Utrecht

Province of the Netherlands, lying southeast of Amsterdam, and south of the IJsselmeer, on the Kromme Rijn (Crooked Rhine); area 1,330 sq km/514 sq mi; population (1997) 1,079,400. The capital is Utrecht. Industries include petrochemicals, textiles, electrical goods, engineering, steelworks, railway workshops, and furniture. Fruit, vegetables, and cereals are grown, and there is livestock raising and dairying.

The province has sandy, barren soil in the east with more fertile soil in the west. Towns and cities in the province include Amersfoort, Zeist, Nieuwegeun, and Veenendaal.

The region was ruled by the bishops of Utrecht in the Middle Ages. It was sold to the emperor Charles V of Spain in 1527, and became a centre of Protestant resistance to Spanish rule. With the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht, it became one of the seven United Provinces of the Netherlands in 1579.

Utrecht

Capital of Utrecht province, Netherlands, on the River Oude Rijn (see Rhine), 60 km/45 mi east of The Hague; population (2006 est) 280,900. The city's industries include textiles, carpets, pottery, chemicals, engineering, and printing. The city was important in the Middle Ages, and has a Gothic cathedral (1254–1517) with the highest church tower in the Netherlands. Utrecht's university was founded 1636.

Utrecht was founded on the site of ancient settlements, including a Roman camp, and became a bishopric in 696. It developed into a powerful political, commercial, and ecclesiastical centre under the church, but lost some of its status to Amsterdam in the 15th century. In 1527 it became part of the Holy Roman Empire. The Union of Utrecht 1579 allied the northern provinces of the Netherlands against Spain. Among its many old buildings are the Paushuize (Pope's House), built in 1523 for Adrian VI, and the palace that was the residence of Napoleon I's brother Louis during his reign as King of Holland.

Utrecht is the seat of Roman Catholic and Jansenist archbishops. Several trade fairs are held here.