Utrecht and the surrounding area - Part 2

The History of Utrecht

In the time of the Roman Empire, the river Rhine passed through what is now the present day city centre of Utrecht. At that time the Romans called it Trajectum. Over the following centuries, the town had various religious ties. It was also part of a number of different empires as the ebb and flow of various wars took place. At the start of the 11th century, it had become both a centre of culture and learning. While all this was happening Amsterdam was still just a little fishing town out on the western coast.

In 1579 several regions of, what is today the Netherlands, united under the Union of Utrecht. The Protestant religion was made official but, in an unusual mood of tolerance for the time, it was decreed that Catholics would not be persecuted. Utrecht' s university was founded in 1636, the year after René Descartes, a visiting professor, wrote Discourse on Method.

For centuries there had been a simmering animosity between the bishops of Utrecht and the Roman Catholic Church. In 1702 this came to a head when the bishop was removed from his post for failing to recognise the pope' s infallibility. This caused a schism that resulted in the creation of the Old Catholics Church in Utrecht. The religion grew in popularity and peaked in 1889 when scores of disgruntled Catholics met in Utrecht. After that the Old Catholics lost following; now there is under 10, 000 members of the church in the Netherlands today.

Things to see around Utrecht

A number of major sights are within 500m of the Domtoren which is the name for the Cathedral Tower, and if you go a few hundred metres further south then you arrive in museum quarter. Utrecht does like its museums, and to prove this has over a dozen, some of which are very odd but I will let you judge that.

If you want to go wandering around to see the sights then to start with the two canals that bisect Utrecht. These are known as the Oudegracht and the Nieuwegracht, which translates to the old and new canals. The fact that they were built in the 11th and 14th centuries puts things into perspective. A third canal, the Singel, now surrounds the old core.

There is a place which has become a popular site for wedding photos. It is a very photogenic bend in the Oudegracht which is illuminated by lamplight in the evening. During the day many hundreds of people sit at the outside cafes here. South of this point is where the canal goes calmer and is at its most haunting. The streets are also quieter and stretch 1km to the southern tip of the old town.

A section of the Singel called the Stadsbuitengracht has its own turn which is almost as nice as the canal on the southeastern side of the old quarter. It’s here that the canal follows many parks that were built on the site of the old fortifications. You can walk beside this canal and then go back north through Nieuwegracht which is a peaceful stretch of complemented by canal houses and towering elms.

Continued in part 3