Utrecht, city in the central Netherlands, capital of Utrecht Province, located where the Kromme Rijn divides to form the Oude Rijn and Vecht rivers (branches of the Lower Rhine River). It is a commercial, manufacturing, financial, and transportation center. Major products include machinery, processed food, metal items, chemicals, clothing, furniture, and printed materials. Tourism and construction are also important to the city's economic base. Utrecht is the site of the State University of Utrecht (1636), the Utrecht Conservatory (1947), and the State Archives of Utrecht (1843). Points of interest include the Central Museum, which contains a collection of works by Utrecht artists from the 15th to the 19th century; the Museum of the Utrecht Province Society of Arts and Sciences, with displays of pre-Roman, Roman, and early medieval items; the Netherlands Railway Museum; and a Protestant cathedral (13th-16th century; severely damaged by a hurricane in 1674).
First settled as a Roman fortress, the community became an episcopal see in the 690s and was ruled by the bishops of Utrecht until 1527, when it passed to the Habsburgs. In 1579 it was the scene of the signing of the Union of Utrecht, an alliance of Dutch provinces against Spain. From 1713 to 1715, several treaties were concluded in the city. These treaties were collectively known as the Peace of Utrecht and brought the War of the Spanish Succession to a close. Population 234,323 (2000).
