Box 1: The New Dutch Water Line The New Dutch Water Line was the main defense line of our country from 1815 to February 1940. This line consisted of a chain of 50 forts, 6 fortified towns and 750 concrete group shelters, 88 military rifle casemates and many military locks. An 85-kilometer-long Waterline ran through […]
Roman Habitation
Close to the 19th century fortress of Vechten, the Roman Castellum (Fortress Fectio) was located here in the period around 0 – 275 A.D.. The Castellum was located next to the Old Rhine (Oude Rijn) and has served many purposes, such as a base during the Roman campaigns. The presence of Roman soldiers attracted traders […]
Fortress at Vechten
Fortress at Vechten Fortress at Vechten was built on part of the terrain where the Roman Castellum (Fortress Fectio) stood. This fortress is the namesake of the township “Vechten”. Vechten was already known to be a site where roman antiquities are found. The first digs have been executed in 1829. During the construction of Fortress […]
Tea House Rhijnauwen
The Tea House on Rhijnauwen In the spring of 1921, the Municipality of Utrecht decided to “place a simple tea house at a suitable spot in Rhijnauwen near the Kromme Rijn in order to give hikers, cyclists and rowers a resting place where they could find a pleasant pupation”. The most suitable place for the […]
Ecumenical Road Church Blauwkapel
This monumental church was built around 1550. It is the smallest Gothic cruciform church in the Netherlands, 22 m long and 5.5 / 11.5 m wide. The tower is 17m high. During the Reformation in 1579, the Roman Catholic family chapel was assigned to the Protestants. The story goes that in 1588 the Roman Catholic […]
Hollandse Waterlinie, Fort Blauwkapel
Hollandse Waterlinie, Fort Blauwkapel Built in 1818-1821 around the village of Blauwe Kapel. Around 1850 and modified between 1873 and 1883. To the city side is a bombproof guard house. Intended as a ‘reduit’, that is to say it served as the last point of defense for the closure of the Utrecht-Hilversum road, the Gageldijk, […]