
Due to its strategic location on the Rhine river, the Romans took Utrecht 50 AD and remained there until 275 AD. They built an army base there and called the fortress Castellum Traiectum.
After that, Utrecht was mainly an religious city and seat of the archbishop.
Until 1122 the Rhine flowed through Utrecht and there were frequent floods in the city. Therefore the river was diverted, but this caused the water level to drop 4 meters. Quays and corridors were constructed at water level to allow goods to be loaded, unloaded and stored in warehouses.
There are still more than 700 of these low-lying cellar warehouses and many are used as bars or restaurants.
Until the 16th century the Dom Church was Catholic, but after the Reformation Protestant. These paid little attention to the building and in 1674 a storm destroyed the central part of the church. As a result, the tower and the church are still separate from each other.
in the 17th century, Utrecht was important as a fortified city and on the orders of Louis XIV, French troops occupied the city in 1672.
The most famous building in Utrecht is the Dom Church with the Dom Tower.
The tower is the highest in the Netherlands and is 112 meters high and you can reach the top via 465 steps. In the clock tower hang 14 historic clocks that together weigh more than 32,000 kilos. With a weight of no less than 8,227 kilos, the Salvator Mundi is the second largest clock in the world.
According to tradition, a resident of Utrecht does not walk under the tower, like most tourists do, but around it.
If you wish to do a walk in Utrecht we can do during any of our tours.
https://www.discover-utrecht.com/collection/top-10-must-sees/