Page 199 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - The Netherlands

WESTERN NE THERLANDS  197

UTRECHT

The province of Utrecht, with the lively university city
of the same name at its heart, has a vast range of
attractions for visitors, including farmhouses,
mansions, museums and castles, all set in a varied
and attractive wooded landscape, and with a
fascinating history dating back to Roman times.

The city of Utrecht has its origins in AD 47, In more recent times, the University
when the Romans built a camp by a ford of Utrecht has been a great source of
(trecht) at the river Rhine, which followed economic and artistic development,
a different course in those days. In 695, and the city is home to a modern
Bishop Willibrord established himself here manufacturing industry and major
to promote the spread of Christianity. From Dutch corporations.
the 11th century, the church authorities Visitors will enjoy the pretty country-
enjoyed not only spiritual but also secular side – ideal for car or cycle touring – the
power in this region, which has seen much country houses and historic buildings,
conflict: over the centuries the counts of the street markets and a great variety
Holland, the dukes of Burgundy, the of attractions ranging from old steam
Spaniards, the French and the Germans locomotives to barrel-organs and
have all tried to make their mark here. Australian Aboriginal art. But in this eco-
The region’s proximity to Amsterdam has conscious country, with its awareness of
meant that it has been able to share in the the need for conservation, it may be the
capital’s prosperity as wealthy merchants outdoors, with its sparkling lakes and
and landowners built their mansions and possibilities for leisurely country walks,
estates along the river Vecht (see p202). that will appeal the most.

De Haar castle in Haarzuilens, a Neo-Gothic construction (1892) built by Pierre Cuypers
Koppelpoort, one of Amersfoort’s 15th-century gates

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