Utrecht (Holland)

Utrecht is a Rhine River cruise port and city in Holland, located in eastern Randstad (Netherlands' 4th largest megalopolis). The municipality has total area approx 99 km2 (38 ml2) and population around 330,000 people (metro around 660,000).

Utrecht is Holland's religious centre since the 8th century. It was country's most important city until Dutch Golden Age (17th century) when was surpassed by Amsterdam as Netherlands' cultural centre and largest city. Utrecht University is country's largest university. Because of its central position within Netherlands, Utrecht is a major shipping port and hub for both road and rail transport. The city is Holland's 2nd by number of annual cultural events (after Amsterdam).

The cityscape is dominated by Dom Tower - Holland's highest belfry (medieval siege tower) which originally was part of St Martin's Cathedral. Other landmarks are the Old Town and inner city canal structure. Oudegracht is a curved canal waterway that follows the branch of Rhine River. The canal is lined with unique wharf-basement structures which create a 2-level street along the waterway. The city is linked with touristic shipping routes via sluices.

The industrial port of Utrecht is on Amsterdam-Rijnkanaal (Amsterdam–Rhine Canal). Port's container terminal has annual shipping capacity over 80,000 TEUs (containers). In 2003, Port Utrecht handled around 4 million tons of cargo.