TRAVEL
RECIPES WITH A STORY
AUSTRIA-VIENNA
SLOVAKIA-BRATISLAVA
EVENTS
INTERVIEWS
On our first day in Utrecht, we mainly wandered the streets and canals, visited the cathedral, other sights and some hidden gardens. The second day we dedicate to museums. In Utrecht, the offer is large and interesting. I visited these museums (all conveniently accessible on foot from the historic centre):
1. Museum Catharijneconvent
You can find one of the works of art outside in the former monastery garden. It is a Spatial Cross made of 12 equal parts by Swiss architect and sculptor Max Bill, the most famous student at the Bauhaus School of Art. It is one of his few works in free space in the Netherlands.
Up until the 14th century, there was a chapel and a homeless shelter here. In 2014, the Tree of Life project was launched. When a homeless person dies, a simple burial is made, and mostly, no one even says goodbye. However, in order not to forget these people, metal stamps with their names are hung on this tree. What a nice idea!
In 1468, a Carmelite monastery and church were built on this site. The Johannites finished it and set up a hospital here. With 24 beds, it was the largest hospital in the town. The church was dedicated to St. Catherine, you can find her statue in the church. After the Reformation, the Knights were expelled and the Protestants removed everything they considered unnecessary from the interior. It was not until 1840 that it became a Catholic parish church again – and the former monastery has been a museum since 1979.
Here, you will find masterpieces of sacred art from the late Middle Ages – richly decorated monstrances, gold and silver chalices and bowls, statues, paintings, magnificent vestments, reliquaries, holy books inlaid with precious stones, etc.
At the same time, you will learn a lot about the history of Christianity in the Netherlands – from Christianization to the present day.
Address: Lange Nieuwstraat 38
Information about ticket prices and opening hours: Museum Catharijneconvent
2. Nijntje Museum
You won’t find a museum for the little ones everywhere! In Utrecht, there is. The statue at the entrance tells you what this museum is all about.
In 1955, illustrator Dick Bruna was spending the summer with his family in Egmond aan Zee. He used to tell his eldest son all kinds of bedtime stories. As a white rabbit regularly hopped outside their house, this little animal became the main character of his stories.
Bruna started writing books and the cute, minimalist rabbit girl was named Nijntje. It is a shortened form of the diminutive konijntje (= a small rabbit in Dutch). As the name is difficult to pronounce, she is called Miffy abroad.
In this interactive museum, children can not only learn but especially have fun as well. If you are going to Utrecht with children, book your tickets in advance, as the museum is often sold out.
Address: Agnietenstraat 2
Information about ticket prices and opening hours: Nijntje Museum
3. Centraal Museum
If you are in Utrecht without children and would still like to learn something about Miffy and its author, just across the street from the Nijntje Museum, there is the Centraal Museum, in a former monastery building.
Dick Bruna (1927-2017) set up his studio in an attic on Jeruzalemstraat in Utrecht. After his death, the studio was moved to this museum – with the original furniture, his desk and typewriter, and even the bicycle he used to hurry through the streets of Utrecht to his studio.
On the shelves, there are all the editions of his books. Miffy’s stories have been translated into more than 50 languages.
In other parts of the museum, you will see a varied collection of the most diverse works of art by mostly Utrecht painters, from the 17th century to the present day.
In other rooms, modern art awaits you. The museum has the world’s largest collection by architect and furniture maker Gerrit Rietveld, the most famous representative of the De Stijl group (comparable to the German Bauhaus). Although he was already internationally famous, Rietveld still lived and worked in Utrecht. Here, you will find his most famous work – the iconic red and blue chair.
In 1924, he built a house for the Schröder family, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and you can also visit it (I didn’t manage).
Much of the exhibition is devoted to fashion, with some of the objects being – like modern art – surprising, thought-provoking or just plain fun.
One of the museum’s most popular historical exhibits is the big 17th-century dollhouse, furnished with lavish furniture.
Remember to go into the basement to see another unique exhibit – a thousand-year-old ship. In the early Middle Ages, Utrecht was the seat of a bishopric, and in 1015 the construction of a great Romanesque cathedral began. It is possible that this ship, whose hull is made of hollowed-out oak, was used to transport building materials.
Address: Agnietenstraat 1
Information on ticket prices and opening hours: Centraal Museum
Information about Schröderhouse: Rietveld Schröderhuis
4. Speelklok Museum
This is said to be the funniest museum in the Netherlands! Maybe it’s because you’ll enjoy literally every corner of the place with lots of music. It’s the Museum of Self-Playing Machines.
It all started in the 15th century. The first self-playing musical instruments, actually, were chimes on church towers. In the Netherlands, there are 182 of them and they are among the oldest in the world.
Self-playing machines are said to belong to the Netherlands as much as tulips, cheese, clogs and windmills. So, it’s no wonder they have their own museum. And not just in any building, but in The Buurkerk, one of the largest and oldest churches in Utrecht.
The museum’s rich collection includes centuries-old musical clocks, music boxes, orchestrions and barrel organs. Even van Gogh paints his sunflowers while playing a tune. Some of the exhibits are small, others are big and larger, and others are huge.
The big playing street organs are lavishly decorated, often with moving figures. Although they were made in Belgium, France and Germany, they found their biggest fans in the Netherlands. The years 1910-1940 are referred to as their Golden Era. This was also because, as early as 1875, the Warnies company in Amsterdam started an interesting business – renting out these street organs. The company also took care of their maintenance, new models and new musical repertoire.
The highlight of the museum is the Dance Palace, where there are several of these huge self-playing machines side by side. When one of them starts playing, you can dance here as well.
Upstairs, I discovered an art installation by Jelle Mastenbroek – shelves full of objects, many of which also make sounds. This work encourages us to think about the excess consumption and commodity fetishism of our time.
Address: Steenweg 6
Information on ticket prices and opening hours: Speelklok Museum
There are other museums in Utrecht. Lovers of old locomotives and trains will definitely prefer to visit the railway museum in the old railway station building and space enthusiasts will prefer to go to the observatory. The choice of museums is wide. You can see the full range here: Museums in Utrecht
Extra Tip:
On my walks around the city, this sturdy building on Neude Square caught my eye. I noticed that, even on Sundays, people, some with children, enter it. I was curious, so I peeked in.
I walked in and was amazed. It was as if I had walked into another cathedral!
This building is a former post office, designed in 1924 by Dutch architect Joseph Crouwel in the style of the Amsterdam School as a Gesamtkunstwerk – it means, the whole building with furniture and matching art.
The hall´s walls are decorated with robust basalt sculptures, symbolising the world’s continents, and glazed ochre-coloured bricks, some in the shape of landing carrier pigeons. There is also a large clock and a royal coat of arms, which was not to be missed on any government building. On the second floor, there is a relief of St Martin, the patron saint of Utrecht.
The main post office operated until October 2011, when it closed as the last post office in the Netherlands. Since 2020, the building has been home to the Central Library. The library is also open on weekends, and not only for members. You only need a membership card if you want to borrow books to take home. So, the premises are a great refuge not only from the rain but also for those who just want to relax a bit, sit down (there is also a café), work in peace or read a book or magazine.
Escalators lead up to the attic, which the post office did not use at all. Today, there is a study room, and the windows have a good view of the historic centre of Utrecht.
Of course, the children’s department must not miss Miffi. She is wearing a colourful coat designed by children’s book illustrator Charlotte Dematons. Frank Halmans has created a gigantic house, lined with hanging books, as a cosy place to read.
In other areas of the library, you will also find modern art. The most discussed object, however, was the installation on the outer façade above the entrance. It had to wait almost three years before it was approved by the city council after various modifications. At first glance, it looks like a garish neon sign in Las Vegas, but on closer examination, not only the head of Miffy can be identified, but also the names Kafka, Woolf, Sartre, etc. The work is by Maarten Baas, one of the most influential Dutch designers of this century.
Read also other articles about the Netherlands:
Utrecht – Day 1
Keukenhof – Tulip Paradise
Text: © Copyright Ingrid, Travelpotpourri
Fotos: © Copyright Ingrid, Travelpotpourri
Tips for Two Days in Utrecht – Day 1
