Utrecht Underground Utrecht
The dark past of the city
What is now a brand new shopping centre, the busiest train station in the country and a canal restored to its former glory used to be one of the grimiest areas in Europe: Hoog Catharijne.
When Hoog Catharijne was built in the 70s (for which a big part of the old city was demolished and even part of the Catharijnesingel was filled in), it was the biggest shopping mall on the continent.
Soon after its opening, it was also one of the biggest homeless shelters. Homeless people and drug abusers used the mall and its surroundings (especially the notorious expedition tunnel underneath the mall) as a place to sleep, shoot up and just reside. This not only made the mall itself a gruesome place, but also made Utrecht as a city somewhat macabre from time to time. I remember the scenes I saw as a kid very vividly.
These times are very much behind us, but the important history and the lessons it teaches us are kept alive by the Utrecht Underground walking tours. On these tours, former homeless people share their experiences living on the street, taking their guests to the exact places they used to call their 'home'. The area around Hoog Catharijne might have unrecognizably changed, but the history remains the same.
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