Visit Utrecht - home to pro football Royal Netherlands Football Association team - FC Utrecht! Utrecht is a unique city located in the center of the Netherlands. The quays are lined with cafes where you can sit back and enjoy watching the boats passing by. Don't miss Haar Castle - fashioned from a fairy tale.

The capital city of Utrecht province is a good starting point for exploring the area. When the Dutch Republic was established in the late 16th century, Utrecht was one of its more powerful political centers, having been an important bishopric since the earliest centuries of Christianity in the Lowlands.

This is a city of churches, with more restored medieval religious structures than any other city in Europe. Utrecht's modern ambiance is first noticed in the train station's architecture, in the multitiered Hoog Catherijne mall that spreads over a 6-block area to the edge of the Old Town. This well-preserved city. is was founded by the Romans as the fortress of Trajectum ad Rhenum (Ford on the Rhine) in A.D. 47.

When the Dutch Republic was established here in 1579, Utrecht had already been a powerful political player from the earliest days of Christianity in the Low Countries; the English missionary St. Willibrord founded a bishopric here around 690. As a result, this is a city of churches, with many restored medieval religious structures in the old heart of town.

#The city has a thriving cultural life. Every year, during the last week of August, churches are filled with the sounds of Renaissance and baroque music during the Holland Festival of Early Music, an international event that attracts the world's top performers.