History
Roman and Archbishops
In 47AD, the Roman lay the foundation for the city Utrecht at the current Dom square. A fort was being built which was part of the defensive line at the northern border of the Roman Empire. After the Romans left there was a constant battle between the 'Friezen' and the 'Franken'. In 695, the Irish missionary Willibrord was appointed by the Pope as first Archbishop of Utrecht. After him many followed and all of them had their own influence on the development of the city.

The city Utrecht
In 1122 Utrecht got city rights. To protect the city against enemies from outside canals were dug and a city wall with four entrances was built. Until the end of the middle ages Utrecht was the biggest and most important city of the northern Netherlands. A large part of Utrecht was owned by religious institutes, therefore these parts were unassailable and were called immunities. Another important development was the construction of care homes for the less blessed citizens of Utrecht. Because of the high density of population infections, diseases and epidemics developed very fast. These care homes were being build by the rich inhabitants of Utrecht.

Spanish domination
Utrecht lost it's independence when emperor Karel V took over the city on the 21st of October 1528. He appointed a governor to control the city and build four fortresses for a better defence of Utrecht.
In 1577, the population of Utrecht succeeded in driving out the Spanish rulers. Governor Willem van Oranje came back and he built five extra fortresses to keep the Spaniards away.

Reformation
Simultaneous with the battle against the (catholic) Spaniards, a very heavy religious battle was being fought. The protestants wanted their own church and when they did not get it they resorted to iconoclasm. When in 1580 the population demandedn that the catholic religion was to be forbidden, the protestants got what they wantedn. It was not untill 1853 that the catholic religion was again allowed in Utrecht.

Second world war
Like of the Netherlands, Utrecht had a hard time during the German occupation. During the war there was very little food available and many Jews did not survive the war. In 1944, to keep people from starving, food parcels were delivered at nght by airplanes.

Development
Since the Second World War Utrecht has grown considerably. Many new, high buildings were built while older buildings were demolished and Utrecht became the fourth city of the Netherlands. The government of Utrecht has decided that the old centre is a landmark and that building in the old centre is not allowed.

Demography
Utrecht is a real multicultural city: only 69% of the population is of Dutch ancestry. Some of the neighbourhoods of the city have a strong ethnical society. Due to the presence of a university, Utrecht has a relatively young population. Around 64.000 students are studying and living in Utrecht.

The Sights
The old centre of Utrecht is surrounded by a beautiful moeat and offers many sights for the visitors, Utrehct is amongst other things known for its canal structure.

	Churches: You will find 14 churches in Utrecht including:
		Dom: The most famous church of Utrecht, with the even more famous 'Domtoren', was built as a cathedral for the archbishop of Utrecht. The building started in 1254 and the church was completed around 1380. In 1674 a hurricane hit the church and destroyed the middle part. Since then the tower is separated from the church.
		Pieterskerk: The 'Pieterskerk' is best conserved Roman church of Utrecht and was founded in 1039 by bishop Bernold.
		Janskerk: The 'Janskerk' was built shortly after the 'Pieterskerk'. Nowadays it is used as a student church.
		Buurkerk: The 'Buurkerk', which was founded in the tenth century, is the oldest en largest parish church of the city. Nowadays, the popular National Museum 'Van Speelklok tot Pierement' is situated in this church.
		Sint-Catharinakathedraal: This former monastic church was built in the sixteenth century.
	Museum: Utrecht offers a large number of museum like the Central Museum, Dutch Railway museum, University museum and the Moluccan Historical Museum.
	Music and theatre: Utrecht has much to offer for fans of mucis and theatre. Behing the Central Station, next to the Jaarbeurs Congress Centre, you will find the Beatrix Theatre. In this theatre large musicals are performed. You can also visit the Municipal Theatre or the 'Tivoli', a music venue.