Stadsbuitengracht, the canal around the old city. It was built in the 12th century as a defense mechanism. The construction of the Stadsbuitengracht started within a few years after Utrecht received city rights from Emperor Henry V in 1122, however what is important for me is what happened after the WW2. In 1955 the Utrecht city council commissioned the German traffic engineer Max Erich Feuchtinger to investigate how the city center could remain accessible to car traffic. In 1958 he came up with a plan where the entire Stadsbuitengracht would be filled in and replaced by a ring road with a series of parking garages and roundabouts. Ultimately, in 1968, the government only allowed the partial filling of the canals in the northwest. The north of the Catharijnesingel was turned into the Catharijnebaan, a sunken city highway. (previous | next | back to album | 2020:10:03 10:16:34 | 27% of an album)