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Roderick
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# Posted: 12 Mar 06 22:30 - Edited by: Roderick
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Everyone who has ever been in Utrecht, one of the biggest cities of the Netherlands, located in the centre of the country, will have seen the tower of the Dom. One can see it from all parts of the city.
People who have been closer to the cathedral, might have wondered why the tower is separated form the other parts of the church. Let me tell you a story. I did not see it all happening myself, because it starts in 47 before Christ.
In the year 47 b.c. the Romans placed forts at a place they called 'Traiectum'. People started to call this place 'trecht' and after a while the name of 'Utrecht' arose. The Roman castles where at the place where the Dom was built later. The monk Willibrord came to preach the Christian religion around 700. He also built a new church. A statue of Willibrord is at Janskerkhof near the Janskerk (church), not far from the Dom.
In 1284 building the Dom started, replacing the original church. They stopped around 1520, because people did not want the cathedral any more. The middle part was never really finished.
And then... in 1674 a tornado blew away a part of the church. The entire middle part collapsed.
Image from www.domkerk.nl
That is why there is a large square between tower and the other part of the cathedral that is left, where even a bus runs by every 10 or 15 minutes.
bus at the Dom square, at the right is the tower, at the other side of the square the other part of the cathedral
the Dom square
the remaining parts of the Dom
the back side
the back side, picture by BizTravelller
and fortunately the tower, at the right you can see the square where once was the middle part of the church.
The impressive tower is over 112 meters high.
It lasted until 1826 before the last rubbish was taken away. In that time they even thought about demolishing the entire building. But fortunately they did not. The gap that was left in the wall was closed and the Dom is still one of the most beautiful places of the city, visited by many tourists every year.
Like this German tourist, who was taking pictures of the Dom tower.
One of my favourite places in Utrecht is the Pandhof garden with gallery, which is owned by the University and is located between the University Hall and the Dom.
  
At this beautiful, calm place often students can be found studying, on cold days in the sun, on warm days on cool places.
fountain at the Pandhof garden
sculpture near the Pandhof garden entrance
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nonkel duvel
Member
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# Posted: 12 Mar 06 22:56
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Nice story Roderick. One question : do they call this "de peperbus" ?
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Roderick
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# Posted: 12 Mar 06 23:11
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Thanks nonkel! What do you think they call 'de peperbus'?
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nonkel duvel
Member
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# Posted: 12 Mar 06 23:26
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Because it looks like "a peperbus" (pepper box). They call some churchtowers in Holland "peperbus". I wasn't sure if the tower of Utrecht was one of them. Isn't it the highest churchtower in Holland ?
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Roderick
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# Posted: 13 Mar 06 11:54
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Yes, it is the highest church tower of the Netherlands; 112.5 meters! You can see it from very far if the weather is nice.
I found on the internet (didn't know it myself) that the tower of Zwolle (a smaller city in the Netherlands) is called 'peperbus' (pepper canister / box) because of its shape. (zie http://www.peperbus-zwolle.nl).
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giz
Member
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# Posted: 13 Mar 06 19:06
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@nonkel, the peperbus is the churchtower in Bergen op Zoom en during carnival he is dressed in carnivals clothes.
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Roderick
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# Posted: 13 Mar 06 19:56
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Hello everybody,
Today was a beautiful sunny day in Holland, so I took some better pictrures and updated the story. (see also my portfolio for more pictures).
Greetings from Utrecht,
Roderick
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nonkel duvel
Member
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# Posted: 13 Mar 06 21:38
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Much better now ! My favourites are nr. 6, 8 and the last one. It seems a nice city. I only visited 3 (greater) cities in Holland : Den Haag, Middelburg and Maastricht but I was several times in Zeeland (Veere is my favourite).
I like this kind of "city-series" with explanation. It gives me an oppurtunity to know new cities and places. So well done Roderick !
@ giz : thanks for the information
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Roderick
Member
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# Posted: 13 Mar 06 21:50
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Thanks nonkel!!
I put more pictures of Utrecht online (not just of the Dom, but also of the grachten (canals) and some other things.) More to come later...
I also like this aspect of Woophy. As I told before, I used woophy for example to get to know something about NE-England, where I will go in May/June with a study trip.
My portfolio consists of pictures that are more photographically OK and say less about the place where they were taken as well as pictures that are more meant to show what a certain place looks like and less special in a photographical way.
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Bunny
Member
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# Posted: 14 Mar 06 10:33
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hey roderick!
good story! i like also this kind of informations and beautiful pictures
it seems like you had a lot of fun!!
enjoy your fototrip and don't forget to show us everything ;-)
greetings
Karin
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ConradM
Moderator
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# Posted: 14 Mar 06 17:29
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Nice story, does anyone have a picture of the artwork they did last year ?? they temerarely rebuilded the midlepiece with iron tubing!!
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Roderick
Member
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# Posted: 14 Mar 06 17:40
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Yes, in 2004 the middle part of the Dom was 'rebuilt' using iron tubing, to celebrate the 750th anniversary of the Dom. I do not have pictures of it, but I found these:
from: http://www.jeroenhermkens.nl/750jaardomkerk/
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