Utrecht – Experience an endless poem in the stones of a street updated every Saturday by carving

Unni Mohanadas December 17, 2019 Destinations 0

Location: Netherlands

Destination Type : Cultural

Utrecht is a city in the central Netherlands that has been a religious center for centuries. It has a medieval old town, canals, Christian monuments and a venerable university. The Letters of Utrecht form an endless poem in the stones of a street in the center of the Dutch city of Utrecht. Every Saturday at 13:00, the next letter is carved into the next cobblestone,with the intent to continue for as long as there are Saturdays. It takes about three years to publish an average sentence. Every year the poem grows by about five meters

History

The founding date of the city is usually related to the construction of a Roman fortification (castellum), probably built in around 50 CE
By the mid-7th century, English and Irish missionaries set out to convert the Frisians
When the Frankish rulers established the system of feudalism, the Bishops of Utrecht came to exercise worldly power as prince-bishops
The growing town Utrecht was granted city rights by Henry V in 1122
In 1579 the northern seven provinces signed the Union of Utrecht, in which they decided to join forces against Spanish rule

Activities for tourists

Visit Museum Speelklok
Enjoy the canals
Visit Railway museum
Visit Museum Catharijne convent
Enjoy De Letters van Utrecht (poem with no end)

How to reach there

Air

Nearest airport is Amsterdam’s Schiphol International Airport . It is well-connected to various cities in the world by regular flights. While the national carrier for the Netherlands is KLM, some other flights which operate from here are Air France, British Airways, Emirates, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and US Airways.

Train

Utrecht Centraal is the main railway station of Utrecht and is the largest in the country. There are regular intercity services to all major Dutch cities; direct services to Schiphol Airport . International InterCityExpress (ICE) services to Germany (and further) through Arnhem call at Utrecht Centraal

Nearby destinations for tour operators / travel agents