Utrecht (city) — Dutch provincial capital and historic university city

Roman times

Although there is evidence of earlier settlement in the region of Utrecht in the Bronze Age, the Roman fort of Traiectum, established under Emperor Claudius (reigned 41-54 AD) on the Lower Germanic Limes in the area of the present-day centre of Utrecht, is usually regarded as the oldest settlement nucleus. Its origin was probably connected with the reinforcement of the Lower Germanic Limes under the governorship of Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo in 47 A.D. The fort was situated on the southern bank of the former Kromme Rijn, probably near a ford, as the name Traiectum ("river crossing") suggests. In 69, according to archaeological evidence, it was destroyed by fire, probably as a result of the Batavian uprising, but was soon rebuilt. At the end of the 2nd century, the wooden-earth fortification of the military camp, which was designed for about 500 soldiers and covered an area of about 1.7 hectares, was replaced by a wall of tufa. To the east and west of the fort, remains of the civilian settlement (vicus) associated with it were found. Traiectum is already listed as a place name in the Itinerarium Antonini. The fort seems to have been destroyed a few decades before the invasion of the Franks in 270 AD; there was no longer a permanently occupied Roman fortification after this.

Early Middle Ages

Little is known about the history of Utrecht in the period from the 4th to the end of the 6th century. A church built in the former Roman fort in Utrecht is probably attested from the beginning of the 7th century, at which time the city was under the rule of the kings of the Frankish kingdom of Austrasia. King Dagobert transferred the Utrecht church to Bishop Kunibert of Cologne around 630, who was to proselytize the Frisians. However, the Frisians did not allow themselves to be Christianized at first, but took possession of Utrecht in 650. Later attempts at conversion, initiated by Bishop Wilfrid of York in 678/679 among others, were also of little avail. On the other hand, greater and lasting success was achieved by St. Willibrord, who was appointed archbishop of the Frisian people by Pope Sergius I in 695, and was to establish an episcopal see in Utrecht subordinate to the Roman Church. As the Frisians advanced again in 715/716, Willibrord was forced to retreat to his monastery at Echternach. In 719/722, Charles Martell reconquered the formerly Frankish Frisia, whereupon Willibrord was able to proselytize again.

The place got the name Ultra Traiectum ("beyond the river crossing")/uut Trecht ("outside Trajectum"), compare Dutch uit ("out"). In old prints the place name Trajecti ad Rhenum or Traiecti Batavorum is found in the imprint.

In 834, the city was first attacked and plundered by Vikings. The bishop felt compelled to leave the city in 857 due to the threat from pagan Vikings and Frisians. His bishopric was administered from Deventer for over 60 years. Otto I granted the city market rights in 936; Utrecht's economic importance grew with the decline of Dorestad, 20 kilometres away. A last attack by Vikings still took place in 1007.

High and late Middle Ages

In the 12th century, Utrecht became a walled city. It was granted city rights by Emperor Henry V in 1122. As an episcopal see, the city was of great importance; hence it is rich in medieval churches, although some, such as the Mariakerk, have not survived the test of time. As a result of the active building of churches, monasteries and abbeys, Utrecht developed a strong presence of sculptors, stonemasons and carvers who were engaged in decorating religious buildings. Their art, some of which had non-religious content, was also acquired by wealthy merchants and citizens. The works reached a high quality, so that many sculptures were exported as far as the Lower Rhine and to Spain, Normandy and Norway. The raw materials for the works of art were imported from distant European countries: High-quality oak wood came by ship from Poland and Lithuania, Baumberger limestone from Münsterland, Bentheimer sandstone from Grafschaft Bentheim, and Avesner stone from Avesnes-le-Sec in northern France. At that time Utrecht was economically, politically, religiously and culturally the centre of the northern Netherlands.

early modern period

The first iconoclasm reached the city in 1566, and two more were to follow until 1580. This destroyed many works of art that had decorated churches and monasteries. In 1559 Utrecht became independent from the bishopric to the archbishopric and thus from the archbishopric of Cologne. This happened at the instigation of King Philip II. who considered the reduction of the bishoprics as an ecclesiastical instrument against the Reformation. In 1576, during the Eighty Years' War, there was an uprising in the city against the rule of the Spanish in the Netherlands, and the citadel of Vredenburg was taken and later razed; the ruins were reused for other buildings. With the Reformation and the ensuing iconoclasm, as well as the ongoing political tensions between the crown and the city, the heyday of Utrecht sculpture came to an end.

In 1579 the Union of Utrecht was concluded here.

In 1636 the university was founded. On 1 August 1674, a tornado destroyed church spires, roofs and almost the entire nave of Utrecht Cathedral. The city temporarily lost its importance, but grew strongly again after it received railway connections to Kampen, Boxtel, among others, in the 19th century and to Rotterdam in 1855.

Utrecht as a place of peace agreements

The name Utrecht appears several times in negotiations and treaties of historical significance. The Peace of Utrecht of 1474 ended the Hanseatic-English War, secured the Hanseatic League's stalwart court in London, and restricted the trade of English long-distance merchants in the Baltic region. The Peace of Utrecht of 1713 ended the Wars of the Spanish Succession.

Utrecht as the seat of the Roman Catholic Church of the Old Episcopal Clergy

In 1723, a schism occurred between the clergy of the Archbishopric of Utrecht and the Holy See, giving rise to the Roman Catholic Church of the Old Episcopal Clergy. It was often simply called the Church of Utrecht. It was not until 1853 that Utrecht also again became the seat of a non-Roman Catholic archbishop, so that there were two "Roman Catholic" archbishops there. During the Kulturkampf, the Church of Utrecht used its ordaining power and placed itself at the head of the Old Catholic Churches.

20th century

The Netherlands was neutral in the First World War, but the war had a major impact on living conditions.

In 1931, the fascist Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging (NSB) was founded in Utrecht. Until May 1945 it had its headquarters in the building Maliebaan 35.

On 10 May 1940, the German Reich invaded the Netherlands. Utrecht was occupied by the Wehrmacht for five years. Already in the summer of 1940, the occupiers began to deprive the Jewish citizens of Utrecht of their rights. In 1942, Mayor Gerard Abraham Willem ter Pelkwijk was removed from office and replaced by Cornelis van Ravenswaay, a mayor by German grace from the ranks of the Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging. In the same year the deportation of the Utrecht Jews began. They were taken from the Utrecht Maliebaan station to the Westerbork transit camp and from there to the Auschwitz death camp. 900 of the 1200 Utrecht Jews were murdered. On 13 October and 6 November 1944, the Royal Air Force bombed Utrecht. Among other things, the railway station, the Municipal and University Hospital and residential areas were badly hit. These attacks embittered the population. To replace the city's badly damaged main hospital, the city's cinemas were used for medical care. After the partial surrender of the Wehrmacht for northwestern Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands on May 5, 1945, Canadian troops entered Utrecht on May 7.

In his terror attack in Utrecht in 2019, the convicted perpetrator shot four people.

Early Music Festival

Utrecht hosts the annual festival Oude Muziek, in 2019 from 23 August to 1 September under the motto Napoli - de vergeten hoofdstad van de muziek.

Museums

• Catharijneconvent, an important museum of religious history, is located in the former convent of St. Catherine, next to St. Catherine's Cathedral.
• Nederlands Spoorwegmuseum, the Dutch railway museum
• University Museum
• Museum Speelklok, a museum for music boxes and barrel organs
• Centraal Museum Utrecht for ancient and modern art

Tours

There are round trips along the canals through the old town, with stops at many museums, such as the Dutch Railway Museum, the University Museum, the Speelklok Museum and the Centraal Museum Utrecht.

Sacred buildings

• Utrecht Cathedral is one of the most important church buildings in the Netherlands. Since the nave collapsed in a tornado in 1674, there has been a gap between the crossing and the west tower, which at 112.5 metres is the tallest church tower in the country. It has a 17th-century Hemony carillon.
• St Catherine's Cathedral
• Other churches: among others the Buur-, Jans-, St.-Petri-, Nikolai-, Jacobi-, Geerte- (= Gertrudis-) church, St.-Paulus-abbey
• the Doopsgezinde Kerk, a hidden church (Schuilkerk) of the Utrecht baptists.

Profane buildings

• House Oudaen, around 1300
• In the pope's house (Paushuize) the later pope Hadrian VI was born in 1459
• old houses and city castles
• Rietveld-Schröder House, built in 1924 by Gerrit Rietveld in the style of early modernism (De Stijl), World Heritage Site since 2000.
• TivoliVredenburg, music centre that reopened in 2014
• Utrecht University, the second largest in the Netherlands, has, in addition to the Utrecht University Library and a number of historic buildings in the old town, an extensive, architecturally significant campus in the east of the city: De Uithof. There, among other things:
• Educatorium by Rem Koolhaas
• Minnaert building from Neutelings Riedijk
• laboratory building designed by UNStudio
• Basketbar by NL Architects
• Student residence De Bisschoppen
• Galgenwaard, stadium on the eastern edge of the city where the professional football club FC Utrecht plays.
• Prins Clausbrug, cable-stayed bridge from 2003, architect Ben van Berkel. The bridge was named after the recently deceased Prins Claus.
• The 1913 Rijn en Zon tower windmill in the northeast of the city is the tallest windmill in the province of Utrecht and one of the five tallest in the Netherlands. Its predecessor was built in 1745.