Utrecht Utrecht for Starters

On the warf of the Oude Gracht below nr. 36 you can read the poem called:
"Utrecht for starters".




It asks you, to learn to understand the city, by feeling it's history with your own hands.

Select a good evening,
walk along the channels and look
how the light in the houses disappears.
Put than your hand on a wall.
Here the eldest stone is right.

The poem is of the, in March 2009 appointed, first City Poet Ingmar Heytze. He also published a book, with the same title as the poem, in which he selected 125 poems about the city.
A city poet is appointed - by the local city government- for two years and receives € 5.000,- p/y.

Utrecht Feest der Muzen (Party of the Muses)

On the lawn (grasveld) in front of the Stads-schouwburg at Lepelenburg is a statue,
called Feest der Muzen (party of the three Muses).

The statue is made by Joop Hekman in 1959 so this year it is exactly 50 years old !

From April on, the fountain around the statue is working and during hot days I was always jealous seeing the ladies being splashed with cold fresh water in the shadow of the tree while I was dusty and sweating.

The three Muses are three out of nine muses (nine daughters of Zeus) of the Greek mythology.
They are called Thalia (muse of comedy), Melpomene (muse of tragedy) and Tersichore (muse of dance). So the place of the statue near the theatre is really well over thought.