About Utrecht
The agglomeration of Utrecht has 640.000 inhabitants. The history of the city goes back to 47 AD when the Roman emperor Claudius ordered his general Corbulo to build a defensive line along the river Rhine which was the northern most border of the empire. One of the strongholds (or Castella) along the river was built at a crossing in the river and was called Traiectum (which means crossingplace). In the local language this became Trecht, Uut-Trecht (lower-Trecht) and later Utrecht. On the place where once the castellum stood now stands the Domchurch built in the 13th century.
Utrecht is known as a student city with a large population of single young people. This results in a booming nightlife with many places to have a quick meal, some drinks or a dance. Utrecht is cool in Winter and warm in summer with rainfall all year round. Because of its central location, Utrecht is well connected to the rest of the Netherlands and has a well-developed public transport network.
Jewish History, POI & Kosher Establishments in Utrecht
Jews have lived in Utrecht on and off, and under varying circumstances, since the 14th century. During the 15th century, Jews lived in the center of the city in a street that is still called 'Jodenrijtje' (Jew's Row), located in a courtyard behind the Bakkerstraat. Both the city fathers and the Spanish governor of Utrecht expelled Jews from the city several times. In 1546, King Charles V banned Jews from residing within the entire bishopric of Utrecht. Only the intervention of Prince Willem V in 1788 enabled more Jews to settle in Utrecht, albeit in the face of strict restrictions. Most of the first wave of Jews to settle in Utrecht at the time moved there from the nearby town of Maarssen. The Jewish population of Utrecht grew rapidly over the first decades of the 20th century. As a result, the seat of the provincial chief was returned to Utrecht in 1917. By 1981 the synagogue in the Springweg had become too large for the dwindling Utrecht community and was sold. In the time since, weekly religious services have been held in a smaller locale furnished with the Holy Ark of the former Ashkenazi synagogue at Maarssen (founded in 1776). The Jewish community at Utrecht celebrated its 200th anniversary in 1989. Today there are around 100 Jewish people living in Utrecht.
