The Rose under the Linden
In 1443, Anton Hely built a house on the part of the Nieuwegracht that was called ‘Onder de Linden'. In his coat of arms he carried a rose, after which he probably called his house ‘The Rose'. That name remained in vogue until 1723 when the city of Utrecht purchased the plot – which ran all the way to the Lange Nieuwstraat – with the house and the adjacent buildings for the establishment of Hortus Botanicus. Until that moment it was located on the stronghold of Zonnenburg. The house was radically renovated, after which it served as the official residence of the professor of botany until 1958. From 1859 to 1871, the internationally renowned F.A.W. Michael that post. When the Biohistorical Institute of Utrecht University was established here in 1958, the building was given the name Miquel House. The blind side wall was created in 1950, after the adjacent Hortulanus house was demolished to widen the entrance to the Hortus.