Utrecht (city)

Categories: Utrecht | Cities in the Netherlands | Cities on the Rhine

There is also Utrecht, South Africa

Utrecht is a municipality and the capital city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands.

Population centres

• The city of Utrecht (population: 244,000)
• Vleuten-De Meern (population: 26,000)
  • De Meern
  • Vleuten
  • Haarzuilens (population: 500)

Vleuten-De Meern was a separate municipality until 2001, which included the village of Haarzuilens. Population data are approximations as of early 2004.

The city of Utrecht

Utrecht is famous for the Dom Tower of Utrecht and the canal structure in the inner city. It is the center of the Dutch railroad network and the location of the head office of the Nederlandse Spoorwegen (Dutch Railways), which is the largest brick building in the Netherlands (the "UFO" gracing its facade stems from an art program in 2000). A large indoor shopping center called 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. During the night some parts of the shopping center will be closed to prevent homeless people and drug users from sleeping in the mall. As a result of this such situations could be found at the delivery docks for a couple of years. A campaign of the Dutch police and welfare workers resulted in a shelter and the shopping center is sins then a save and controlled place even during the night. Over the next years (counting from 2004), parts of Hoog Catharijne will disappear in connection with the Aanpak Stationsgebied scheme. Parts of the city's network of canals which were filled to create the shopping center and central station area are being recreated. Utrecht University is the largest university of The Netherlands. Utrecht is also home to the FC Utrecht football club, which plays in Stadium Nieuw Galgenwaard.

History

The origin of the city was the erection of a Roman fortification (castellum) around AD 47. It was built at the river Rhine, which followed a more northern route than it does now and was the border of the Roman Empire. The name of the place was Traiectum, which means fordable place. During the ages around 500 Romans were encamped here. Near the fort there was a settlement with artisans, traders and soldiers' women and children.

In the middle of the 2nd century Germanic peoples regularly invaded the territories that Romans had conquered from them, and around 270 the Romans left Utrecht. About the period 270-500 little is known. In the 6th century Utrecht came under the influence of the Franks.

During the Middle Ages Utrecht was the most important city of the Northern Netherlands. Willibrordus is usually considered to be its first bishop. In 695 he was appointed archbishop of the Frisians and in 703 or 704 Pepin II of Herstal gave him Utrecht as see for his missionary activities further north. Utrecht received city rights in 1122.

Later the bishops of Utrecht exercised as prince-bishops worldly power not only in the province of Utrecht (Nedersticht) but also further to the northeast. The Veluwe soon became part of Gelre but Overijssel remained the Oversticht. In 1528 the wordly power over both Neder- and Oversticht was transferred to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, who became the Lord of the 17 Netherlands (the current Benelux plus the 'Nord' of France).

In 1579 the northern seven provinces of these Low Countries signed the Union of Utrecht. They decided to join forces against Spanish rule. The Union of Utrecht is seen as the beginning of the Dutch Republic. In 1580 this predominantly Protestant state abolished the bishoprics, including the one in Utrecht, which had become an archiepiscopal see in 1559. Only in 1853 was the see reinstated.

The Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 settled the War of the Spanish Succession. Its most lasting result was the cession by Spain of Gibraltar to Great Britain.

In 1843, a railway that connected Utrecht with Amsterdam was opened. After that, Utrecht gradually became the centre of the Dutch railway network.

During World War II, Utrecht was held by the Germans until the general German surrender of the Netherlands on May 5, 1945. Canadian troops entered the city on May 7, 1945.

Since World War II, the city has grown considerably when new neighbourhoods such as Kanaleneiland, Hoograven, Lunetten, and (recently) Leidsche Rijn were built.

Education

Utrecht University is the largest university of The Netherlands (24,628 students as of 2003). The university is based in the inner city and in the Uithof campus area, on the east of the city. It's the 39th best university in the world, according to Shanghai Jiaotong University's university ranking in 2004. Utrecht is also home to two other large institutions of higher education: the HvU University of Professional Education Utrecht (30,000 students), and the HKU Utrecht School of the Arts (3,000 students).

Transport

The public transport network of Utrecht includes:

• The Utrecht Centraal railway station (NS (dutch railways) internal abbreviation:ut), which is a main node of the Dutch railway network and also serves as a major regional bus station. There are three minor railway stations in Utrecht: Utrecht Overvecht (uto), Utrecht Lunetten (utl), and Utrecht Terwijde (utt). Additionally, at least three new railway stations are planned.
• Local GVU buses, including a high-quality bus line to the Uithof university district to the east of the city, served by bi-articulated buses.
• Regional Connexxion buses
• BBA buses to and from the region northwest of the city, and to Breda and Oosterhout (Interliner).
• A light-rail (sneltram in Dutch) line which runs from the Utrecht Centraal station, through the neighbourhoods of Lombok and Kanaleneiland, to Nieuwegein and IJsselstein. This line is also operated by Connexxion.

Utrecht also has a harbour on the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal, which is connected to the Rhine 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.

Museums

• Aboriginal Art Museum
• Centraal Museum (arts and municipal history)
• Museum Catharijneconvent (history of Christian culture and arts in the Netherlands)
• National museum 'From musical clock to street organ' (several centuries of mechanical musical instruments)
• Railroad museum (history of Dutch railroad)
• University museum (see Utrecht University)

Famous people from Utrecht

• Pope Adrian VI
• Louis Andriessen (composer)
• Marco van Basten (soccer player)
• Dick Bruna (illustrator)
• C.H.D. Buys Ballot (meteorologist)
• Theo van Doesburg (painter, artist)
• Anton Reinhard Falck (politician and lawyer)
• Anton Geesink (Olympic judo champion)
• Gerhard van Honthorst (painter)
• Trijn van de Leemput (local female hero of the Eighty Years' War)
• Gerrit Rietveld (designer, architect)
• Tineke Schouten (comedian, singer, actor)
• Wesley Sneijder (soccer player)
• Herman van Veen (comedian, singer)
• Henk Westbroek (singer, DJ, local politician, bar owner)

External links

• Official website of the city
• Official website of the archdiocese
• Maps:
  • City map
  • Map of the whole province, but showing about equal detail
  • GVU line map of bus routes (does not show lines of other companies)
  • Map of the western part of the municipality
• Overview of the bus station (southern part, for regional buses, as opposed to city buses at the north side)
• Article on the Busway Program (bus route between the station and the Uithof)
• Panorama photography in the center of the city