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Utrecht Travel Guide, Netherlands

Utrecht Travel Guide – Geographical and Demographic Status

This Utrecht travel guide will give you all the basic information you need to visit this vivid and popular city in the Netherlands. Utrecht has a population of 300.000 and is the capital city and the largest urban agglomeration in the province of Utrecht. Its central location in the country makes it an attractive destination for tourists as well as businessmen and a very hospitable place to live in. The size of the city comes fourth after Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague and it has been known as the religious centre of the country since the 8th century. This means that the Roman Catholic, the Old Catholic as well as the Protestant Church have their main offices in Utrecht.

Utrecht Travel Guide – Transportation and Urban Organization

Given its location in the heart of the country, Utrecht is very well connected to the rest of Holland and it has a very reliable network of public transportation. The Utrecht Central (Central Railway Station) has regular intercity trains to the larger cities in the Netherlands and also international trains to Germany. The municipality has plans to massively develop the area around the Utrecht Central and also build a 30.000 house residential area in the city, so the population growth is estimated to 350.000 till 2020. The government also has to deal with four troubled districts in the city (Overvecht, Kanaleneiland, Zuilen-east and Ondiep) and special measures have been taken to reduce the criminal risk and increase education and life standards in those areas.

Utrecht Travel Guide – Economy and Education

The economy in Utrecht is based in just a small amount on the production sector and it is mostly business and administration that keep the city going. It is the headquarters of the Nederlandse Spoorwergen (Dutch Railways) and this institution’s former main offices are located in the largest brick building in the Netherlands. Utrecht also has a very important convention centre and one of the biggest second hand car markets in Europe. It is the youngest city in the Netherlands and it is known in all Utrecht travel guides as the city with the highest level of education among young employees. Utrecht is home to the largest and oldest University in Holland (Utrecht University) and it hosts over 65.000 students. TiasNimbas is also located in Utrecht and is the biggest management school in the Netherlands, with its MBA program being rated the 11th best in the world by the Financial Times (2007).

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