Utrecht Pope Adrianus VI (1)

To day was a memorable day for the (Roman) Catholics.

It was the anniversary of the one and only Dutch-

and so also Utrecht - Pope Adrian VI.

The day started with a High Mass in the Catherine Cathedral, celebrated by Mgr. Wim Eijk, the present archbishop, and a symposium in the building of the Utrecht University.

Many guests arrived at the Dom place, among others the former arch bishop emeritus, also called Adrianus (Simonis) (on the picture with cap).

This day was also the start of many activities that will be generated as there are an exhibition of the famous painter Jan van Scorel, the treasurer of Pope Adrian VI (from March 20), guided tours through the Paushuize (the Pope’s House) that he bought in 1517 etc.

More about the Utrecht Pope Adrian VI in the following blogs.

Utrecht Hendrik Marsman

Hendrik Marsman
* Zeist, 30 September 1899 - † Het Kanaal, 21 June 1940

Marsman is one of the important poets of the Dutch literature.

Besides poet he was also a lawyer in Utrecht.

Against the wall of his office at Domstraat 8 is a shield on which Marsman wrote about the nature of the Utrecht people:

“No style, but the more character the town does have
A hard and narrow minded wilfilness
That fancies itself the yardstick of all things”

The most well known poem that he wrote about Holland is Herinnering aan Holland (1936) "Memory of Holland" (links D/E) which describes the Dutch landscape and the struggle against the water.

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 Walk Of Fame

In Utrecht the Netherlands Film Festival will take place (in 2009) from September 23 up to October 2. One of the official events is the disclosure (onthulling) of the gilt bronze tile in the Walk of Fame in the Vinkenburgstraat.

For that a red carpet is rolled out. On the place where the tile is situated, a square is cut out and later placed back with double sided adhesive tape. The intention is that the “star” takes the square piece of carpet away and….tararaaaa!!! sees the tile, glittering in the sun.

Unfortunately it sometimes happens that the piece of carpet is taken away but..... the adhesive tapes still stick on the tiles so that, at the moment suprême, someone quickly has to remove the tape in order to save the embarrassing situation.
The tile above is the tile of Carice van Houten who played a magnificent role in the film Zwartboek (Black book), released in September 2006.

Utrecht Statue of Resistance

On the Domplein in Utrecht you find the Resistance Monument (a version of the Statue of Liberty) made by the Dutch sculptor Cornelia C.J.M (Corinne) Franzén-Heslenfeld (1903-1989).
The statue, erected on May 4 1949, is made of limestone (kalk-).

It is 6 meters high and placed on a 4 meters high white column of (natural) stone. The statue is a symbol of the resistance in World War II. Since the resistance in Utrecht was mainly organized by the woman the statue is a woman.
In her hand the torch of light and life.

In the history of Utrecht women play a big role . More about that in following blogs.
In the column you can find a text of the poet Jan Engelman:
'GEDENK UW DOODEN DIE DEN GOEDEN STRIJD. GESTREDEN HEBBEN IN GERECHTIGHEID. DRAAGT VOORT HUN VLAM, ZIJ ZIJN GEBLEVEN. MAAR IN DIEN GLOED WORDT ONS NIEUW LEVEN'. (Remember your death persons who fought the good battle in justice. Go on carrying their flame. They left behind, but in that glow our new life will rise).

thanks to botofogo for the permission to publish his beautiful picture on my blog

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)