Zocherpark Utrecht
City wall turned into a circular park
The fact that the builders of Venice used Utrecht as their main inspiration might be an urban myth, but Utrecht unmistakably does have some of the most beautiful canals in the world, with the wharf cellars being unique and nowhere else to be found. Like many canalized cities, Utrecht once had a huge city wall along the outer canal (or the 'Stadsbuitengracht' as ours is called). With the advent of modern warfare and the construction of the 'Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie' (the inundation system that was supposed to protect Utrecht and all lands west of it) in the nineteenth century, the walls became obsolete and deteriorated.
In 1827, it was decided to break down the walls and build a city park surrounding (almost) the entire city. Most of the park was designed by Louis Paul Zocher, who is also responsible for the Vondelpark in Amsterdam, and gave the park it's name.
Up until this day, the park is one of the most beautiful, quiet, lush and green parts of the city, with hundreds of trees, some of which are as old as the park itself (600 of them are 100+ years old). As the park almost surrounds the city, a hike through the park takes you literally around the city.
PS. A very small portion of the city wall actually remains. Search for "Stadsmuur Utrecht" on Google Maps, and you'll find it.
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