Utrecht 4 languages

Utrecht, the fourth city of the Netherlands, is by far the oldest of this quartet. Around 50 AD, the Romans had already built a castellum on the site of the current Domplein: fort Trajectum. Some 650 years later, the old fort was set up as a mission post by the English Benedictine minnik Willibrord.

From that time on, Utrecht grew from a small town to a religious power centre. Partly due to the construction of an ingenious medieval complex of canals, weaving and wharf cellars with streets on two levels, which created the largest harbour of that time in the middle of the city, Utrecht experienced an unprecedented prosperity for a long time. Until the 16th century, the city remained the largest and most important in the Northern Netherlands. Utrecht was gradually displaced from the first place by the rise of Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam. However, the city always remained important, to which its central location certainly contributed.

In the midst of all those atmospheric, historical places and buildings, Utrecht also proves to be a surprisingly lively, current and fresh city, attractive to a very diverse audience. The compilers of the guide have tried to inform you in a short space of time during your walk through the city