Utrecht

The province of Utrecht—east of Holland in the Western Region, the center of the Netherlands—was the first to declare its independence from Spain in 1579, an act that started progress toward the eventual Kingdom of the Dutch Netherlands.

The provincial capital of Utrecht is a centuries-old university town with the same name. In its center stands the 14th-century Dom Church Tower which can be seen throughout the city.

The Rietveld Schröder House, De Stijl (pronounced “da style”) modern art movement icon from 1924, is a UNESCO World Heritage site in the city. Born in Utrecht in 1888, furniture designer and architect Gerrit Rietveld was one of the De Stijl movement’s principal members who designed the iconic Red and Blue chair that is found in the Centraal Museum.