallest province of the Netherlands, and is located in the center of the country. It is bordered by the Eemmeer in the north, Gelderland in the east, the river Rhine in the south, South Holland in the west, and North Holland in the northwest...
. It is located in the eastern end of the
RandstadImage:Randstad_with_scale.png|400px|thumb|right|Schematic map of the Randstadcircle 528 380 26 Schipholrect 426 356 498 436 Haarlemmermeerrect 399 166 479 245 Velsencircle 250 716 32 Delftcircle 220 642 60 The Hague...
, and is the fourth largest city of the
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
, with a population of 300,030 in 2007. The smaller Utrecht agglomeration including adjacent suburbs and annexed towns is home to some 640,000 registered inhabitants, while the larger region contains up to 820,000 inhabitants.
Utrecht's ancient city-centre features many buildings and structures from its earliest origins onwards. It has been the religious centre of the Netherlands since the eighth century. Currently it is the see of the
Archbishop of UtrechtThe Bishopric of Utrecht was a Diocese based in the Dutch city of Utrecht. It was one of the Prince-Bishoprics of the Holy Roman Empire.The Bishopric of Utrecht continued as a state of the Holy Roman Empire from 1024 until 1528, when the secular authority and territorial possessions of the...
, the most important Dutch Roman Catholic leader. Utrecht is also the see of the archbishop of the Old Catholic church, titular head of the Union of Utrecht (Old Catholic), and the location of the offices of the main
Protestant churchThe Protestant Church in the Netherlands came into being on 1 May 2004 as a merger of the Dutch Reformed Church , the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands The Protestant Church in the Netherlands came into...
. Until the golden age, Utrecht was the city of most importance in the northern Netherlands (the present-day country of the Netherlands, excluding Belgium and Luxembourg), until Amsterdam became the cultural and populous centre of the Netherlands.
Utrecht is host to
Utrecht UniversityUtrecht University is a university in Utrecht, The Netherlands. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands and one of the largest in Europe. It is rated as the best university of the Netherlands, ninth best university in Europe, and 47th best in the world in the Academic Ranking of...
, the largest university of the Netherlands, as well as several other institutes for higher education. Due to its central position within the country it is an important transportation hub (
railRail transport is the conveyance of passengers and goods by means of wheeled vehicles running along railways or railroads. Rail transport is part of the logistics chain, which facilitates international trade and economic growth...
and
roadRoad transport or road transportation is transport on roads of passengers or goods.A hybrid of road transport and ship transport is the historic horse-drawn boat.-History:...
) in the Netherlands. It has the second highest number of cultural events in the Netherlands, after Amsterdam.
Origins (Until 650)
Although there is some evidence of earlier inhabitation in the region of Utrecht, dating back to the
Stone AgeThe Stone Age is a broad prehistoric time period during which humans widely used stone for toolmaking.Stone tools were made from a variety of different sorts of stone. For example, flint and chert were shaped for use as cutting tools and weapons, while basalt and sandstone were used for ground...
(app. 2200 BCE) and settling in the
Bronze AgeThe Bronze Age of a culture is the period when the most advanced metalworking in that culture utilised bronze. This could either have been based on the local smelting of copper and tin from ores, or trading for bronze from production areas elsewhere...
(app. 1800–800 BCE), the founding date of the city is usually related to the construction of a
RomanThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean. The term is used to describe the Roman state during and after the time of the first emperor,...
fortification (
castellumA castellum is a small Roman detached fort or fortlet used as a watch tower or signal station. The Latin word castellum is a diminutive of castra , which in turn is the plural of castrum ; it is the source of the English word "castle".The term castellum was also used to refer to a settling or...
), probably built in around 50 CE. These fortresses were designed to house a
cohortA cohort was the basic tactical unit of a Roman legion following the reforms of Gaius Marius in 107 BC.-Legionary Cohort:...
of about 500 Roman soldiers. Near the fort a settlement would grow housing
artisanAn artisan is a skilled manual worker who crafts items that may be functional or strictly decorative, including furniture, clothing, jewelry, household items, and tools...
s, traders and soldiers' wives and children.
A line of such fortresses was built after the
Roman emperorThe Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office: Latin titles such as imperator , augustus, caesar and princeps were all associated with it...
ClaudiusTiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus was the fourth Roman Emperor, a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ruling from 24 January AD 41 to his death in AD 54...
decided the empire should not expand further north. To consolidate the border the
limes GermanicusThe Limes Germanicus was a remarkable line of frontier forts that bounded the ancient Roman provinces of Germania Superior and Raetia, and divided the Roman Empire and the unsubdued Germanic tribes, from the years 83 to 260...
defense line was constructed. This line was located at the borders of the main branch of the river
RhineThe Rhine is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe, at , with an average discharge of more than ....
, which at that time flowed through a more northern bed compared to today, along what is now the
Kromme RijnThe Kromme Rijn is a river in Utrecht , the Netherlands.In Roman times, this northernmost branch of the Rhine delta was the main distributary of this major European river...
.
In Roman times the name of the Utrecht fortress was simply
Traiectum denoting its location on the Rhine at a
fordA ford is a place in a watercourse that is shallow enough to be crossed by wading, on horseback, or in a wheeled vehicle...
. Only much later (11th century) the name was adorned with the prefix
Ulterius (
on the far side) to distinguish it from other settlements (for example Mosae Trajectum
MaastrichtMaastricht is a city and a municipality in the southern part of the Dutch province of Limburg, of which it is the capital. The city is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...
). However, the distinction "far" doesn't make much sense in a Dutch context, so an alternative explanation linking with the Germanic
Wilten tribe has also be suggested. Over time the two parts of the name would merge and evolve into the current name (Utrecht).
In the second century, the wooden walls were replaced by sturdier
tuffTuff is a type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption. Tuff is sometimes called tufa, particularly when used as construction material, although tufa also refers to a quite different rock. - Volcanic ash :The products of a volcanic eruption are...
stone walls, remnants of which are still to be found below the buildings around Dom Square.
From the middle of the 3rd century Germanic tribes regularly invaded the Roman territories. Around 275 the Romans could no longer maintain the northern border and Utrecht was abandoned. Little is known about the next period 270-650. Utrecht is first spoken of again in the 7th century when the influence of the growing realms of the
FranksThe Franks or Frankish people were a West Germanic tribal confederation first attested in the 3rd century as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul...
led
Dagobert IDagobert I was the king of Austrasia , king of all the Franks , and king of Neustria and Burgundy . He was the last Merovingian dynast to wield any real royal power...
to build a church devoted to
Saint MartinSaint Martin of Tours , was a Bishop of Tours whose shrine became a famous stopping-point for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela...
within the walls of the Roman fortress. In ongoing border conflicts with the
FrisiansThe Frisians are an ethnic group of Germanic people living in coastal parts of The Netherlands, Denmark and Germany. They are concentrated in the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen and, in Germany, East Frisia and North Frisia. They inhabit an area known as Frisia...
the church was however destroyed.
Centre of Christianity in the Netherlands (650-1579)
By the mid 7th century, English and Irish missionaries set out to convert the Frisians. The
popeThe pope is the Bishop of Rome and, as such, is leader of the worldwide Catholic Church...
appointed their leader, Willibrordus,
bishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the Frisians; which is usually considered to be the beginning of the Bishopric of Utrecht. In 723, the Frankish king bestowed the fortress in Utrecht and the surrounding lands as the base of bishops. From then on Utrecht became one of the most influential seats of power for the Roman Catholic Church in the Netherlands.
The see of the archbishops of Utrecht was located at the uneasy northern border of the
Carolingian EmpireCarolingian Empire is a historiographical term sometimes used to refer to the realm of the Franks under the Carolingian dynasty. This dynasty is seen as the founders of France and Germany...
. Furthermore it had to compete with the nearby trading centre
DorestadIn the Early Middle Ages, Dorestad was one of the biggest, most important and flourishing trading places or emporia of Northwestern Europe.It was situated where the Rhine and Lek rivers diverge southeast of Utrecht in the Netherlands. In Roman times a Roman fortress was built there; nowadays it is...
, also founded near the location of a Roman fortress. After the downfall of Dorestad around 850, Utrecht became one of the most important cities in the Netherlands. The importance of Utrecht as a centre of Christianity is illustrated by the appointment of the Utrecht-born
Adriaan Florenszoon BoeyensPope Adrian VI , born Adriaan Florenszoon Boeyens, served as Bishop of Rome from 9 January 1522 until his death some 18 months later. He was the last non-Italian pope until John Paul II, 456 years later. He is, together with Marcellus II, one of two 'modern' popes to retain his baptismal name after...
as pope in 1522 (the last non-Italian pope before John Paul II).
Prince-Bishops
When the Frankish rulers established the system of
feudalismFeudalism is a decentralized sociopolitical structure in which a weak monarchy attempts to control the lands of the realm through reciprocal agreements with regional leaders...
, the Bishops of Utrecht came to exercise worldly power as
prince-bishopA Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office...
s. The realm of the bishopry included not only the land of the modern province of Utrecht (Nedersticht, 'lower Sticht'), but also extended to the northeast. However, the feudalist system resulted in conflict between the different lords. The prince bishopry had its conflicts with the Counts of
HollandThe County of Holland was a county in the Holy Roman Empire in what is now the Netherlands. It covered an area roughly corresponding to the current Dutch provinces of North-Holland and South-Holland, as well as the islands of Terschelling, Vlieland, Urk and Schokland, though it did not include the...
and the Dukes of
GueldersGuelders or Gueldres is the name of a historical county, later duchy, in the Low Countries.The duchy was named after the town of Geldern , which is now in Germany...
. The
VeluweThe Veluwe is a forest-rich ridge of hills in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. The Veluwe features many different landscapes including woodland, heath, some small lakes and Europe's largest sand drifts....
region was soon taken by Guelders, but large areas in the modern province of
OverijsselOverijssel is a province of the Netherlands in the central eastern part of the country. The region has a NUTS classification of NL21. The province's name means "Lands across river IJssel". The capital city of Overijssel is Zwolle and the largest city is Enschede...
remained as the Oversticht.
Clerical buildings
The clergy built several churches and monasteries inside, or close to, the city of Utrecht. Most dominant of these was the
gothicGothic architecture is a style of architecture which flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
Cathedral of Saint Martin||-||-||-||-||}St. Martin's Cathedral, Utrecht, or Dom Church was the cathedral of the diocese of Utrecht during the Middle Ages. Once the country's largest church and only cathedral, dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, it has been a Protestant church since 1580...
, inside the old Roman fortress. The construction of this cathedral started in 1254 after an earlier
romanesqueRomanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe, characterised by semi-circular arches, and evolving into the Gothic style, characterised by pointed arches, beginning in the 12th century...
cathedral had been badly damaged by fire. When the choir and
transeptFull descriptions of the elements of a Gothic floorplan are found at the entry Cathedral diagram.
For the periodical go to The Transept....
were finished from 1320 the ambitious
Dom towerThe Dom Tower of Utrecht is the tallest church tower in the Netherlands, at 112.5 metres in height, and the Gothic-style tower is the symbol of the city. The tower was part of the Cathedral of Saint Martin, Utrecht, also known as Dom Church, and was built between 1321 and 1382, to a design by...
was built. The central
naveIn Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
was the last part to be constructed from 1420. By that time, however, the time of the great cathedrals had ended and declining finances prevented this ambitious cathedral from being finished, resulting in the construction of the central nave being suspended before finishing the planned
flying buttressA flying buttress, or arc-boutant, is a specific type of buttress usually found on a religious building such as a cathedral. They are used to transmit the horizontal thrust of a vaulted ceiling through the walls and across an intervening space , to a counterweight outside the building...
es.
Besides the cathedral there were four additional
collegiate churchIn Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons; a non-monastic, or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a dean or provost...
es in Utrecht:
St. Salvator's ChurchThe Sint-Salvator church was one of the five collegiate chapters in the Dutch city of Utrecht. The others were the Dom Church, the St. Peter's Church, the St. John's church and the St. Mary's church. The St. Salvator church was situated on the present-day Dom square right next to the Dom Church....
(demolished in the 16th century), on the Dom square, dating back to the early 8th century. Saint
JohnJohn the Baptist was a mission preacher and a major religious figure who led a movement of Baptism at the Jordan River in expectation of a divine apocalypse that would restore occupied Israel...
(Janskerk), originating in 1040;
Saint PeterThe Pieterskerk is one of the oldest churches in the Dutch city of Utrecht, dedicated to Peter the Apostle. Its construction began in 1039 and it was inaugurated on 1 May 1048 by Bernold, Bishop of Utrecht...
, building started in 1039 and
Saint MaryMary , usually referred to by Christians as the Virgin Mary or Saint Mary, was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee, identified in the New Testament as the mother of Jesus of Nazareth. Muslims also refer to her as the Virgin Mary or Syeda Mariam which means Our Lady Mary...
's church building started around 1090 (demolished in the early 19th century, cloister survives).
Besides these churches the city housed Saint Paul
abbeyAn abbey , is a Christian monastery or convent, under the government of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community....
. The 15th century beguine
monasteryMonastery , a term derived from the Greek word μοναστήριον, neut. of μοναστήριος - monasterios denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer Monastery (plural: monasteries), a term derived from the Greek word μοναστήριον, neut. of μοναστήριος - monasterios...
of
Saint NicholasSaint Nicholas is the common name for Nicholas of Myra, a saint and Bishop of Myra . Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nicholas the Wonderworker...
, and a 14th century chapter house of the
Teutonic KnightsThe Order of the Teutonic Knights of St. Mary's Hospital in Jerusalem , or for short the Teutonic Order , is a German Roman Catholic religious order. It was formed to aid Catholics on their pilgrimages to the Holy Land and to establish hospitals to care for the sick and injured...
.
Besides these buildings which were part of the hierarchy of the bishopric; an additional four
parish churchA parish church, in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
es were constructed in the city: the Jacobichurch (dedicated to Saint James), founded in the 11th century, with the current gothic church dating back to the 14th century; the Buurkerk (Neighbourhood-church) of the 11th century parish in the centre of the city; Nicolaichurch (dedicated to
Saint NicholasSaint Nicholas is the common name for Nicholas of Myra, a saint and Bishop of Myra . Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nicholas the Wonderworker...
), from the 12th century and the 13th century Geertekerk (dedicated to Saint
Gertrude of NivellesSaint Gertrude of Nivelles was abbess of the Benedictine monastery of Nivelles, in present-day Belgium.She was a daughter of Pepin I of Landen, and a younger sister of Saint Begga, Abbess of Andenne, Saint Bavo and Grimoald I....
).
City of Utrecht
The location on the banks of the river Rhine allowed Utrecht to become an important trade centre in the Northern Netherlands. The growing town Utrecht received
city rightsCity rights are a medieval phenomenon in the history of the Low Countries. A liegelord, usually a count, duke or similar member of high nobility, granted a settlement he owned certain town privileges that settlements without city rights did not have....
in 1122.
When the main flow of the Rhine moved south, the old bed, which still flowed through the heart of the town became evermore
canalCanals are artificial channels for water. There are two types of canal: aqueduct canals are used for the conveyance and delivery of water, and waterway canals are navigable transportation canals used for passage of goods and people, often connected to existing lakes, rivers, or oceans.The word...
ized; and a unique wharf system was built as an inner city harbour system. On the wharfs storage facilities (
werfkelders) were built, on top of which the main street, including houses was constructed. The wharfs and the cellars are accessible from a platform at water level with stairs descending from the street level to form a unique structure.
[All other canal cities in The Netherlands (such as Leiden, Amsterdam and Delft) have the water in canals bordering directly to the road surface] The relations between the bishop, who controlled many lands outside of the city, and the citizens of Utrecht was not always easy. The bishop, for example
damA dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions...
med the
Kromme RijnThe Kromme Rijn is a river in Utrecht , the Netherlands.In Roman times, this northernmost branch of the Rhine delta was the main distributary of this major European river...
at
Wijk bij Duurstede- The city of Wijk bij Duurstede :The city is located on the Rhine. At Wijk bij Duurstede, the Kromme Rijn branches off, and the main branch is called Lek River downstream from Wijk bij Duurstede....
to protect his estates from flooding. This threatened shipping for the city and led to the city of Utrecht commissioning a canal, the Vaartse Rijn, to connect Utrecht to the
Hollandse IJsselThe Hollandse IJssel is a branch of the Rhine delta that flows westward from Nieuwegein on river Lek through IJsselstein, Gouda and Capelle aan den IJssel to Krimpen aan den IJssel, where it ends in the Nieuwe Maas. Another branch called Enge IJssel flows southwest from Nieuwegein...
at
IJsselsteinIJsselstein is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. IJsselstein received city rights in 1331. IJsselstein owes its name to the Hollandse IJssel which flows through the city....
; to insure access to the town for shipping trade.
The end of independence
In 1528 the wordly powers of the bishop over both Neder- and Oversticht; including the city of Utrecht, were transferred to
Charles V, Holy Roman EmperorCharles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I of Spain, of the Spanish realms from 1516 until his abdication in 1556...
, who became the Lord of the
Seventeen ProvincesThe Seventeen Provinces were a personal union of states in the Low Countries in the 15th century and 16th century, roughly covering the current Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, a good part of the North of France , and a small part of the West of Germany.The Seventeen Provinces were originally held...
, (the current
BeneluxThe Benelux is a union in Western Europe that comprises three neighboring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg , which lie in the north western European region between France and Germany...
and the northern parts of France). This transition was not an easy one and Charles V wanted to exert his power over the citizens of the city, who had achieved a certain level of independence from the bishops and were not willing to give this power to their new lord. Charles decided to build a heavily fortified castle
VredenburgVredenburg or Vredeborch was a 16th-century castle built by Habsburg emperor Charles V in the city of Utrecht in The Netherlands. Some remains of the castle, which stood for only 50 years, are still visible on what is now Vredenburg square in Utrecht....
to house a large garrison whose most important task would be to maintain order in the city. The castle would last less than 50 years before it was demolished in an uprising in the early stages of the
Dutch RevoltThe Dutch Revolt or the Revolt of the Netherlands , was the partially successful revolt of the Seventeen Provinces in the Low Countries against the Spanish Empire. It led to the formation of the independent Dutch state of the Netherlands and marked the beginning of the Eighty Years' War...
.
Republic of the Netherlands (1579-1815)
In 1579 the northern seven provinces signed the
Union of UtrechtThe Union of Utrecht was a treaty signed on 23 January 1579 in Utrecht, the Netherlands, unifying the northern provinces of the Netherlands, until then under the control of Habsburg Spain....
, in which they decided to join forces against Spanish rule. The Union of Utrecht is seen as the beginning of the
Dutch RepublicThe Republic of the Seven United Netherlands was a European republic between 1581 and 1795, in about the same location as the modern Kingdom of the Netherlands,...
. In 1580 the new and predominantly Protestant state abolished the bishoprics, including the one in Utrecht, which had become an archbishopry in 1559. The
stadtholderA Stadtholder in the Low Countries was a medieval function which during the 18th century developed into a rare type of de facto hereditary head of state of the thus "crowned" Dutch Republic...
s disapproved of the independent course of the Utrecht bourgeoisie and brought the city under much more direct control of the Holland dominated leadership of the republic. This was the start of a long period of stagnation of trade and development in Utrecht, an atypical city in the new state, still about 40% Catholic in the mid-17th century, and even more so among the elite groups, who included many rural nobility and gentry with town houses there.
The city, which was held against it in the states of the Republic, failed to defend itself against the French invasion in 1672 (the
Disaster YearThe rampjaar was the year 1672 in Dutch history. In that year,the Republic of the Seven United Provinces was attacked by England, France, and the prince-electors Bernhard von Galen, bishop of Münster and Maximilian Henry of Bavaria, the bishop of Cologne...
)
The lack of structural integrity proved to be the undoing of the central section of the cathedral of St Martin church when Utrecht was struck by a
tornadoA tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air which is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud...
in 1674.
The Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 settled the
War of the Spanish SuccessionThe War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, principally the Holy Roman Empire, Great Britain, the Dutch Republic, Portugal, and the Duchy of Savoy, against the Kingdoms of France and Spain and the Electorate of Bavaria, over a possible unification of the Kingdoms of...
.
Since 1723 (but especially after 1870) Utrecht became the centre of the non-Roman
Old Catholic ChurchThe Old Catholic Church is a Christian denomination originating with mainly German-speaking groups that split from the Holy See in the 1870s because they disagreed with the solemn declaration of the doctrine of papal infallibility promulgated by the First Vatican Council . The Old Catholic Church...
es in the world.
Modern history (1815-now)
In the early 19th century the role of Utrecht as a fortified town had become obsolete. The fortifications of the Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie were moved east of Utrecht. The town walls could now be demolished to allow for expansion. The moats remained intact and formed an important feature of the Zocher plantsoen, an
English style landscape parkThe English garden or English landscape park is a style of landscape garden which emerged in England in the early 18th century, and spread across Europe, replacing the more formal, symmetrical Garden à la française of the 17th century as the principal gardening style of Europe....
that remains largely intact today.
Growth of the city increased when, in 1843, a railway connecting Utrecht to
AmsterdamAmsterdam is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west of the country...
was opened. After that, Utrecht gradually became the main hub of the
Dutch railway network-Train routes by timetable number:In the official paper timetable Spoorboekje train routes in the Netherlands are identified by numbers. Below part of the stations are listed using the official abbreviations for the station names, see list of stations, with their official abbreviations. The...
.
In 1853 the Dutch government allowed the bishopric of Utrecht to be reinstated by
RomeThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church. With more than a billion members, over half of all Christians and more than one-sixth of the world's population, the Catholic Church is a communion of the Western, or Latin Rite Church, and...
, and Utrecht became the centre of Dutch Catholicism once more.
With the
industrial revolutionThe Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and transport had a profound effect on the socioeconomic and cultural conditions in the United Kingdom. The changes subsequently spread throughout Europe, North...
finally gathering speed in the Netherlands and the ramparts taken down, Utrecht began to grow far beyond the medieval center from the 1880s onward with the construction of neighbourhoods such as Oudwijk, Wittevrouwen, Vogelenbuurt to the East, and Lombok to the West. New middle class residential areas, such as Tuindorp and
Oog in AlOog in Al is a residential area in the west of the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands. The Amsterdam-Rhine Canal, the Merwede Canal and the Leidsche Rijn river form the area's limits, rendering it a man-made island in the shape of a triangle....
, were built in the 1920s and 1930s. During this period, several Jugendstil houses and office buildings were built, followed by
RietveldGerrit Thomas Rietveld was a Dutch furniture designer and architect. One of the principal members of the Dutch artistic movement called De Stijl, Rietveld is famous for his Red and Blue Chair and for the Rietveld Schröder House, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Rietveld designed his famous...
who built the
Rietveld Schröder HouseThe Rietveld Schröder House in Utrecht was built in 1924 by Dutch architect Gerrit Rietveld for Mrs. Truus Schröder-Schräder and her three children. She commissioned the house to be designed preferably without walls. The house is one of the best known examples of De Stijl-architecture and...
(1924), and
Dudok'sWillem Marinus Dudok , was a Dutch modernist architect, best known for the brick Hilversum City Hall....
construction of the city theater (1941).
During
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Utrecht was held by the Germans until the general German surrender of the Netherlands on 5 May, 1945.
CanadianCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
troops that surrounded the city entered it after that surrender, on May 7, 1945.
Since World War II, the city has grown considerably when new neighbourhoods such as Overvecht,
KanaleneilandKanaleneiland is a district within the Southwest section of the Dutch city of Utrecht. It was created in the massive expansion of the city in the 1960s. Today it is listed as one of 40 "problem neighborhoods" that require extra attention by the Dutch Ministry of Housing.Kanaleneiland's residents...
, Hoograven,
LunettenLunetten is a neighbourhood in the south part of Utrecht and has approximately 12,000 inhabitants. It was constructed during the late 1970s until the early 1990s. It is mainly a 'sleeping neighbourhood' because there is no significant industry present....
, and (recently)
Leidsche RijnLeidsche Rijn is a neighbourhood under construction west of Utrecht in the central Netherlands. The neighbourhood is expected to be completed in 2025 and will have approximately 80,000 inhabitants....
were built. Additionally the area surrounding the central station, and the station itself have been developed following modernist ideas of the 1960s, in a
brutalistBrutalist architecture is a style of architecture which flourished from the 1950s to the mid 1970s, spawned from the modernist architectural movement...
style. This led to the construction of the shopping mall Hoog Catharijne, music centre
VredenburgVredenburg is a town of the Cape West Coast in the Western Cape province of South Africa. "Vreden" is Afrikaans for peace. It is the transportation and commercial hub of the West Coast area and administrative center of the Saldanha Bay Local Municipality. It is located 12km inland from the coast at...
(
Hertzberger}}Herman Hertzberger is a Dutch architect and emeritus professor.-Biography:Herman Hertzberger is born on 6 July 1932 in Amsterdam, Netherlands....
, 1979), and conversion of part of the ancient canal structure into a highway (Catherijnebaan). Protest against further modernisation of the city centre followed even before the last buildings were finalised. In the early 21st century the whole area is being redeveloped.
Currently the city is expanding once more with the development of the
Leidsche RijnLeidsche Rijn is a neighbourhood under construction west of Utrecht in the central Netherlands. The neighbourhood is expected to be completed in 2025 and will have approximately 80,000 inhabitants....
housing area.{{-}}
Climate
Utrecht experiences an
oceanic climateAn oceanic climate is the climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of all the world's continents, and in southeastern Australia...
(
Köppen climate classificationThe Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by the Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself notably in 1918 and 1936...
Cfb) similar to almost all of the Netherlands.
Demographics
Inhabitants of Utrecht are called
Utrechter or more rarely
Utrechtenaar.
[The term Utrechtenaar has become a profane expression for homosexual after the 1730-31 sodomy trials, and has fallen into disuse since. This distinction, however, is not always known by Dutch speakers from outside the region, who may use the term Utrechtenaar without being aware of the specific connotation.]
Utrecht city had a population of 296,305 in 2007. Utrecht is a growing municipality and projections are that the city's population will surpass 350,000 by 2017.
In Utrecht 52% of the population is female, 48% is male.
Utrecht has a young population, with many inhabitants in the age category from 20 and 30 years, due to the presence of a large university.
| Population in Utecht |
| Female |
Age |
Male |
| 22761 |
15% |
0-14 |
23994 |
17% |
| 44732 |
30% |
15-29 |
36165 |
26% |
| 36444 |
24% |
30-44 |
39434 |
28% |
| 15574 |
10% |
45-54 |
15996 |
11% |
| 11899 |
8% |
55-64 |
11484 |
8% |
| 8317 |
6% |
65-74 |
7457 |
5% |
| 9374 |
6% |
74+ |
4764 |
3% |
The majority of households (52.5%) in Utrecht is a single person household. About 29% of people living in Utrecht are either married, or have another legal partnership. About 3% of the population of Utrecht is divorced.
About 69% of the population is of Dutch ancestry. Approximately 10% of the population consists of immigrants from Western countries, while 21% of the population is of non-Western origin (9% Moroccan, 5% Turkish, 3% Surinamese and Dutch Caribbean and 5% of other countries).
With 9% of its population being of Moroccan heritage, Utrecht contains the largest proportion of people of Moroccan descent of any Dutch municipality.
Like Rotterdam, Amsterdam, The Hague and other large Dutch cities, Utrecht faces social problems. About 38% percent of its population either earns a minimum income or being dependant on social welfares (17% of all households). Boroughs such as Kanaleneiland, Overvecht and Hoograven consist primarily of high-rise housing developments, and are known for relatively high poverty and crime rates, as well as a high percentage of non-Dutch inhabitants (Kanaleneiland: 83%, Overvecht: 57%).
Population centres and agglomeration
Besides the city of Utrecht, the municipality of Utrecht also includes Vleuten-De Meern, which was a separate municipality until 2001. Vleuten-De Meern in turn included the villages of Haarzuilens and Veldhuizen. Thus the municipality of Utrecht includes several population centres:
- The city of Utrecht (population: app. 258,000)
- Vleuten-De Meern (population: app. 30.000)
- Vleuten
Vleuten is a village in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of Utrecht, and lies about 6 km west of Utrecht. Vleuten has a railway station on the line between Utrecht and Woerden....
- De Meern
De Meern is a town in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of Utrecht, and lies about 5 km west of Utrecht....
- Haarzuilens
Haarzuilens is a small village in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of Utrecht, and lies about 8 km west of Utrecht. It was a separate municipality until 1954, when it was joined to the municipality of Vleuten....
- Veldhuizen
Veldhuizen is a hamlet in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the municipality of Utrecht, south of De Meern. It is also the name of a new neighbourhood of Utrecht, built close to the hamlet....
Utrecht is the centre of a densely populated area, which makes concise definitions of its agglomeration difficult, and somewhat arbitrary. The smaller Utrecht agglomeration counts some 420,000 inhabitants and includes
NieuwegeinNieuwegein is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. It lies about 7 km south of the city of Utrecht. It borders on the Lek River in the south. On the other side of the river is Vianen. To the west lies IJsselstein, to the east is Houten.Nieuwegein was...
,
IJsselsteinIJsselstein is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. IJsselstein received city rights in 1331. IJsselstein owes its name to the Hollandse IJssel which flows through the city....
and
MaarssenMaarssen is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht, along the river Vecht.-Population centres :The municipality of Maarssen consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts: Maarssen, Maarssenbroek, Maarssen-dorp, Maarsseveen, Molenpolder,...
. It is sometimes argued that the municipalities
De BiltDe Bilt is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht.-Population centres :The municipality of De Bilt consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts: Bilthoven, De Bilt, Groenekan, Hollandsche Rading, Maartensdijk, Westbroek...
,
ZeistZeist is a municipality and a town in the central Netherlands, located east of the city of Utrecht.-Population centres :*Austerlitz*Bosch en Duin*Den Dolder*Huis ter Heide*Zeist- The town of Zeist :...
,
HoutenHouten is a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. The expected population in 2015 will be 50,000 . The municipality consists of the following towns:* Houten * 't Goy...
,
VianenVianen is a municipality and a city in the central Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. It is the only municipality in Utrecht located south of the Lek River. Before 2002 it was part of the province of South Holland. Vianen is bordered by two major motorways leading to Utrecht: the A2 on its...
,
Driebergen-RijsenburgDriebergen-Rijsenburg is a town in the municipality Utrechtse Heuvelrug in the central Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht.-External links:**...
(
Utrechtse HeuvelrugUtrechtse Heuvelrug is a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. It was formed on 1 January 2006 by combining the former municipalities of Amerongen, Doorn, Driebergen-Rijsenburg, Leersum, and Maarn.-Name:...
), and
BunnikBunnik is a municipality and a village in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. The recorded history of the village dates back nearly 2000 years, when the Romans constructed a castellum at Fectio with a harbour facing the river Rhine, which marked the border of the Roman Empire...
should also be counted towards the Utrecht agglomeration, bringing the total to 640,000 inhabitants. The larger region, including slightly more remote towns such as
WoerdenWoerden is a municipality and a city in the central Netherlands. Due to its central location between Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, and the fact that it has excellent rail and road connections to those cities, it is a popular town for commuters who work in those cities.-Population...
and
AmersfoortAmersfoort is a municipality and the second largest city of the province of Utrecht in central Netherlands. The city is growing quickly and has a well-preserved medieval core. Amersfoort is one of the largest railway junctions in the country, because of its location on two of the Netherlands' main...
counts up to 820,000 inhabitants.
Cityscape
Utrecht's cityscape features the
Dom TowerThe Dom Tower of Utrecht is the tallest church tower in the Netherlands, at 112.5 metres in height, and the Gothic-style tower is the symbol of the city. The tower was part of the Cathedral of Saint Martin, Utrecht, also known as Dom Church, and was built between 1321 and 1382, to a design by...
, belonging to the former cathedral (
Dom Church||-||-||-||-||}St. Martin's Cathedral, Utrecht, or Dom Church was the cathedral of the diocese of Utrecht during the Middle Ages. Once the country's largest church and only cathedral, dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, it has been a Protestant church since 1580...
). An ongoing debate is if any building in or near the centre of town may surpass the Dom Tower in height (112 m). Nevertheless, some tall buildings are now being constructed that will become part of the skyline of Utrecht. The second highest building of the city, the 'Rabobanktoren', will be completed in 2010 and will stand 105 m tall. Two antennas will increase that height to 120 m. Two other buildings are currently under construction around the 'Nieuw Galgenwaard' stadium. These buildings, the 'Kantoortoren Galghenwert' and 'Apollo Residence', will be completed in 2007 and will stand 85.5 and 64.5 metres high respectively. Finally, there are somewhat controversial plans for a 262 m high skyscraper in the newly built neighbourhood of
Leidsche RijnLeidsche Rijn is a neighbourhood under construction west of Utrecht in the central Netherlands. The neighbourhood is expected to be completed in 2025 and will have approximately 80,000 inhabitants....
: the 'Belle van Zuylen'.
Another landmark is the old centre and the
canal structureThe Oudegracht, or "old canal", runs through the centre of Utrecht, the Netherlands. It starts in the southeast of the city. Here the Kromme Rijn and the Vaartse Rijn arrive to meet the original moat of the fortified town, and the Oudegracht goes from there...
in the inner city. The Oudegracht is a curved canal, due to its origins as an arm of the
RhineThe Rhine is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe, at , with an average discharge of more than ....
. It is lined with the unique wharf-basement structures that create a two level street along the canals. The inner city has largely retained its Medieval structure, and the moat ringing the old town is largely intact. Because of the role of Utrecht as a fortified city, that did not allow construction outside the walls, until the 19th century the city has remained very compact. Surrounding the medieval core there is a ring of late 19th and early 20th century neighbourhoods; with newer neighbourhoods positioned farther out. The eastern part of Utrecht remains fairly open. The
Dutch Water LineThe Dutch Water Line was a series of water based defences conceived by Maurice of Nassau in the early 17th century, and realised by his half brother Frederick Henry...
, moved east of the city in the early 19th century required open lines of fire thus prohibiting all permanent constructions until the mid of the 20th century on the east side of the city.
Due to the importance of Utrecht as a religious centre in the past, several monumental churches have survived. Most prominent is the
Dom Church||-||-||-||-||}St. Martin's Cathedral, Utrecht, or Dom Church was the cathedral of the diocese of Utrecht during the Middle Ages. Once the country's largest church and only cathedral, dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, it has been a Protestant church since 1580...
. Other notables churches include the romanesque St Peter's and St John's churches, and the gothic churches of St James and St Nicholas, and the so-called Buurkerk, now converted into a museum.
Transport
Because of its central location, the City of Utrecht is well connected to the rest of the Netherlands, and has a well-developed public transport network.
Rail connections
Utrecht Centraal is the main railway station of Utrecht.
There are also some smaller stations in the suburbs:
- Utrecht Lunetten railway station
- Utrecht Overvecht railway station
Utrecht Overvecht is a suburb railway station located in Utrecht, the Netherlands.-History:The station opened in 1968 and is on the Centraalspoorweg. The station has had 3 platforms since 1992.-Train Services:...
- Utrecht Terwijde railway station
- Utrecht Zuilen railway station
There is also a museum station for the Dutch Railway Museum, at Utrecht Maliebaan railway station.
From Utrecht Centraal there are:
- Regular Intercity trains to all major Dutch cities, and since March 2006 a direct service
The Utrechtboog is a flyover railway line in the south-east of Amsterdam, completed in March 2006, that directly connects Utrecht and Schiphol. After completion, it reduced journey times between the two by seven minutes. Prior to its construction, passengers travelling this route were required to...
to Schiphol Airport.
- International trains (ICE
The Intercity-Express — in Austria, Denmark and Switzerland: InterCityExpress ; abbreviation: ICE — is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany and neighbouring countries. It is the highest service category offered by DB Fernverkehr and is the flagship of Deutsche Bahn...
) to Germany.
- Regular Local Trains To Areas all around The Netherlands.
- More Detail at Dutch railway services
Dutch railway services is an index page of all the rail services operated in the Netherlands.Railway services in the Netherlands are operated by the following operators :*Nederlandse Spoorwegen*Syntus...
A light-rail (
sneltram in Dutch) line runs from the Utrecht Centraal station, through the neighbourhoods of Lombok and
KanaleneilandKanaleneiland is a district within the Southwest section of the Dutch city of Utrecht. It was created in the massive expansion of the city in the 1960s. Today it is listed as one of 40 "problem neighborhoods" that require extra attention by the Dutch Ministry of Housing.Kanaleneiland's residents...
to
NieuwegeinNieuwegein is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. It lies about 7 km south of the city of Utrecht. It borders on the Lek River in the south. On the other side of the river is Vianen. To the west lies IJsselstein, to the east is Houten.Nieuwegein was...
and
IJsselsteinIJsselstein is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. IJsselstein received city rights in 1331. IJsselstein owes its name to the Hollandse IJssel which flows through the city....
. This line is operated by
ConnexxionConnexxion is the largest public transport bus company in the Netherlands, operating in the west, middle, east and far northern part of the country. It was formed in 1999 as result of a fusion between the public transport companies NZH, ZWN, Midnet and Oostnet...
.
Besides being an important node in the transportation system Utrecht hosts the headquarters of both the
Nederlandse SpoorwegenNederlandse Spoorwegen , or NS, is the principal passenger railway operating company in the Netherlands. Its trains operate over the tracks of the Dutch national rail infrastructure company ProRail, which was split off from NS in 2003.Every day, over one million people of a population of 16 million...
(Dutch Railroads), the most important train company in the Netherlands, and
ProRailIn the Netherlands, ProRail is a government task organisation that takes care of maintenance and extensions of the national railway network infrastructure , of allocating rail capacity, and of traffic control...
, the state owned company that is responsible for building and maintenance of railroad tracks throughout the Netherlands.
Bus transport
Utrecht Central railway station also operates as the main local and regional bus station. The bus network of Utrecht includes
- Local bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. A bus seats a maximum of 8 to 300 passengers...
es, operated by GVU, including a high-quality bus line to the UithofDe Uithof is the campus area of the Utrecht University and the University of Professional Education Utrecht. It is located on the east of Utrecht, near the Galgenwaard Stadium of FC Utrecht. Except for the faculties of Law, Humanities, and University College, which are located in the inner city of...
university district to the east of the city, served by bi-articulated busA Bi-articulated bus is an extension of an articulated bus in that it has three cabin sections instead of two. This also involves the addition of an extra axle...
es.
- Regional Connexxion
Connexxion is the largest public transport bus company in the Netherlands, operating in the west, middle, east and far northern part of the country. It was formed in 1999 as result of a fusion between the public transport companies NZH, ZWN, Midnet and Oostnet...
buses.
- Regional Arriva
Arriva plc is a British-based international public transport operator, headquartered in Sunderland, Tyne & Wear. It has bus and/or rail operations in Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the United Kingdom...
buses. Arriva also operates buses to GorinchemGorinchem , also called Gorkum , is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of 21.99 km² of which 3.03 km² is water...
and DordrechtDordrecht is a city and municipality in the Dutch province of South Holland, the Netherlands. It is the fourth largest city of the province, having a population of 118,390 in 2008...
(Q-liner).
- Veolia Transport
Veolia Transport is the international transport services division of the French-based multinational company Veolia Environnement...
buses to and from the region northwest of the city, and to Breda and OosterhoutOosterhout is a municipality and a city in the South of the Netherlands. At June, 2008, the city population was 54,015.- Population centres :*Oosterhout **Baarschot**Groenendijk**Heikant**Heistraat**Hespelaar**Seters...
(InterlinerInterliner is an express bus system in the Netherlands. In this country the backbone of medium and long distance public transport is the railroad system. Long distance buses are used complementarily. While most bus lines have many stops or only span small distances Interliner is an express bus...
).
Utrecht Centraal's bus station is the busiest in the Netherlands.
The Utrecht Central railway station is also frequented by the pan-European
EurolinesEurolines is a coach organisation, operating international bus routes within Europe to over 500 destinations in over 25 countries. Rather than being a single company, Eurolines is a network of co-operating bus companies from all over Europe, offering integrated ticketing and extensive connections...
bus company. Furthermore, it acts as departure and arrival place of many coach companies serving holiday resorts in
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
and
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
and during winter in
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.3 million people in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west...
and
SwitzerlandSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
.
Roads
Utrecht is well connected to the main roads in the Netherlands. Two of the most important major roads cross near Utrecht: The
A12The A12 motorway is a motorway in the Netherlands. The road connects the city of The Hague, with the German border, near Zevenaar, and the German Autobahn BAB 3...
[The Hague - Arnhem -
Germany] and the
A2The A2 motorway is a motorway in the Netherlands. The road connects the city of Amsterdam, near the interchange Amstel, with the Belgian border, near Maastricht and Liège , and the Belgian road A25....
[Amsterdam - Maastricht -
Belgium]. Other roads are the
A27The A27 motorway is a motorway in the Netherlands. It is approximately 109 kilometers in length.The A27 is located in the Dutch provinces North Brabant, South Holland, Utrecht, North Holland, and Flevoland. It connects the city of Breda with the Almere...
[Almere - Breda] and the
A28The A28 motorway is a motorway in the Netherlands. It is approximately 188 kilometers in length.The A28 traverses the Dutch provinces of Utrecht, Gelderland, Overijssel, Drenthe and Groningen...
[Utrecht - Groningen]. Due to the increasing traffic, traffic congestion is a common phenomenon in and around Utrecht. This has led to the city being seriously contaminated with
particulateParticulates, alternatively referred to as particulate matter or fine particles, are tiny particles of solid or liquid suspended in a gas or liquid. In contrast, aerosol refers to particles and the gas together. Sources of particulate matter can be man made or natural...
dust.
Shipping
Utrecht also has a medium-sized industrial port, located on the
Amsterdam-Rhine CanalThe Amsterdam-Rhine Canal or Amsterdam-Rijnkanaal is a canal in the Netherlands that was built to connect the port city of Amsterdam to the main shipping artery of the Rhine...
, which is connected to the
RhineThe Rhine is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe, at , with an average discharge of more than ....
river. The CTU container terminal has a capacity of 80,000 containers a year. In 2003, the port facilitated the transport of four million tons of cargo; mostly sand, gravel, fertilizer, and fodder.
Additionally some touristic boat trips are organised from various places on the Oudegracht.
Economy
The economy of Utrecht depends for a large part on the several large institutions located in the city. Production industry has a relatively small influence in Utrecht.
RabobankRabobank is a financial services provider with offices worldwide. Their main location is in the Netherlands. They are a global leader in Food and Agri financing and in sustainability-oriented banking...
, a large bank has its headquarters in Utrecht.
Utrecht is the center of the Dutch railroad network and the location of the head office of the
Nederlandse SpoorwegenNederlandse Spoorwegen , or NS, is the principal passenger railway operating company in the Netherlands. Its trains operate over the tracks of the Dutch national rail infrastructure company ProRail, which was split off from NS in 2003.Every day, over one million people of a population of 16 million...
(Dutch Railways). NS's former head office 'De Inktpot' in Utrecht is the largest brick building in the Netherlands (the "UFO" gracing its facade stems from an art program in 2000). The building is currently used by
ProRailIn the Netherlands, ProRail is a government task organisation that takes care of maintenance and extensions of the national railway network infrastructure , of allocating rail capacity, and of traffic control...
.
A large indoor shopping center called {{nlii|Hoog Catharijne}} is located between the central railway station and the city center. The corridors have been considered public places like streets, and the main route from station to city center is therefore open all night. Over the next 20 years (counting from 2004), parts of Hoog Catharijne will disappear as a consequence of the renovation of the Station-area. Parts of the city's network of canals, which were filled to create the shopping center and central station area, will be recreated.
At the west side of the central railway station can be found the Jaarbeurs, one of the largest
convention centerA convention center, in American English, is an exhibition hall, or conference center, that is designed to hold a convention. In British English very large venues suitable for major trade shows are known as exhibition centres while the term "convention centre" is sometimes used for intermediate...
s of the Netherlands.
One of Europe's biggest used car markets is located in the
VoordorpVoordorp is a district in the North East of the city of Utrecht, the Netherlands. It has a population of approximately 3,000 citizens.- History :...
district. It is open every Tuesday except on official holidays. With thousands of second-hand vehicles on sale the market is a special point of interest for customers from Eastern European countries who even organize special one-way bus tours for shopping there.
Education
Utrecht is well known for its institutions of higher education. The most prominent of these is
Utrecht UniversityUtrecht University is a university in Utrecht, The Netherlands. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands and one of the largest in Europe. It is rated as the best university of the Netherlands, ninth best university in Europe, and 47th best in the world in the Academic Ranking of...
(est. 1636), the largest university of the
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
with 26,787 students (as of 2004). The university is partially based in the inner city as well as in the
UithofDe Uithof is the campus area of the Utrecht University and the University of Professional Education Utrecht. It is located on the east of Utrecht, near the Galgenwaard Stadium of FC Utrecht. Except for the faculties of Law, Humanities, and University College, which are located in the inner city of...
campus area, on the east of the city. According to Shanghai Jiaotong University's university ranking in 2007 it is the 42nd best university in the world. Utrecht also houses the much smaller
University of Humanistics (estimated at a few hundred students).
Utrecht is home of one of the locations of
TiasNimbas, focused on post-experience management education and the largest management school of its kind in the Netherlands. In 2007, its executive MBA program was rated the 11th best program in the world by the
Financial TimesThe Financial Times is a British international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and is printed at 22 sites...
.
Utrecht is also home to two other large institutions of higher education: the
Hogeschool UtrechtThe Utrecht University of Applied Sciences is a Vocational University. It is one of the higher education institutions located in the city of Utrecht and one of the largest educational institutions in the Netherlands. The institution shares its main campus, the Uithof, with the largest university...
(30,000 students), with locations in the city and the Uithof campus, and the
HKU Utrecht School of the ArtsThe Utrecht School of the Arts is a performing arts and visual arts educational institution in Utrecht, The Netherlands. The institution has 570 teachers and staff members...
(3,000 students).
There are many schools for primary and
secondary educationSecondary education is the stage of education following primary school. Secondary education is generally the final stage of compulsory education. However, secondary education in some countries includes a period of compulsory and a period of non-compulsory education. The next stage of education is...
; allowing for different philosophies and religions as is inherent in the
Dutch school systemEducation in the Netherlands is characterized by division: education is oriented toward the needs and background of the pupil. Education is divided over schools for different age groups, some of these in turn divided in streams for different educational levels. Schools are furthermore divided in...
. There is some concern about
segregationRacial segregation is the separation of different racial groups in daily life, such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a washroom, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home. Segregation may be mandated by law or exist through social...
in the primary schools (which is a common problem in many large cities in the Netherlands). This is caused by Dutch parents wanting to send their children to schools with a large proportion of other Dutch children, ending in a spiral where schools with a large proportion of immigrant children attract fewer and fewer Dutch children.
Culture
Utrecht city has an active cultural life, in the Netherlands second only to Amsterdam. Utrecht aims to become
cultural capitalThe European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union for a period of one calendar year during which it is given a chance to showcase its cultural life and cultural development. A number of European cities have used the City of Culture year to transform their cultural base and,...
of Europe in 2018.
There are several theatres and theatre companies. The 1941 main city theater was built by
DudokWillem Marinus Dudok , was a Dutch modernist architect, best known for the brick Hilversum City Hall....
. Besides theatres there is a large number of cinemas including three arthouse cinemas. Utrecht is host to the
Netherlands Film FestivalThe Netherlands Film Festival is an annual film festival, held in September and October of each year in the city of Utrecht.During the ten-day festival, all Dutch film productions of the previous year are exhibited. Besides feature films, the program also consists of short subjects, documentary...
.
The city has an important classical music hall Vredenburg (1979 by
Herman Hertzberger}}Herman Hertzberger is a Dutch architect and emeritus professor.-Biography:Herman Hertzberger is born on 6 July 1932 in Amsterdam, Netherlands....
), which acoustics are considered among the best of the 20th century original music halls. Young musicians are educated in the
conservatoryPlease [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page.|}A university school of music or college of music, or academy of music or conservatoire — also known as a conservatory or a conservatorium — is a higher education...
(a department of the
Utrecht School of the ArtsThe Utrecht School of the Arts is a performing arts and visual arts educational institution in Utrecht, The Netherlands. The institution has 570 teachers and staff members...
). There is a specialised
museumthumb|Replica of a 1598 musical clock by Nicholas Vallin, that plays its music on 13 bellsThe National Museum van Speelklok tot Pierement is a museum in Utrecht, The Netherlands. It has a collection of automatically playing musical instruments, most of which still work and therefore still can play...
of automatically playing musical instruments. Located at the OudeGracht is the rock club Tivoli (which has a second location just outside the centre). There are several other venues for music throughout the city.
There are many art galleries in Utrecht. There are also several foundations to support art, and artists. Training of artists is done at the
Utrecht School of the ArtsThe Utrecht School of the Arts is a performing arts and visual arts educational institution in Utrecht, The Netherlands. The institution has 570 teachers and staff members...
. The
Centraal MuseumThe Centraal Museum is a museum in Utrecht, The Netherlands. The museum was founded in 1838. Initially, the collection - exhibited on the top floor of the Utrecht townhall - was limited to art related to the city of Utrecht...
has many exhibitions on the arts, including a permanent exhibition on the works of Utrecht resident illustrator
Dick BrunaDick Bruna is a Dutch author, artist, illustrator and graphic designer.Bruna is best known for his children's books which he authored and illustrated, now numbering over 200. His best known creation is Miffy , a small rabbit drawn with heavy graphic lines, simple shapes and primary colors...
, who is best known for creating
MiffyMiffy is a small female rabbit in a series of picture books drawn and written by Dutch artist Dick Bruna. Her original Dutch name is Nijntje [nɛɪ̯ncǝ] which stems from a toddler's pronunciation of the word "konijntje" meaning "little rabbit"....
.
Utrecht also houses one of the landmarks of modern architecture, the 1924
Rietveld Schröder HouseThe Rietveld Schröder House in Utrecht was built in 1924 by Dutch architect Gerrit Rietveld for Mrs. Truus Schröder-Schräder and her three children. She commissioned the house to be designed preferably without walls. The house is one of the best known examples of De Stijl-architecture and...
, which is listed on UNESCO's world heritage sites.
To involve the city population as a whole (rather than the elite alone) in the cultural riches of the city, Utrecht city, in collaboration with the different cultural organisations, regularly organise cultural Sundays. During a thematic Sunday several organisations create a program, which is open to everyone without, or with a very much reduced, admission fee.
Furthermore there are many initiatives for
amateurAn amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without formal training or pay. An amateur receives little or irregular income from their activities, and differs from a professional who makes a living from the pursuit and typically has some formal...
artists; e.g. in the performing arts, painting and sculpture. The city subsidises an organisation for amateur education in arts aimed at all inhabitants (Utrechts Centrum voor de Kunsten), as does the university for its staff and students. Additionally there are also several private initiatives. The city council provides coupons for discounts to inhabitants who receive welfare to be used with many of the initiatives.
Utrecht is home to the premier league (professional)
footballAssociation football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players using a spherical ball...
club FC Utrecht, which plays in
Stadium Nieuw GalgenwaardThe New Galgenwaard Stadium was opened in 1982. At the time it was one of the most modern stadiums in the world, especially due to the moat around the pitch. After twenty years FC Utrecht felt the need for expansion and renewal...
. It is also the home of Kampong, the largest (amateur) sportsclub of the Netherlands (4,500 members),
SV Kampong. Kampong features fieldhockey, soccer, cricket, tennis, squash and jeu de boules. Kampong's men and women top hockey squads play in the highest Dutch hockey league, the Rabohoofdklasse.
Museums
Utrecht has several smaller and larger museums. Many of those are located in the eastern part of the old town, which is called MuseumQuarter.
- Aboriginal Art Museum Located at the Oude Gracht this museum has a small exhibit of Australian Aboriginal Art
- Centraal Museum
The Centraal Museum is a museum in Utrecht, The Netherlands. The museum was founded in 1838. Initially, the collection - exhibited on the top floor of the Utrecht townhall - was limited to art related to the city of Utrecht...
Located in the MuseumQuarter this municipal museum has a large collection of art, design, and historical artifacts.
- Dick Bruna Huis Part of Centraal Museum this separate location is dedicated to Miffy creator Dick Bruna
- Museum Catharijneconvent Museum of the Catholic Church shows the history of Christian culture and arts in the Netherlands
- National museum 'From musical clock to street organ'
thumb|Replica of a 1598 musical clock by Nicholas Vallin, that plays its music on 13 bellsThe National Museum van Speelklok tot Pierement is a museum in Utrecht, The Netherlands. It has a collection of automatically playing musical instruments, most of which still work and therefore still can play...
National Museum in the centre of the city, displaying several centuries of mechanical musical instruments.
- Railroad Museum
The Nederlands Spoorwegmuseum is the Dutch national railway museum. It was established in 1927; since 1954 it has been housed in the "Maliebaan station", a former railroad station in Utrecht.- History :...
Railroad sponsored museum on the history of the Dutch railroads
- University museum Utrecht University
Utrecht University is a university in Utrecht, The Netherlands. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands and one of the largest in Europe. It is rated as the best university of the Netherlands, ninth best university in Europe, and 47th best in the world in the Academic Ranking of...
museum includes the ancient botanical gardenBotanical gardens grow a wide variety of plants primarily to categorize and document for scientific purposes. Botanists and horticulturalists tend the flora and maintain the garden's library and herbarium of dried and documented plant material. Botanical gardens may also serve to entertain and...
- Volksbuurtmuseum Wijk C
- Money museum, museum of the Royal Dutch Mint
The Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt , seated in Utrecht, the Netherlands, is a company owned entirely by the Dutch State, and since 1807 the only Dutch entity allowed to strike and give out coins.-History:...
, located in the actual building where Dutch coins are minted.
Music
Utrecht hosts the yearly Utrecht Early Music Festival -
Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht
In Jaarbeurs it hosts
Trance EnergyTrance Energy is a Dutch dance event featuring trance DJ. It is organised by ID&T and has been held from 1999 to the present day in various venues in the Netherlands twice a year. Traditionally, there was a "small" edition and a big edition each year...
too.
Famous people from Utrecht
- {{Main|List of people from Utrecht}}See also the category People from Utrecht
Over the ages famous people have been born and raised in Utrecht.
Among the most famous Utrechters are:
- Pope Adrian VI
Pope Adrian VI , born Adriaan Florenszoon Boeyens, served as Bishop of Rome from 9 January 1522 until his death some 18 months later. He was the last non-Italian pope until John Paul II, 456 years later. He is, together with Marcellus II, one of two 'modern' popes to retain his baptismal name after...
(1459-1523) - head of the Catholic Church
- C.H.D. Buys Ballot
Christophorus Henricus Diedericus Buys Ballot was a Dutch chemist and meteorologist after whom Buys Ballot's law and the Buys Ballot table are named.-Biography:...
(1817-1890) - meteorologist (Buys-Ballot's lawIn meteorology, Buys Ballot's law may be expressed as follows: In the Northern Hemisphere, stand with your back to the wind; the low pressure area will be on your left. This is because wind travels counterclockwise around low pressure zones in the Northern Hemisphere...
)
- Theo van Doesburg
Theo van Doesburg was a Dutch artist, practicing in painting, writing, poetry and architecture...
(1883-1931) - painter, artist (De StijlDe Stijl , Dutch for "The Style", also known as neoplasticism, was a Dutch artistic movement founded in 1917. In a narrower sense, the term De Stijl is used to refer to a body of work from 1917 to 1931 founded in the Netherlands....
movement)
- Gerrit Rietveld
Gerrit Thomas Rietveld was a Dutch furniture designer and architect. One of the principal members of the Dutch artistic movement called De Stijl, Rietveld is famous for his Red and Blue Chair and for the Rietveld Schröder House, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Rietveld designed his famous...
(1888-1964) - designer, architect (De StijlDe Stijl , Dutch for "The Style", also known as neoplasticism, was a Dutch artistic movement founded in 1917. In a narrower sense, the term De Stijl is used to refer to a body of work from 1917 to 1931 founded in the Netherlands....
movement)
- Dick Bruna
Dick Bruna is a Dutch author, artist, illustrator and graphic designer.Bruna is best known for his children's books which he authored and illustrated, now numbering over 200. His best known creation is Miffy , a small rabbit drawn with heavy graphic lines, simple shapes and primary colors...
(since 1923 ) - writer, illustrator (MiffyMiffy is a small female rabbit in a series of picture books drawn and written by Dutch artist Dick Bruna. Her original Dutch name is Nijntje [nɛɪ̯ncǝ] which stems from a toddler's pronunciation of the word "konijntje" meaning "little rabbit"....
)
Twin towns
Utrecht has
town twinningSister cities, also known as town twinning, is an agreement between towns, cities and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties...
agreements with the following: León,
NicaraguaNicaragua officially the Republic of Nicaragua , is a representative democratic republic. It is the largest country in Central America with an area of 130,373 km
2. The country is bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The Pacific Ocean lies to the west of...
BrnoBrno is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, located in the southeast of the country. It was founded in 1243, although the area had been settled since the 5th century. As of August 2009 the population is 404,887...
,
Czech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a country in Central Europe that is sometimes considered to be Eastern European. The country borders Poland to the northeast, Germany to the west and northwest, Austria to the south and Slovakia to the east. The capital and largest city is Prague...
Kinshasa{{clear}}{{clear}}{{clear}}{{clear}}{{clear}}{{clear}}{{Infobox settlement|name = Kinshasa|official_name =|other_name = formerly Léopoldville or Leopoldstad...
,
Democratic Republic of the CongoThe Democratic Republic of the Congo is a country located in Central Africa, with a small length of Atlantic coastline. It is the third largest country in Africa...
- previously Germany Hannover, Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
, between 1970 and 1976
See also
- List of mayors of Utrecht
- Utrecht (agglomeration)
The city of Utrecht and the surrounding cities, villages, and townships form an agglomeration in the middle of The Netherlands. It is located entirely in the province of Utrecht, and is the eastern part of so-called North Wing the larger Randstad urban area....
- Utrecht (province)
Utrecht is the smallest province of the Netherlands, and is located in the center of the country. It is bordered by the Eemmeer in the north, Gelderland in the east, the river Rhine in the south, South Holland in the west, and North Holland in the northwest...
- Ondiep
Ondiep is a working-class district in northwest Utrecht, Netherlands, between the river Vecht and Amsterdamsestraatweg street.The population has traditionally been highly sedentary with a high percentage of people being born there continuing to live in the district after marriage. However, recent...
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