Then and now (3) Utrecht
Utrecht is my city. I was born here, and my mother grew up here as well. Both my parents studied at Utrecht University, as did I. It was very pleasing, therefore, to come across several photographs of the city in old photo albums I obtained after my mother passed away. I assume most of them were taken in the 1930s and 1940s by my grandfather. In this blog, I will juxtapose a selection of them with pictures I recently took from the same vantage point. This is not a new concept, of course. One of my favorite photo books is a revisit of places in New York City that Berenice Abbott photographed in the 1930s. I did not go to such lengths in duplicating the original pictures. It still allows to see how some parts of this old medieval city haven’t changed much, while other parts have been transformed beyond recognition. In other cases, trees have grown to obscure the view. For some of the pictures, the help of a friend (Susan) has been invaluable in identifying the view and locating the standpoint of the photographer. There are also some remarkable pictures of the days after the liberation of the city by Canadian and British troops in May 1945, now exactly 80 years ago. More about that in a future blog.
The tower of the Dom Church (112 m, 368 feet) is the pride of the city. After a 5-year renovation, it recently reappeared from the scaffolding in its full 14th century glory. So I will start with a few pictures of the Dom taken from nearby viewing points. The old pictures are mostly from the 1930s. In some of the recent ones the tower is only barely visible because of the trees.
The little house next to the Dom Tower, and the entrance gate to Flora’s Hof (Flora’s Garden) haven’t changed, but I could not take the picture from the original angle, because the square is now totally filled with tables and awnings of the surrounding cafes and restaurants.
View towards Sonnenborgh Observatory, from the Zonstraat. “Radion” was a brand of laundry detergent. It is remarkable how in 1942 an allusion to radioactivity was considered a recommendation!
Here are a few pictures of places that are barely recognizable anymore. I have circled a few hallmarks that might serve as anchors.
Catharijnesingel (City moat) with the main building of the Dutch Railroads (known as the “Ink Pot”) now almost obscured by trees. The moat rarely freezes over like this anymore.
A bridge across the moat (Willemsbrug) was demolished in 1971. The current bridge dates from 2014.
View of Vredenburg from Catharijnesingel. This picture was taken shortly after the liberation of the city, May 1945. The people are probably gathered for one of the celebratory parades. All the houses on the right are long gone. Only the white building on the left is still standing (apparently it wasn’t white in 1945!). The dome of the St. Augustine’s church turret is barely visible (in the circle). I could not get to the viewpoint of the original photograph because the area is now a construction site that is closed off.