UTRECHT - Geography and history
The Romans founded the city of Utrecht in approximately AD 48, building a fort as part of the fortifications along the River Rhine. Nowadays few traces remain of the earliest inhabitants, but nothing has changed the central position of the city and the province of Utrecht. Utrecht is the geographical heart of the Netherlands, the place where the main east-west and north-south road and rail links cross. The Amsterdam-Rhine canal passes through the region.
The province of Utrecht is the smallest and the third most densely populated province. In the seventh century the capital city Utrecht became the centre of ecclesiastical and temporal power. It became an important mercantile city, and in modern times has developed into a centre of the services sector. It forms the fourth largest area of the Randstad, which sprawls across the borders of the three western provinces. The geography of the province is varied. In the west is the 'green heart', the polders, pastures and lakes. Heuvelrug, to the east of Utrecht, has much woodland, alternating with open moorland, sand flats and fens. In the south, the river Rhine and the river Lek flow through the region.
A central position
The province of Utrecht can be reached easily and quickly from any point in the Netherlands. The combination of old historic towns surrounded by rural areas makes it pleasant to live and work in Utrecht. All essential facilities, from large shopping centres, cultural amenities, and research centres (including three universities) to peaceful country areas and rustic villages, are to be found in a relatively small area.
The province is a part of the very internationally orientated Randstad Region, a region encompassing the four provinces of North-Holland, South-Holland, Utrecht and Flevoland. Roughly 45% of the Netherlands' population and half of the country's commerce and industry are concentrated in this conurbation of large and medium-sized towns, which covers less than a quarter of the total area of the Netherlands. The province Utrecht counts for 7% of the Netherlands population and covers 3,5% of the total area of the Netherlands.
The availability of skilled personnel makes Utrecht an attractive place to set up a business. The cities of Utrecht and Amersfoort and their surrounding districts are some of the most favoured locations for widely ranging economic activities.
The relatively small area of the province is a limitation. The densely populated area with its varied geography is less suitable for large-scale projects or industrial complexes. The need to expand and improve the infrastructure to cope with the volume of traffic is becoming very urgent.
Crowded cities, quiet villages
The province of Utrecht may be divided into two parts. Almost one quarter of the inhabitants, and also a third of the commercial enterprises, are in the main city of Utrecht, the fourth largest city in the Netherlands and dominant centre of the province. The city is also the major centre for cultural and educational amenities and establishments.
In second place to Utrecht comes Amersfoort, which is a town with more than 130 000 inhabitants. The province of Utrecht has a number of medium-sized towns, such as Nieuwegein, Maarssen, Zeist, Veendendaal and Woerden, and also many small rural towns.
Whereas firms engaged in trade, distribution and services are concentrated in Utrecht and Amersfoort, industrial and building firms are more scattered.
There are some differences in unemployment levels in the province; Utrecht and Amersfoort, like the other large towns in the Randstad, have a higher percentage of unemployment than the rest of the province.
In a number of smaller places, in woodland or lakeland regions, there are districts with luxurious country houses and all the signs of greater affluence.
|
|