Jomoud's Fotothing

My 2008 trip to Holland

UTRECHT.

The Oudegracht, or "old canal", runs through the centre of Utrecht in Holland. It starts in the southeast of the city where the Kromme Rijn (the original main bed of the Rhine river) and the Vaartse Rijn (a medieval canal reconnecting Utrecht to the newer main stream of the Rhine, the Lek) arrive to meet the original moat of the fortified town. The Oudegracht runs from there into the center of town. Parts of the Oudegracht follow the original flow of the river Rhine, but there is some disagreement on what parts. The northern part is most likely an early canal (app. 1100) connecting the Rhine section to the river Vecht. The water level of the Oudegracht is lower than when it was constructed, hence the typical wharfs below street level. Warehouses used to line the canal; today many of these warehouses have been converted into restaurants and cafés.