Culture & Architecture 

Culture

Anyone hoping to find culture in Utrecht will be well rewarded with a wide variety of activities organised by Utrecht University. These include a visit to the University Museum and Botanical gardens and participation in various workshops at Parnassos Cultural Centre. Utrecht University together with Utrecht School of the Arts also organises the very well attended Cultural Sundays, offering lectures, theatre performances, concert and debates.

Utrecht University has always invested in culture. The Utrechtsch Studenten Concert, for instance, which was founded in 1823, is the oldest symphony orchestra in the Netherlands. In addition, Utrecht saw the inception of the first Dutch Chair of Art History in 1907.

Architecture

In the 1960s, part of Utrecht University moved to De Uithof, other knowledge institutions such as Hogeschool Utrecht and Utrecht Medical Center Utrecht were soon to follow. De Uithof is situated on the outskirts of the eastern side of the city; currently about 60,000 people work there. De Uithof has become the showcase of modern architecture with designs by internationally renowned Dutch architects such as Rem Koolhaas, NL-Architects, Wiel Arets and Erik van Egeraat.

The inner city contains traditional architecture as well as a combination of old and new, as is illustrated by the renovation of the University Museum. The most well-know university building in the city centre is the University Hall (Academiegebouw) at the Domplein, embodying the heart of academic life.