Utrecht: A Town of Tiled Tympana
The history of the city of Utrecht can be traced back to 47 AD when the Romans established a fort there to protect the northern borders of the empire from invasion. In the 7th century Willibrord, the city’s first bishop, built a church on the site that is now the Dom Square, and so began Utrecht’s role as a major religious center. The 13th century Dom church’s 112-metre tower is stunning and one of the most important architectural landmarks.
In the 16th century, the provinces of The Netherlands signed the Union
of Utrecht. This provided the foundation for The
Netherlands becoming
the first republic in post-medieval Europe – the Republic of the Seven
United Netherlands. Today, Utrecht is the country’s fourth largest
city, with around 300,000 inhabitants, including 50,000 students.
At some point in the last hundred years or so some decoratively-minded
architect or builder decided to embellish his structure with ceramic
tiles above the windows and doors, perhaps strictly for aesthetic
purposes or to attract attention. Whatever the reason the idea took
hold, and today there are tiled tympana throughout the city, and we
believe that our guide, Hans van Lemmen, has found them all!
