The history of Utrecht in a nutshell

For a long time, the Netherlands was one big swamp, a river delta. 2000 years ago, the Rhine River formed the northern border of the Roman Empire. Along this river the Romans built watchtowers, forts and a road. One of these forts they built around 41 A.D. on the site of the Domsquare (Domplein). They named the fort Trajectum and thus Utrecht was born. When the Romans left 300 years later, the fort was alternately owned by Franks and Frisians.

In the late 7th century, the English missionary Willibrord came to the Netherlands. On the remains of the Roman fort he built a small church dedicated to St. Martin. Utrecht thus became a homebase for converting tribes in the north. Soon Utrecht was given bishopric status and became a diocese.

At its peak, diocese Utrecht covered as much as three-quarters of what is now the Netherlands. Over much of this, the bishop was supreme. He had an army, spoke law and levied taxes. Utrecht became a city with many churches and the inner city was home to dozens of monasteries. For 500 years, Utrecht was the largest and most important city in the Netherlands.

In 1122, Utrecht received city rights from the hands of the German Emperor Henry V. The city was allowed to create an independent city council, fortify itself with a moot and city walls, and also the digging of the now famous Old Canal (Oudegracht) began. Utrecht was a thriving trade center with merchants from all over the world. The Old Canal functioned as a more than a mile-long inland harbor. Bridges and squares served as marketplaces. During this period, the famous wharves and wharf cellars were created.

Vibrant trade and population growth created a large middle class of artisans and merchants. Much of this middle class was united in guilds. The guilds supervised the proper training of craftsmen, the quality of the work delivered, and they had a duty of care in case of illness and death. Well-known guilds in Utrecht were the brewers, goldsmiths and the (vocal and feared) butchers.

Because the artisans and merchants were so well organized, they also exercised strong influence over the city government. When one day the Utrecht bishop was on campaign with his army, the guilds saw their opportunity and staged a successful revolution. Utrecht created an elected city council in 1304, making it the oldest city council in northwestern Europe.

In 1636, the University of Utrecht was founded. At that time an incredibly talented woman was living in Utrecht. Her name was Anna Maria van Schurman. At a very young age she could already read and write. By the time she was eighteen she spoke as many as fourteen foreign languages. Anna Maria was eager to continue her studies at the university, but traditionally this was a male-dominated institution.

In 1674, a major disaster occurred in Utrecht. On the evening of August 1, a fierce storm front reached the city. This storm was so violent that the middle part of the Dom Church completely collapsed. Since then, the Dom Tower and Dom Church have been separated. Because the Dom Tower fortunately remained standing, it is still the highest church tower in the Netherlands (112 meters).

In 1885 the first bicycle path in the Netherlands was constructed on the Maliebaan. It was a real bicycle path where cyclists had priority over all other traffic. Utrecht is a great cycling city. In 2019 and 2022, Utrecht was named the best bike city in the world. Near the central station we have the largest bicycle parking facility in the world, with space for 12,500 bicycles. Moreover, Utrecht is the only city in the world where all grand cycling tours have started (Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta).

Did you know that...

... the only Dutch Pope Adrian VI was a native of Utrecht.

... Utrecht, along with Leiden, was the cradle of the Enlightenment.

... the French Revolution actually began in Utrecht as early as 1786.

... the Utrecht soccer club Dos became national champions in 1970.

... Utrecht has the best tap water.

... The foundation for the development of cultured meat in was laid in Utrecht .

... our King Willem-Alexander was born in Utrecht.

... you can buy the best vanilla ice cream in the world at Roberto's in Utrecht.

... the Wi-Fi communication network is a (more or less) Utrecht invention.