HISTORY UTRECHT CITY WALKS

Utrecht was officially founded in the year 1122, but before that, it was already a fort called Trajectum in Roman times. This means that the city has rich history, which is evident from the way it’s built and from the landmarks that are present within and around its perimeter.

It’s also a very lively city, filled with young, creative people that are invested in keeping the traditional feel of Utrecht and mixing it with a dash of modern style such as hidden paintings on old houses, famous graffiti art, and many poems written on walls and cobblestones.

When daylight leaves the streets of Utrecht, the illuminated stories of Utrecht Lumen come to life. These works of art cast a special light on the history, the inhabitants, the function or the symbolism of a building or location. Some light artworks play with a familiar building. Others take you to a surprising place that you would otherwise not come so quickly or completely pass by during the day. That’s why it’s our favourite. There are more than twenty artistic light stimuli on this route, and you can easily find their locations online if you search for the Utrecht Lumen walk. Following are some examples of highlights.

1) Tunnels have always played an important role in the center of Utrecht. This also applies to the tunnel from the Ganzenmarkt that leads to the cellar of the Winkel van Sinkel. It is illuminated beautifully at night.

2) The Flying Saucer on the railway station building. Nobody knows how it arrived there. How did they come this far? How much further will they go? So many questions, so few answers. The UFO residents have not been home for a while, but since 2016 the lights in the dish have been switched on again in the evening.

3) Over the centuries, the five arched bridges over the Oudegracht have been very decisive for the appearance of the city center of Utrecht. Lighting designer Hal Hollands wanted to emphasise this with dynamic light image that allows the bridge and the flowing water below to react to each other.

4) In Roman times, Utrecht was the northern border of the Roman Empire. There was a fortress with a wall on the site of the Domplein. At that time, Utrecht was still called Trajectum and the Roman fortress Castellum Trajectum. The wall is, of course, long gone. But in the evening it rises every fifteen minutes from the road surface of Domstraat, Servetstraat and Korte Nieuwstraat. In 1962, part of the canal around the city center was filled to build Hoog Catharijne, a highway and a parking lot on top of it. But after many protests, it was restored in 2020 to its former glory. You can now walk a full circle along the water again. You can also take some shortcuts along canals through the city center and because they’re all interconnected you’ll always end up on the ring canal again. The route starts and ends at Utrecht Central Station. It’s very easy to follow and you can find the following highlights along the canal.

1) Let’s start off with Pop Podium TivoliVredenburg. The origin of Tivoli has a turbulent history with punks, rock and roll, and demonstrations. Even the Rolling Stones have played there.

2) The second highlight is the Zandbrug. However, Just before the Zandbrug, you will see the statue of Trijn van Leemput on your left. During the Eighty Years’ War, Trijn was the resistance heroine who dealt the first blow to demolish Vredenburg Castle. The castle was demolished within 3 days, an important turning point in the battle against the Spanish.

3) The Beguine stronghold used to stand along the canal and served to defend the city of Utrecht. It is one of the 5 strongholds that protected Utrecht. The contours of the stronghold can still be seen today. This part along the canal is full of large trees and nature, a wonderfully quiet piece to walk.

4) The Lucasbolwerk was also a defensive stronghold of the city of Utrecht and dates from the period 1577 – 1597. Today the Lucasbolwerk has an important nightlife function and on this street are the Utrecht City Theater, 2 student associations and several cafes.

5) If you follow the canal after the Lucasbolwerk, you can follow a footpath from the Lucasbrug along the water. At the beginning of this path, a piece of the old city wall is visible on the right. A nice reminder of the defensive wall of the past.

6) From Lepelenburg park you can follow the Zonneburg hiking trail. After a few minutes you will arrive at Park Servaasbolwerk/Sonneborgh. The former KNMI building stands on a small hill. Nowadays Museum Sonnenborgh is located here where you can learn everything about weather and astronomy. In the domes are 3 telescopes to view the universe.