Utrecht

Utrecht is a city in the central Netherlands and the capital of the province of the same name, on the Kromme Rijn and the Vecht. Miffy, the white rabbit of the picture books of Dick Bruna, was drawn in the city, where Bruna lived and worked all his life.

The Romans built a fort called Traiectum at a crossing of the Rhine in the 1st century, and Willibrord, a missionary from Northumbria, made it the seat of his bishops in the late 7th century. For centuries the bishops of Utrecht were the most powerful lords of the northern Low Countries. The Union of Utrecht, signed in 1579, joined the northern provinces in the alliance that grew into the Dutch Republic, and the Peace of Utrecht was signed in the city in 1713. Utrecht University was founded in the 1630s.

Douwe Egberts roasts coffee at its plant in Utrecht, and the smell of roasting beans often drifts over the north of the city. Bol, the online store for books, toys and electronics, has its head office in Utrecht. The Jaarbeurs, a trade fair company founded in the city in the early 20th century, holds fairs and concerts in its halls beside the central station.

The Dom Tower, the Gothic bell tower of St. Martin's Cathedral, stands apart from the church, with an open square where the nave once stood, and its carillon plays over the old town. The Oudegracht, the old canal, has wharves at water level with cellars beneath the street, now used as cafés. Gerrit Rietveld, born in Utrecht, designed the Rietveld Schröder House in the 1920s with sliding walls and primary colors, and it is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.