St. Martin's Cathedral Tower

The central attraction of Utrecht is the tower of St. Martin's Cathedral, which is adjacent to a small picturesque square. According to the original plan, the cathedral was supposed to become one of the most grandiose buildings of its time, but for various reasons this plan was not destined to be realized, and the only surviving part of the cathedral was the tower with bells.

In 1674, a terrible hurricane occurred in Utrecht, destroying a large number of buildings, as well as destroying the central part of the cathedral. From the once huge building survived only fragments and several tombstones. The hurricane spared the tower of the Dome Cathedral, which has since acquired a new name - "the bell tower of a non-existent cathedral", because the destroyed parts of the building have not been restored.

Construction of the cathedral tower began in 1320 by the architect Jan von Heniguven, nicknamed Jan Domsky, and completed the building in 1382 by his descendant. They created a monumental and beautiful structure, whose height is more than 112 meters. It is the tallest building in the Netherlands. Climbing to the upper tier, visitors can admire the magnificent panorama of Utrecht. However, the main attraction of the tower is the largest group of medieval bells in the country, cast in 1505 in the amount of 14 units.