Utrecht Nederlands Film Festival (Dutch Movie Festival)

Every year the Dutch Film Festival is held in Utrecht.

The opening and closing is mostly is the Stadschouwburg but the organization is hosted in the old building of De Winkel van Sinkel.

The building started after a long preparation in 1837 based on the design of architect Pieter Adams (1778-1846).

The most remarkable part of the design is the four big women statues in Greek robes.

Utrecht Dom Towers (small)

There is one building in Utrecht that’s famous all over the tourist’s guides and

forms the skyline of the city.

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It’s the Dom Tower.

The tower is built on the place where the Romans erected their ’castellum’.

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The tower stands alone now, but was once a part of the Dom Church.

During a disaster in 1674 the church was partly blown away but the tower survived

The Dom Tower is the highest tower of the Netherlands (112,5 meters).

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Of course the tower is subject of more or less touristic souvenirs.

One of them are the “Domtorentjes” (Dom towers), chocolate with a cream centre and can be bought in the shopping street close to the Dom Tower.

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In the future more (serious) facts about the Dom in this weblog.

Utrecht Queen's Day (3) The Disaster

Already eight hours after the festive start of the festivities the mayor was interviewed by the local television.

The mood on this afternoon was quite different than the mood on this morning.

The interview was held in connection with the tragdy in Apeldoorn where the Queen celebrated her birthday.

A man tried to attack the open coach with the Royal Family. Seven people were killed and 10 injured. The day ended in a drama.

Utrecht Queen's Day (2) Town Hall

As in many cities and villages, also in Utrecht the celebrations of Queen's Day take place.

In Utrecht at 09:00 the mayor, now Aleid Wolfsen, enters with a small group of (V)IP’s into the town hall.

At 09:30 the chairman of the Society Queeen’s Day Utrecht (vereniging Koninginnedag Utrecht) Mr. Thomas Dres starts the aubade with a small speech especially for the many children who came by bicycle, walking or…. by one of the three sightseeing boats.

Then the major speeches and hoist the flag together with the chairman of UOC, Mr. Floris De Gelder, chairman of the Utrecht Oranje Association.

All the children have received an, of course orange, balloon and after a common count down the children let the balloons go in the hope that they will arrive in a far country.

There are always balloons that don''t come further than the first tree in front of the town hall.

After these ceremonies all present people are invited into the town hall for a toast to the Queen with an ”Oranjebitter” (orange liqueur) or orange juice.

On the picture mayor Aleid Wolfsen together with Gilbert Isabella, chairman of the Utrecht PvdA (socialist) fraction, with an Oranjebitter.

It’s always a very informal and enjoyable gathering.

Utrecht Queen's Day (1)

Today is Queens Day, the day that Queen Beatrix is celebrating her birthday.

It is not really her birthday for that event is on January 31.

Her passed mother Juliana however had on this day her real birthday and it was celebrated all over the country.

When Beatrix became a queen she ordered to keep April 30 as the official Queens Day in honour of her mother.

In practice the knowledge that the weather in April is more comfortable is a not unratable factor.

The shop Catch has decorated the window shop in the atmosphere of Queens Day with the in 1995 official portrait of queen Beatrix made by Carla Rodenberg.

Utrecht Vrijmarkt - Free Market

On April 29 at 18:00, the evening before Queeen’s Day starts with a “Vrijmarkt” (Free Market).

It is a free market because the non-professional inhabitants don't need a permit.

It’s a market in the north part of the centre between the canels and “singel”.

Adults sell all kind of furnishings and children used toys.

But children also show their talents in making music, dancing, funny games.

Most of the people wear clothes which are entirely or partly coloured orange for the family name of the Royal Family is called “van Oranje”.

It started in 1982 and was a local neighbourhood party.

Now it is a national well known event that attracks people from all cities in the environment of Utrecht.

Since it needs a good cooperation with police, fire brigade, etc. the organisation is taken over by the the local government.

On the 3rd picture is Elisee from Ruanda playing the National Hymne "Wilhelmus" on her saxophone.

About 400 police(wo)men leaded 300.00 visitors in good channels.

Utrecht Truus

A name, written in daffodils, looks like a delayed Valentine’s present. However it is every-thing but that. (Catharijne-singel 81)

It is a homage of the Utrecht inhabitant Tommie Hendriks to Truus van Lier, a resistance hero in World War II.

In those days the NSB Head Chief Constable Kerlen was preparing a razzia in Utrecht and for that, and other crimes, Truus van Lier shot him in the Willemsplantsoen, the public garden across the water where the daffodils are planted.
This happened on 3 September 1943.

She was arrested and brought to concentration camp Sachsenhausen where she has been executed at 27 Oktober of the same year.

Truus was a cousin of Trui van Lier and both cousins played an important role in the resistance during the war.

Truus studied law in Utrecht but became a member of the resistance group CS-6 in Amsterdam (which may stand for Correlistraat 6 where the meetings were held) .

Trui saved during four years about 150 judish children in a kind of hiding (onderduik-) creche called Kindjeshaven.

And every year the daffodils come up and write the name of Truus till they wilt (verwelken), waiting for the next year.

Utrecht Marathon

Today was the tradi-tional Utrecht Marathon.

The run-ners pass here the buildings of the Utrecht Sterrewacht near the Singel.

The marathon was won by the Kenian William Kipchumba who left in an increasing temperature the other runners behind in a time of 2h09.41.

This meant a strong improvement of the old record on this (Utrecht) track

Utrecht Cityscapes

The shopping window of Catch (Domstraat 11-15) was dedicated to the artist Jurjen Bertens (1974) who makes a lot of city-scapes (stadsgezichten), especially of Utrecht.

He uses several techniques as digital adaptations and drawings. The use of fresh colours is remarkable since he is colour blind.

On the drawing in the backgroud the Grand Cafe Winkel van Sinkel and the buildings of the town all. In front the birthday agenda with Utrecht illustrations.

There are more artists who have Utrecht cityscapes as leading subject. They will be introduced in one of the following blogs.

Utrecht Carnival

Carnival is mainly celebrated “below the big rivers” as there are the Rhine, the Maas and the Waal, so in short the south part of the Netherlands. But it doesn’t keep other parts of the Netherlands from celebrating it too, although it doesn’t really lives under the population as in the south. So also in Utrecht are a lot of closed societies were carnival is a festival to look forward too.
The towns and villages, in which carnival is celebrated, get another name during the carnival days. Utrecht is called Leemput ( verbatim: clay well).

Today the festival started at the statue of Trijn van Leemput (+/- 1530-1607), a female Utrecht resistance fighter at the beginning of the Eighty Years' War against the Spanish Empire.
She got a garland (bloemenkrans) around her neck.

One hour later, the procession with Prince Carnaval and his retinue (gevolg) went to the townhall. At 12:08 PM Mayor Aleid Wolfsen handed the “Key of the City” to Prince Martijn XXXIV.

You see the Prince with the “Golden Key” on an cord on his chest. The Mayor -in the middle -applauds, happy ( when I know him well) that this ceremony has almost come to an end :).

Utrecht San Valentino

You can not overlook it. It’s Valen- tine’s day. A day for lovers but also the anniversary of the martyrs of Terni and Rome.


Maybe they are the same person. There are a lot of versions about the Valentines so I don’t write them down :).
Valentine is buried in Rome on the Via Flaminia . He died in 269 AD by order of the Roman Emperor Claudius II Gothicus in person.
In the jail Valentine kissed the blind jailor’s daughter who could see after that. Before he died he wrote a love letter to the jailer’s daughter: ”From your Valentine”. On February 14 of course. Pope Gelasius I proclaimed, in the year 496, February 14 as Saint Valentine’s (of Terni) Day.

What has it to do with love?
That’s an other story.
The pagans of Rome celebrated the days of Lupercus from February 13-15. The custom was that the names of the men and woman, who were present, were put into an um (urn). The lot appointed the couples.
True or not true, the tales are nice.

On the picture: the shop window of book shop Selexyz Broese on the Stadhuisbrug

Utrecht Rain In The City

Rain In The City

Oh well
I'm walking on the street just for a walk
rain is pouring, have no one to talk

the rain fills the streets and all this town

I listen to its restful sound that’s is breaking me down

(author unknown)

Utrecht Ambition

Monday, 2nd February, the Rabo Bank and the Algemeen Dagblad had organized the last of the four debates about the future of Utrecht.

The question was: What is the ambition of Utrecht (at the moment) and what should it be.

Top representatives from the culture, sport, science and education fields debated with 3 aldermen (wethouders), the audience and last but not least with the sympathetic mayor of Utrecht. Alas the representatives merely talked for their own field of interest.

In general everybody agreed that Utrecht has a lot to offer, but is not able to show it to the world, among others since the nature of the Utrechters is: “Act normal, that is crazy enough", ... ( This proves that I am not really a 100% Utrechter :).
After the debate we short talked with the mayor who recognizes us little by little and some other interesting people.

By the way, these debates are important, for in 2013 Utrecht celebrates the anniversary of the signing of The Peace of Utrecht (Vrede van Utrecht) of 1713.

In 2018 Utrecht is nominated for the European Cultural Capital of the year 2018...
More about it in one of the blogs that will follow.

Utrecht Colourful Pavement Bricks

This morning I looked out of my window and saw what a colourful pavement bricks we do have in our small street.
Usually I don’t pay attention to it but now the rain had washed the dust away and the bricks looked like reborn.
In others streets are also this kind of pavement bricks in fish bone pattern but not with this attractive colour combination.

Utrecht Het Bolwerk

At the Servaas-

bolwerk,

a camou-

flaged German pillbox (bunker) was pulled down on September 27, 2004. On this place 16 apartments have been built, called "Het Bolwerk" (The Bulwark).

Saturday I passed it on my way to the baker and I loved the golden shine of the rising sun on the building.

Utrecht Plompentorengracht

A beautiful door at the
Plompen-
torengracht with
three wise heads gazing to
all what happens in front of
their eyes.


And that's what I want to do, being amazed about everything what I see or hear to write it down.