place

Oudegracht

Buildings and structures in Utrecht (city)Canals in Utrecht (province)Canals in the NetherlandsHistory of Utrecht (city)Transport in Utrecht (city)
Utrecht (province) geography stubs
Utrecht Canals Aerial View July 2006
Utrecht Canals Aerial View July 2006

The Oudegracht, or "old canal", runs through the center of Utrecht, the Netherlands. It starts in the southeast of the city. Here the Kromme Rijn (the original main bed of the Rhine river) and the Vaartse Rijn (a medieval canal reconnecting Utrecht to the newer main stream of the Rhine, the Lek) arrive to meet the original moat of the fortified town, and the Oudegracht goes from there into the center of town. Parts of the Oudegracht follow the original flow of the river Rhine, but there is some disagreement on what parts. The northern part is most likely an early canal (app. 1000) connecting the Rhine section to the river Vecht. The southern part was started in 1122, after the water level of the Rhine in Utrecht dropped because of the new dam at Wijk bij Duurstede. The ground excavated was used to raise the sides of the canal, to reduce the chance of flooding. When the city's system of locks was finished in 1275 the water level was constant, enabling the creation of permanently dry cellars and new quays at water level, hence the typical wharfs (Dutch: werven) below street level. Warehouses used to line the canal. Today many of these warehouses have been converted into restaurants and cafés.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Oudegracht (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Oudegracht
Oudegracht aan de Werf, Utrecht

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address Nearby Places
placeShow on map

Wikipedia: OudegrachtContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 52.091666666667 ° E 5.1177777777778 °
placeShow on map

Address

Orchid Lounge

Oudegracht aan de Werf 142
3511 AL Utrecht (Utrecht)
Utrecht, Netherlands
mapOpen on Google Maps

Utrecht Canals Aerial View July 2006
Utrecht Canals Aerial View July 2006
Share experience

Nearby Places

Utrecht University

Utrecht University (UU; Dutch: Universiteit Utrecht, formerly Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht) is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established 26 March 1636 (1636-03-26), it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2018, it had an enrollment of 31,801 students, and employed 7,191 faculty and staff. In 2018, 525 PhD degrees were awarded and 6,948 scientific articles were published. The 2018 budget of the university was €857 million.Utrecht University counts a number of distinguished scholars among its alumni and faculty, including 12 Nobel Prize laureates and 13 Spinoza Prize laureates. Utrecht University has been placed consistently in the top 100 universities in the world by prominent international ranking tables. The university is ranked the best university in the Netherlands by the Shanghai Ranking of World Universities 2019, ranking 13th in Europe and 49th in the world.The university's motto is "Sol Iustitiae Illustra Nos," which means "May the Sun of Righteousness Enlighten Us". This motto was gleaned from a literal Latin Bible translation of Malachi 4:2. Rutgers University, having historical connections with Utrecht University, uses a modified version of this motto. Utrecht University is led by the University Board, consisting of prof. dr. Henk Kummeling (Rector Magnificus), prof. dr. Anton Pijpers (Chair) and prof. mr. Annetje Ottow (Vice Chair). Close ties are harboured with other institutions internationally through its membership in the Coimbra Group (CG), the League of European Research Universities (LERU), the Utrecht Network and the European University Association (EUA).