Utrecht and the surrounding area - Part 4

Places worth a visit

Miffy Museum

One of Utrecht’s favourite inhabitants was author and illustrator Dick Bruna. He is the creator of the cartoon rabbit Miffy, which is known as Nijntje when spoken in Dutch. She naturally takes pride of place at the artist' s former studio which is just across the street from the Centraal Museum. The museum was renovated in 2015 to make it friendlier for those children in the age range of two to six.

Rietveld-Schröderhuis:- Historic site

This is a UNESCO recognised landmark house and it is just east of the city centre. It was built in 1924 by Utrecht architect Gerrit Rietveld for the socialite Truus Schröder-Schräder. It is held up as a stark example of ‘form follows function'. What is especially noticeable are Rietveld's use of primary colours and the changes between interior and exterior. There are no self-guided visits and the only way to see around is by a tour which is best booked online well in advance of your visit. While you are in the area quite nearby, on Erasmuslaan, you can find a pair of social housing blocks that were also designed by Rietveld. The whole area is only a twenty-minute walk east of the town centre.

Museum Catharijneconvent

Museum Catharijneconvent is probably the best of Utrecht' s museums. It has one of the finest collections of medieval religious art in the Netherlands. In fact, it is virtually a complete history of Christianity. It is housed in a Gothic former convent and a 18th-century canal-side house. You will be amazed at how many beautiful illuminated manuscripts they have and also look out for the odd Rembrandt.

Pieterskerk Church

Take a walk down Voetiusstraat which is behind the Domkerk to Pieterskerk; it was completed in 1048 and is the oldest Romanesque church in the Netherlands.

Universiteitsmuseum

On display are many of the objects of Utrecht University' s research throughout the centuries. There is a recreation of a late 19th-century classroom, displays of historic dentistry tools and many models of medical maladies. If you want to get away then go out the back into De Oude Hortus. This is the old botanical garden and offers a place of calm sheltering trees and plants which have been collected by the Dutch during their world exploration.

Nederlands Spoorwegmuseum

If you are a train fan then do not miss a stop at the national railway museum. It features historic trains, including the luxurious cars of the Orient Express and Holland' s oldest steam locomotive. It also has a vast collection of model trains and thematic displays in an old station building. A high-speed mini train takes children for a ride around the grounds. To get there, take bus 3 from Utrecht CS to Maliebaan and walk southeast for about five minutes.

Continued in part 5