Utrecht? You-Betcha!
- 4 hours ago
- 10 min read
If you visit the Netherlands as a tourist, traveler, voyager, or however your wandering self wishes to self-identify, you will almost assuredly visit Amsterdam. As you should. It’s pretty special. I would like to talk about another splendid burgh in this lowest of Low Countries: Utrecht. Just over 40 kilometers (about 27 miles) from Amsterdam, Utrecht is the perfect day trip from A’dam.
Zipping out of Amsterdam Centraal station, one can arrive in Utrecht in about 26 minutes for the low, low, low-country cost of €9.40 (about $10). The train station in Utrecht is in an ultra-modern quarter of the town, with a large shopping mall, Hoog Catharijne, adjoining the station. There's a nice little windmill (Molen de Ster) a short stroll to the west of the station. The Beatrix Theatre is just outside the station, and there is a Mannekin Pis fries outlet on the nearby fancy, nouvelle plaza. All splendid, if you enjoy such things.
What really stands out in Utrecht, though, is the Dom Tower. I should say what really stands UP in Utrecht is this medieval former church tower, as it rises 369 feet above this canal-crossed college community, making it visible from pretty much everywhere in central Utrecht.
Don't get me wrong, dear tower-topping traveler, there are many reasons to spend time in Utrecht other than the Dom Tower. For one, the canal sides in Utrecht are multileveled, making for a rather unique, picturesque aqua-pedestrian urban experience. The canals were constructed with the pedestrian level above the water level. The landings on the water were for boats and barges unloading their cargoes for the stores, shops, and restaurants above. Lining the canals at water level are the former warehouses of days of yore. Nowadays, these are cafes, bars, and restaurants.
You can scamper down any myriad staircases and sit on the canal side, have a snack, meal, or drink, and enjoy a lovely Utrecht experience. As we did. With a sandwich from Brodje Mario, one of the two “competing” sandwich stands on the Oudegracht (the main canal in Utrecht). Brodje Ben is just on the other side of the canal. I swear I meant to get a large meal from that sandwicherie too, but my belleh was unable to comply. Brodje Mario was splendid, and I am sure Brodje Ben is as well.
We visited the marvelous, funky, kinda steampunky Speelklok Museum, full of large and small animatronic "instruments," clocks, and organs dating all the way back to medieval times that amaze and fascinate. We went to Speelklok as our last stop of the day; thus, we took an abbreviated guided tour. This was just fine for us, as a long day of canal carousing and tower climbing left us a tad tired.
Our guide was an energetic joy of a woman who clearly loved her job and explained the displays (in English) in a cogent and entertaining manner. She danced at least twice while demonstrating the devices and exhibited such joy at the exhibits that the memory of her is equal to the memory of the music magic.
Apart from these attractions, there is also the Miffy Museum (the adorable cartoon bunny was created in Utrecht), a building with a teacup on top, a building with a flying saucer on top, Sint Willibrordkerk, and a funny-named shopping mall called “Winkel van Sinkel.” Yes, I'm making fun of Dutch. It's a silly language. I tease because I love. I mean, come on! “Winkel van Sinkel?”
Let's move on to the main towering attraction. I do not exaggerate when I tell you that Dom Tower was at the top of the list of “must-see” monuments when I was planning this voyage to the Netherlands. The fine arts museums (which will be discussed in an upcoming blog post) and the Dom Tower were the non-negotiables of the trip. None disappointed.
Originally part of St. Martin's Cathedral, the Dom Tower (and the church) had its groundbreaking in 1321, and construction continued until 1382, whence funds ran low and construction was curtailed. In 1674, an extremely localized storm, most likely a downburst or downdraft, destroyed only the nave of the church. This separated the eastern and western parts of the structure, leaving the west side a standalone tower.
The result was a rather large rubble heap, which remained between the now Dom Tower and the main structure of St. Martin’s church for 150 years. The mess wasn't completely cleaned up until 1826. Thus, for a century and a half the site of the former nave of St. Martin's became a spot for clandestine liaisons. For years, men who wanted to have sex with other men met in the nooks, crannies, artificial caves, and other hiding spots amongst the debris. These men were doing the old-timey version of modern-day “cruising.” There was no term akin to the present-day “gay” or “LGBTQ,” let alone an identity these terms signify. Thus, these men were referred to with the pejorative “sodomite” and heavily persecuted.
Now, embedded in the plaza outside the church and tower, a modest yet significant memorial commemorates the men murdered by church and state due to their gender and sexuality. I like to find memorials such as these (there's also the “Homomonument” in Amsterdam near Westerkerk and Anne Frank House). Reflecting on the struggles people faced in the past can put contemporary liberation movements in clearer focus.
Moving on from horrific historic homophobia, we toured the environs around Domplein (the plaza) before ascending the tower. Standing next to the cathedral wall is the Verzetsmonument, a memorial to Dutch antifascist resistance fighters during Nazi occupation, 1940-1945.
Just off the Domplein, nestled inconspicuously behind some buildings, through a small archway is Flora’s Hof, a small, pleasant urban garden.
To the south of the plaza stands the Utrecht University Groot Kapittelhuis, a rather regal-looking Dutch building where debates, lectures, and academic ceremonies take place. In fact, there was some kind of graduation ceremony going on as we walked about.
As we gawked, we fell under the gaze of one Count Jan van Nassau, staring down upon our peasant asses from high atop his stone plinth just outside the hall of academia. Jan van Nassau was an early founder of the House of Orange and thus instrumental in the consolidation of the low countries into the Dutch republic. I am giving this fellah and his significance short shrift and confused consideration, but I am many things, and yet one of them is not a scholar of the House of Orange.
While I may not be a knower of Orange, I am savvy to fake runestones. And lo and behold, just behind Count Jan stands a replica of an ancient “Runensteen Van Jelling,” or Jelling Stone. The real carved runes are found in Denmark in the village of Jelling and date to the 10th century. This particular replica was made for the 300th anniversary of Utrecht University in 1936 and is one of the two stones of King Harald Bluetooth (yes, that Bluetooth). A replica of a Danish runestone in a Dutch university town? Sure. Why not? Who am I to question what the Dutch do? I am still pondering Winkel van Sinkel.
The Runenstenen Van Jelling stands just outside the wall and arched entry to the Pandhof van de Dom, a small, yet spectacular, cloistered garden. Dating to the 14th century, the cloister connects the main cathedral building to the Groot Kapittelhuis and has served at various times as a cemetery, herb garden, and place for public consumption of alcohol. I kid you not. Apparently, the ownership of the cloister was unclear through the ages, so the space was open to the citizenry to hang about, drink beer, and even let chickens roam. In 1636, Utrecht University took ownership and restricted access.
The art, including sculptures, statuary, and myriad bas reliefs, is worthy of a prolonged look. A very informative placard discusses some of the history of the space and offers insightful points of interest and interpretations of the art. One could spend hours slow-walking this space and sleuthing the signs and signifiers of significant saints. It’s quite a treat.
We have visited a number of cloisters like this in our travels, and this one did not disappoint in the least. Around the groomed garden grounds, you can walk the open-air corridors with ribbed-arch ceilings and gaze through glassless windows at the small garden square. It’s all quite peaceful, contemplative, and full of carved curiosities.
St. Martin’s Cathedral, or Domkerk, is somewhat austere. This should be of no surprise, considering its historic voyage from Catholic cathedral to Protestant/Calvinist/Dutch Reform and surviving through the Wars of Religion and Iconoclasm of the 16th century. Despite the lack of abundance of fanciful art and adornments, there is still plenty to see, enjoy, and learn from inside Domkerk. In fact, one of the more striking historical relics inside Domkerek is an altarpiece of carved stone depicting Jesus, Mary Magdalene, St. Martin, and the Virgin Mary, among others. The carved artwork even depicts God at the top. I should say “depicted” as the entire image has literally been defaced. All of the faces of saints, Mary, Jesus, and even God have been chiseled off. It’s haunting to look at in real life. I knew about this piece, and yet I was still startled and surprised at the impact it had on me when I first saw it with my own eyes. It’s rather intense. It’s a credit to Utrecht and the church leaders that this is still on display.
Besides the fantastic face-free finery, there is art of many sorts throughout the grand gothic masterpiece. My personal favorite is a wall carving that appears to be of two monkeys copulating. Nothing says “Glory to God” and “Hosanna in the Highest” like two simians getting it on.
There is a fabulous carving depicting the “Crucifixion of Christ and Two Criminals at Calvary” that dates to 1550, a few cool sarcophagi, and one marvelous cenotaph of a 16th-century bishop. Overall, St. Martin’s is a gothic architectural masterpiece, flying buttresses and all, with fewer artistic treasures inside than other, less ransacked Catholic churches that did not fall victim to the iconoclasts. It is, of course, well worth the visit.
And now on to the dominant Dom destination during our day in Utrecht. To climb the 465 steps to the top of the Dom Tower, you have to book a guided tour. And yes, you read that correctly: 465 steps. Medieval, spiral stone stairs. Needless to say, Dom Tower is not accessible for people with disabilities or mobility issues.
Our group tour had about 30 people, split almost 50/50 between native Dutch speakers and English speakers. Our guide was extremely accommodating and gave the tour in both languages, first going over the details in Dutch and then transitioning to English. It worked seamlessly.
We got to see an old bishop’s quarters with a fireplace and wooden staircase to the private room, a whole bunch of gargoyles, other adornments that were recovered from the debris of the collapsed nave, and bells.
Oh Lord almighty how many bells we saw! They were huge! Ginormous! I asked the tour guide how they hoisted all that massive medieval musical metal way back in the day, and she responded that they do not know. Amazing! A musical mystery of medieval days! The Dom Tower has a carillon that features 50 bells, and there are 14 more swinging bells. That is a lot. And the size and weight of each is considerable. We were not privy to hearing the carillon player play her songs, as she only plays on Saturdays from 11 to noon and on Mondays in July and August. I am sure there are also special events and concerts, but the times to hear the Utrecht Tower chime away are limited.
Upon reaching the top of Dom Tower, we were treated to what can only be described with the most stereotypical of descriptors: a breathtaking view. We were lucky that we climbed the 465 steps on a very clear day and the visibility was at its maximum. We could see all the way to Amsterdam (27 miles), Rotterdam (29 miles), and even The Hague (35 miles). It was quite special. The entire span of Utrecht spread out below, and the sights we saw throughout the day (the windmill, the canals, Winkel van Sinkel) were seen from a fresh aerial vantage point.
It was perfect! Alas, the party at the top of the world was brought to an end as our no-nonsense Dutch tour director directed us down. And down we went. No stops, no break. Just winding, spiraling, and walking, step-by-step by 465 steps. For me, the way down actually made my legs burn more than the climb to the sky. I had been doing stair work on my morning walk to prepare for this, and yet the descent still burned. We survived. The burn abated, and the glorious memories remain!
The view was so wonderful and the sky so clear, with just a few spotty, wispy clouds, that I will just zip my lip and show you some more pictures from far atop the Utrecht world via the Dom Tower.
After a long, food-seeking wander, we decided on Vegitalian for our evening dinner. It is a nice pizza place, obviously popular with the university crowd (it filled up very quickly, and we felt lucky to have been seated). They make their own homemade limoncello and have what may or may not have been a real lemon tree inside the dining room. The authenticity of the citrus plant is of no consequence, as the from-scratch aperitif was quite yummy.
The pizza was delicious as well. We split a wonderful pie with vegan pepperoni, jalapeño pepper, red bell pepper, and both mozzarella and provolone. It was just about perfect. We also split a savory grilled veggie bowl with, among other things, pumpkin, beets, and Brussels sprouts. It was marvelous. Oh, did I mention the limoncello and wine? Yes? No? Well, we had both. This restaurant is tasty, comfy, on the inexpensive side, and right off De Oude Utrechtse Markt. The plaza is lined with restaurants, bars, and the public library, which may have the most "extreme" and "rad" signage I have ever seen on a public book-lending depository.
By this time it was getting on into the evening. We slow-walked our way back to the train station, enjoying the illuminated canals and gentle bustle of a Dutch university town on a calm autumn evening. Everything wrapped up in Utrecht splendidly. That is why I say “Utrecht? YOU BETCHA!”
