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'Utrecht' () city is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the Randstad, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands, with a population of 288,732. The total Utrecht agglomeration counts some 620,000 inhabitants.
Utrechts ancient city-center features many buildings and structures from its earliest origins onwards. It has been the religious centre of the Netherlands since the 8th century. Currently it is the see of the Archbishop of Utrecht, the most important Dutch Roman Catholic leader. Utrecht is also the see of an archbishop of the Old Catholic church, and the location of the offices of the main protestant church.
Utrecht is host to Utrecht University, 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 (rail and road) in the Netherlands. It has the second highest number of cultural events in the Netherlands, after Amsterdam.

Contents

History

Summary

Origins

Middle Ages

16th to 18th Century

Modern history

Demographics

Population centres in the municipality

Cityscape

Transport

Public transport

Rail connections

Bus transport

Other transport

Roads

Shipping

Economy

Education

Culture

Museums

Famous people from Utrecht

Twin cities

See also

References

External links

History

Summary

Around 47 C.E. the Romans built a fortress near a ford in the Rhine. Around 700 Willibrordus established the bishropic see in Utrecht. The bishop of Utrecht became a powerful lord in the middle ages. In 1528 Utrecht became part of the empire of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor; and he established a garrison in the city. During the Dutch Revolt the city became the namesake of the Union of Utrecht, in which the Northern Netherlands promised mutual support in their uprise against the Spanish. From the 17th century Utrecht became a fortified city in the Dutch water line. From the 19th century Utrecht has become an important hub in the Dutch railroad system. After the Dutch water line was abandoned in the 19th century Utrecht started to grow once more.

Origins

The origin of the city is a Roman fortification (''castellum''), probably built around the year 47. Originally constructed from wood besides the river Rhine, which then had a more northern bed than nowadays, it was a border fortress of the Roman Empire. The name of the place was ''Traiectum'' (''ford''), later adorned with the prefix ''Ultra'' (''on the far side'') to distinguish it from other settlements. Later the names merged and changed into the current name (Utrecht).^[1] In the second century, the wooden walls were replaced by sturdier stone walls, remnants of which are still to be found below the buildings around Dom square. Around 500 Roman soldiers were encamped here. Near the fort there was a settlement with artisans, traders and soldiers' wives and children.
In the middle of the 2nd century Germanic tribes regularly invaded the Roman territories, 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.

Middle Ages

During the early Middle Ages Utrecht became the most important city of the Northern Netherlands. This is due for no small amount to the bishops, who chose the stone walled Roman fortress as their see. Willibrordus is usually considered to be the first bishop of Utrecht. 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. From then on Utrecht became one the most influential power seat of the Roman catholic church in the Netherlands. The town of Utrecht started to grow subsequently. Utrecht was struck by some Viking raids, but never as heavily as the nearby Dorestad, which at the time was a much wealthier trade center.
The bishops of Utrecht became to exercise worldly power as prince-bishops not only in the province of Utrecht (Nedersticht, 'lower Sticht') but also further to the northeast. The Veluwe soon became part of Gelre but Overijssel remained the Oversticht. The clergy built several churches and monastries in the city. Most dominant of these was the gothic Cathedral of Saint Martin construction of which started in 1254 after an earlier romanesque cathedral had been badly damaged by fire. Declining finances prevented this ambitious cathedral from being finished. The lack flying buttresses proved to be the undoing of the central section of the church when Utrecht was struck by a hurricane in 1674.
The growing town Utrecht received city rights in 1122.
When the main flow of the Rhine moved south, the old flow through the center became evermore canalized; and a unique wharf system was built as an inner city harbour system. Canals in Utrecht have a system of wharf cellars (''werfkelders'') with the roadway on top. The cellars are accessible from a platform at water level. This sets it apart from other canal cities in The Netherlands, where water in canals borders directly on the road surface. The Utrecht City Archive has historic photos of werfkelders. When the bishop dammed the Lek at Wijk bij Duurstede, shipping was threatened and Utrecht commissioned a canal, the Vaartse Rijn, to connect Utrecht to the Lek at Nieuwegein; to insure access to the town for shipping trade. By now the often diverging goals of the bishop and the citizens of the town were leading to frequent frictions. In 1528 the wordly powers of the bishop over both Neder- and Oversticht; including the city of Utrecht, was transferred to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, who became the Lord of the 17 Netherlands (the current Benelux and the Northern parts of France). This transition was not an easy one and Charles V wanted to extert his power of 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 Vredenburg to house a large garrison with as most important task 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 revolt.

16th to 18th Century

In 1579 the northern seven provinces of these Low Countries signed the Union of Utrecht, in which 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 (by Rome). However, since 1723, but especially after 1870, Utrecht has been the centre of the non-Roman Old Catholic Churches in the world.
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 the 17th century Utrecht became a major fortified city in the Dutch Water Line severely limiting its growth. Only in the early 19th century the fortresses became outdated with the construction of the Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie, just east of Utrecht. The ramparts were demolished, but the water defenses remained intact and formed the the key structure for the Zocher plantsoen, an English style landscape park that remains largely intact until today.

Modern history

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 finally began to grow far beyond the medieval center from the 1880s onward with the construction of neighbourhoods such as Oudwijk, , and Vogelenbuurt.
New middle class residential areas, such as Tuindorp and Oog in Al, were built in the 1920s and 1930s.
During World War II, Utrecht was held by the Germans until the general German surrender of the Netherlands on 5 May, 1945. Canadian troops entered the city only after that surrender, on May 7, 1945.
Since World War II, the city has grown considerably when new neighbourhoods such as , , , , and (recently) Leidsche Rijn were built.

Demographics

Utrecht city has a population of 288,732. The total Utrecht agglomeration counts some 620,000 inhabitants.
About 68% of the population is Dutch, 9% is Moroccan, 5% is Turkish, 3% Surinamese and 15% of other ethnicities. Utrecht is expected to have 340,000 inhabitants in 2020.
Inhabitants of Utrecht are called ''Utrechter'' or more rarely ''Utrechtenaar''.^[2]

Population centres in the municipality

★ The city of Utrecht (population: 281,000)

★ Vleuten-De Meern (population: 30.000)

★
★ Haarzuilens

★
★ De Meern

★
★ Veldhuizen

★
★ Vleuten
Vleuten-De Meern was a separate municipality until 2001, which included the villages of Haarzuilens and Veldhuizen. Population data are of Jan 1 2005.^[3]

Cityscape

Utrecht is famous for the Dom Tower of Utrecht, belonging to the former cathedral (Dom Church), and for the canal structure in the inner city. The inner city has largely retained its Medieval structure. Due to the importance of Utrecht as a religious centre in the past, several monumental churches have survived, such as the romanesque St Peter's and St John's churches, and the gothic churches of St Jacob and St Nicholas, and the so-called Buurkerk, now converted into a museum.
Utrecht is the center of the Dutch railroad network and the location of the head office of the Nederlandse Spoorwegen (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 ProRail.
A large indoor shopping center called 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[1]. Parts of the city's network of canals, which were filled to create the shopping center and central station area, will be 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.
At the west side of the central railway station can be found the Jaarbeurs, one of the largest convention centers of the Netherlands.
The city also has a minor skyline, dominated by the Dom tower, which will be expanded in the next couple of years. The second highest building of the city, the 'Rabobanktoren', will be completed in 2010 and will stand 105m tall. Two antennas will increase that height to 120m. 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 plans for a 262 m high skyscraper in the newly built neighbourhood of Leidsche Rijn: The 'Belle van Zuylen'.

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.

Public transport

Rail connections

''Utrecht Centraal'' railway station (NS abbreviation: ut) is a main node of the Dutch railway network. The station is served by:

★ Regular Intercity trains to all major Dutch cities, and since March 2006 a direct service to Schiphol airport-railway station.

★ International trains (ICE) to Germany.

★ Many local trains.

There are also four minor railway stations in Utrecht: ''Utrecht Overvecht'' (uto), ''Utrecht Lunetten'' (utl), ''Utrecht Terwijde'' (utt), and ''Utrecht Zuilen'' (utzl). Additionally, some new railway stations are planned for the Randstadspoor project. Special train services operate to the former Maliebaan station, which is now home to the Dutch railroad museum.
A light-rail (''sneltram'' in Dutch) line runs from the Utrecht Centraal station, through the neighbourhoods of and to Nieuwegein and IJsselstein. This line is operated by Connexxion.
Besides being an important node in the transportation system Utrecht hosts the headquarters of both the Nederlandse Spoorwegen (Dutch Railroads), the most important train company in the Netherlands, and ProRail, 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 buses, operated by GVU, including a high-quality bus line to the Uithof university district to the east of the city, served by double-articulated buses.

★ Regional Connexxion buses.

★ Regional Arriva buses. Arriva also operates buses to Gorinchem and Dordrecht (Q-liner).

★ Veolia Transport buses to and from the region northwest of the city, and to Breda and Oosterhout (Interliner).
The Utrecht Central railway station is also frequented by the pan-European Eurolines bus company and acts as the departure and arrival place of many bus trips to holiday resorts in Spain and France and during winter in Austria and Switzerland.

Other transport

Roads

Utrecht is well connected to the main roads in the Netherlands. Two of the most important major roads cross near Utrecht: The A12 [The Hague - Germany] and the A2 [Amsterdam - Maastricht]. Other roads are the A27 [Almere - Bavel] and the A28 [Utrecht - Groningen]. Due to the increasing traffic, traffic congestion is a common phenomenon in and around Utrecht.

Shipping

Utrecht also has a medium-sized industrial port, located 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.
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.
Among others the Dutch National Railroads, Rabobank a large bank, and Jaarbeurs have their headquarters in Utrecht.

Education

Utrecht University, the largest university of The Netherlands (26,787 students as of 2004), is based in the inner city and in the Uithof campus area, on the east of the city. It's the 42nd best university in the world, according to Shanghai Jiaotong University's university ranking in 2007.^[4]
Utrecht also houses the much smaller University of Humanistics (estimated at a few hundred students).
Utrecht is also home to two other large institutions and one small institution of higher education: the Hogeschool Utrecht (30,000 students), the HKU Utrecht School of the Arts (3,000 students).

Culture

Utrecht city has an active cultural life, in the Netherlands second only to Amsterdam.
There are several theatres and theatre companies. It hosts an important classical music centre Vredenburg and the rock club Tivoli. Training of young musicians is taking place in the conservatory (a department of the Utrecht School of the Arts). There is a specialised museum of automatically playing musical instruments. There are a large number of cinemas including three arthouse cinemas. Utrecht is host to the Netherlands Film Festival.
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 Arts, and there are many initiatives for amateur artists. The Centraal Museum has many exhibitions on the arts, including a permanent exhibition on the works of Utrecht resident illustrator Dick Bruna, who is best known for creating Miffy.
Utrecht also houses one of the landmarks of modern architecture, the 1924 Rietveld Schröder House, 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 organisatiosn, 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.

Museums

★ Aboriginal Art Museum

★ Centraal Museum (arts and municipal history)

★ Dick Bruna Huis

★ 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, see Wikipedia page)

★ Railroad Museum (history of Dutch railroad, see Wikipedia page)

★ University museum (see Utrecht University)

★ Volksbuurtmuseum Wijk C

★ Money museum (In the actual building where Dutch coins are minted)

Famous people from Utrecht

:''See also ''
Over the ages famous people have been born and raised in Utrecht.
Among the most famous Utrechters are:

★ Pope Adrian VI (1429-1523) - head of the Catholic Church

★ C.H.D. Buys Ballot (1817-1890) - meteorologist, Buys-Ballot's law

★ Theo van Doesburg (1883-1931) - painter, artist (De Stijl movement)

★ Gerrit Rietveld (1888-1964) - designer, architect (De Stijl movement)

★ Dick Bruna (1923- ) - writer, illustrator (Miffy)

Twin cities

★ León, Nicaragua

★ Brno, Czech Republic

★ Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

★ Hannover, Germany, between 1970 and 1976

See also

★ List of mayors of Utrecht

★ Ondiep

References

★ R.E. de Bruin, T.J. Hoekstra and A. Pietersma, ''Twintig eeuwen Utrecht, korte geschiedenis van de stad'', 1999, ISBN 90-5479-040-7
1. http://us.holland.com/e/8376/History%20of%20Utrecht.php
2. 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.
3. http://www.utrecht.nl/smartsite.dws?id=15450&mw=1157&w=18&p=15304&parFrom=214&infFrom=15304#intern11
4. http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/ranking.htm

External links

★ Official website of the city

★ Official website of the archdiocese

★ UtrechtYourWay Website with tourist information and hotel bookings for Utrecht

★ 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

★ Wikitravel Guide to the city

★ Tourist attractions in Utrecht