Welcome!
Welcome to our audio-driven walking tour Godless and Damnable Sinners. The tour will take you around the Dom Square and into the past, where the violent and horrible sacristan Josua Wilts terrorised the many homosexuals making use of the scattered debris that was once the nave of the Dom Church. Delve into this unexposed piece of history. Get a sense of what it must have been like to stand in the rubble of the collapsed nave. And hear how the situation then escalated.
On the provided map you can find the location of all the places of the tour, in case you get lost!
City Hall (House Hasenberg)
Where the city hall now stands, once stood House Hasenberg. Hasenberg housed the aldermen and judges of Utrecht since 1341. Zacharias and many other victims of the persecutions were interrogated, tortured and some were even strangled to death in the cellar of the building. On this engraving you can see House Hasenberg with its remarkable clocktower on the right.
For more information and a virtual reconstruction of the city hall and its surroundings visit http://www.bouwgeschiedenisutrecht.nl/project/stadhuis/
Bakkerbrug (Flower stall)
The Bakkerbrug has traditionally been a trading place. Trading in and arround the bridge has been documented as far back as the 15th century. In the etching approximately dated 1736 you can see a depiction of the bridge with the Dom Tower in background. In the print from 1820 you can see the mercantile spirit of the Bakkerbrug in full swing. The flower stall of the family Hogervorst, a stalwart feature in Utrecht, can still be found where it always has been. It has been operating from the bridge since 1999. Why not buy some flowers for Zacharias too and connect with Hendrick?
Under the Dom Tower
The Dom Tower housed the tower's custodian on the second floor, the Egmond chapel, of the tower. The maquette gives you an idea of the layout of this appartement. Josua took up residence here with his family in 1711. In the picture you see part of the house. The entrance to the Egmond chapel used to be unlocked which made the stairs an excellent spot for activities that are best performed in the dark. Unless the custodian catches you!
If you want to explore the Egmond chapel and the Dom Tower yourself, visit here to buy tickets. Make sure to opt for the stairs!
Entrance to DomUnder
A schrickelik tempeest, an awful tempest, transformed the square and the Dom church on august 1st, 1674 forever. The unfinished nave of the Dom Church collapsed permanently separating the tower and the church. Many other buidings in Utrecht and troughout the whole of Europe were affected by this exeptional summer storm. Imagine standing in the debris of the collapsed nave of the Dom Church. See the etching of Jan Stellingwerf dated 1725 for some inspiration. Read more on the storm of 1674 (in Dutch)
You can also visit DomUnder and discover what's underneath the square.
Next to Nassau
From here you have a wide view of the square and its inviting street furniture. A very different take on the sort of meeting place it was in times past, a cruise zone. The statue towering over you is Jan Nassau, younger brother of Willem of Orange. Nassau took the lead on organising the Union of Utrecht in 1578. The Union united several Dutch regions in order to fight the Spanish occupation together. You can visit the kapittel hall in de academy building behind you where the treaty was signed in 23 january 1579.
Sodomonument
The last stop of our tour. A moment for reflection. The commerative plaque was placed in 1999 as a gesture of atonement towards the many men that suffered and died because of the persecutions. The plaque is easily missed, just like the plight of these men has largely been forgotten. But now you know, and, having placed your flower, you too can contribute to the awareness of this sorry chapter of local history.