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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 was granted city rights by Henry V in 1122. When the main flow of the Rhine moved south, the old bed, which still flowed through the heart of the town became ever more canalized; and the 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. 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 dammed the Kromme Rijn at Wijk bij Duurstede to protect his estates from flooding. This threatened shipping for the city and led the city of Utrecht to commission a canal to ensure access to the town for shipping trade: the Vaartse Rijn, connecting Utrecht to the Hollandse IJssel at IJsselstein.
Utrecht is also the site, where in 1579 the seven provinces from the north of the country signed what became the Union Of Utrecht. This union called for them to unite in ousting the Spaniard rulers. While the fledgling Dutch republic went all out to abolish the iron-clad Catholic rule in Utrecht, it still remained around 40 percent Catholic well into the 17th century.
Utrecht nonetheless is still the center of the Old Catholic Churches who were not under Roman rule. Beginning in the 1800’s Utrecht slowly began to grow to the point when it was connected by railway to Amsterdam itself. Still, in spite of its massive growth as an important metropolitan city it has seen its share of misfortune along the way.
During World War II Utrecht was held by the Germans up until they surrendered the Netherlands in May of 1945, when the war was finally winding down. Since then plenty of new neighborhoods have sprouted up in and around Utrecht. To this day the city is seeing a massive increase in redevelopment projects despite protests by those who want to retain the status quo.
Utrecht is the Netherlands’ most charming city. Anyone who disagrees has probably never been to this vibrant student town. With no less than a millennium of history, Utrecht is proud of its age-old traditions. Holland’s fourth largest city is the kind of town you can visit at any time of the year. If you’re a fan of UNESCO-protected architecture, then Utrecht’s churches and ancient sunken wharf cellars will be a real treat. Of course, visiting a city isn’t just about seeing all of the sights and with this guide in your hand you’ll be able to get to know the real Utrecht, which you can thoroughly explore in a few days.
All that remain of Utrecht’s cathedral (built 1254–1517) are the transept and tower (1321–82), the latter being the tallest church tower in the Netherlands (about 370 feet [113 metres]). The cathedral’s nave collapsed in a storm of 1674 and was never rebuilt; the chapter room (1409), which is joined to the church by a Gothic cloister, is now the main assembly hall of the university. Other churches are Jans Church (founded 1040), Sint Pieter’s Church (1048), Nicolai Church (1131), Jacobi Church (1173), Buur Church (10th century), Geerte Church (1260), and Sint Catharijne Church (1468; now the Roman Catholic cathedral), all in a variety of styles reflecting numerous additions and restorations. The Paushuize (Pope’s House) was completed in 1523 for the only Dutch pope, Adrian VI, who was a native of Utrecht. The city’s Maliebaan (1636) is one of the finest promenades in the Netherlands. In the 19th century the old city ramparts were made into parks, and modern residential districts arose.
De Geertekerk is een kerk in de Nederlandse stad Utrecht. In de middeleeuwen was het een van de vier parochiekerken in die stad, en wel de kleinste en de jongste, gewijd aan de heilige Gertrudis van Nijvel. Het eerste gebouw verrees op een terrein buiten de omwalling, maar tussen 1248 en 1259 werd de kerk overgebracht binnen de stadsmuren. Sindsdien hebben nog vele verbouwingen plaatsgevonden: het koor en dwarsschip dateren uit de veertiende eeuw, de schipzijbeuken van rond 1400. Waarschijnlijk is de toren het oudst bewaarde gedeelte (dertiende eeuw).
Na de Hervorming was de Geertekerk achtereenvolgens in gebruik als Hervormde kerk, stal, kazerne, magazijn en van 1814 tot 1930 weer als Hervormde kerk. Als gevolg van een overstroming van de Rijn werden in 1855 honderden inwoners van Veenendaal tijdelijk in de kerk ondergebracht. Eind jaren 1940 bevond de Geertekerk zich in ruïneuze toestand: het dak was geheel verdwenen en bomen groeiden in de kerkruimte. Nadat zij door de Remonstrantse Broederschap was aangekocht, werd het gebouw van 1954 tot 1956 geheel gerestaureerd. (Bron:Wikipedia)
Utrecht's cityscape is dominated by the Dom Tower, the tallest belfry in the Netherlands and originally part of the Cathedral of Saint Martin.An ongoing debate is over whether any building in or near the centre of town should surpass the Dom Tower in height (112 m (367 ft)). Nevertheless, some tall buildings are now being constructed that will become part of the skyline of Utrecht. The second tallest building of the city, the Rabobank-tower, was completed in 2010 and stands 105 metres (344 feet) tall.Two antennas will increase that height to 120 metres (394 feet). Two other buildings were constructed around the Nieuw Galgenwaard stadium (2007). These buildings, the 'Kantoortoren Galghenwert' and 'Apollo Residence', stand 85.5 metres (280.5 feet) and 64.5 metres (211.6 feet) high respectively.
Utrecht is the lively, beating heart of Holland. It was built around the Dom tower, which you can see from any point in the city, so there is no way you can get lost in the attractive, car-free city centre. Utrecht boasts beautiful canals with extraordinary wharf cellars housing cafés and terraces by the water. As well as the Dom tower, Utrecht boasts hundreds of other monuments that each contribute to the special atmosphere in this centuries-old university town.
Het voormalige Hoofdpostkantoor is een ontwerp van de architect J. Crouwel jr. in de stijl van de Amsterdamse school. De bouw begon in 1919 en de oplevering vond plaats in 1924. De hal van het gebouw is indrukwekkend door de hoge paraboolvormige bogen.
In de hal van het huidige gebouw herinnert een plaquette aan de voorganger van dit gebouw, de oude Rijksmunt. De plaquette was geschonken door de Utrechtsche Philatelistenvereeniging en herinnert aan de eerste postzegel die hier in 1852 gedrukt werd. De plaquette is een ontwerp van Maarten Pauw.
In 2011 werd het hoofdpostkantoor als laatste Nederlandse postkantoor gesloten. Heden ten dage is in het gebouw de Centrale Bibliotheek van Utrecht gevestigd. In een deel van het gebouw huist ook de bekende Utrechtse boekhandel Broese.
The Nieuwegracht in Utrecht is much smaller and also less well-known than the Oudegracht. It dates back to the 14th century. With the many trees and stately homes along the canal it has its own charm, especially in Autumn.
De Nieuwe Kerk is een kerk in de Nederlandse stad Utrecht. Het was de eerste kerk in Utrecht die specifiek als Hervormde kerk werd gebouwd, vandaar de naam "Nieuwe" kerk. De andere kerkgebouwen die de Hervormde Kerk tot dan toe in Utrecht in gebruik had waren voormalige katholieke kerken. De Nieuwe Kerk werd gebouwd in 1910 en ontworpen door architect Christiaan Posthumus Meyjes sr.
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 park that remains largely intact today. Growth of the city increased when, in 1843, a railway connecting Utrecht to Amsterdam was opened. After that, Utrecht gradually became the main hub of the Dutch railway network. With the industrial revolution finally gathering speed in the Netherlands and the ramparts taken down, Utrecht began to grow far beyond the medieval centre. In 1853, the Dutch government allowed the bishopric of Utrecht to be reinstated by Rome, and Utrecht became the centre of Dutch Catholicism once more. From the 1880s onward neighbourhoods such as Oudwijk, Wittevrouwen, Vogelenbuurt to the East, and Lombok to the West were developed. New middle class residential areas, such as Tuindorp and Oog in Al, were built in the 1920s and 1930s. During this period, several Jugendstil houses and office buildings were built, followed by Rietveld who built the Rietveld Schröder House (1924), and Dudok's construction of the city theater (1941).
During World War II, Utrecht was held by the Germans until the general German surrender of the Netherlands on 5 May 1945. British and Canadian troops that had surrounded the city entered it after that surrender, on 7 May 1945. After the end of World War II, the city has grown considerably when new neighbourhoods such as Overvecht, Kanaleneiland, Hoograven (nl) and Lunetten were built. Around 2000 the city the Leidsche Rijn housing area was developed as the next extension of the city to the west.