Utrecht's Two-Level Canals
Utrecht's Oudegracht looks different from Amsterdam's canals. Instead of houses rising straight from the water, there are two levels: the street, high above the water, and a wharf (werf) running along the water's edge several metres below. Built into the canal wall between them are vaulted cellars, the werfkelders, opening onto the wharf. The Nieuwegracht, a later canal in the eastern part of the old town, has a similar arrangement on a smaller, quieter scale.
This layout developed over several centuries and is one of the features that makes Utrecht's old centre distinctive.
How the Wharves Developed
The Oudegracht was dug in the 12th century, around the time Utrecht received its city rights in 1122, and became the main route for goods brought into the city by boat. Because the water level was much lower than the surrounding streets, there was a large height difference between the canal and the houses.
At first there were no wharf cellars. Goods unloaded at the water's edge had to be hauled up the bank to street level and then taken down again into the cellars of the canal houses. In the 13th century, quays were built at water level as a kind of second street along the canal, making it easier to load and unload.
The Cellars Under the Street
The next step was to dig cellars under the street itself, connecting the canal houses' cellars to the wharf. Merchants could then move goods straight from boat to wharf to storage without lifting them to street level. Building studies of individual houses show this happening in stages; at Oudegracht 288, for example, a merchant's house whose oldest phase dates to around 1325 probably gained a wharf cellar around 1400.
Utrecht has around a thousand historic cellars in total, built from the Middle Ages onwards, many of them along the wharves. They were used to store the merchants' trade goods, and later as workshops and storage space for traders and craftsmen.
Decline and New Uses
As goods transport moved from boats to rail and road, the wharves lost their original purpose. In the 20th century many cellars stood empty or were used as storage. Gradually they were given new life as restaurants, cafés, bars, workshops, studios and even homes. Today the wharf terraces of the Oudegracht are among the most popular places in the city to eat and drink in summer.
The structures are centuries old and under constant pressure from the soil and water. The city of Utrecht runs a long-term programme to repair the wharf walls and cellars, and some stretches are closed for restoration at any given time.
Where to See the Wharf Cellars
- Walk the wharf: The best way to see the cellars is simply to walk along the lower level of the Oudegracht. Steps lead down from the street at many bridges. The stretch in the city centre, near the Dom Tower and the main shopping streets, has the most cafés and terraces.
- Eat or drink in one: Many cellars now house restaurants and bars, letting you sit inside a vaulted medieval space or on the terrace at the water's edge.
- Take a canal boat: Boat tours on the Oudegracht give the clearest view of the cellar openings and the height difference between wharf and street.
- Visit the Nieuwegracht: Quieter and lined with trees, with lower-key wharves, it shows how the system looked away from the busiest stretch.
Combine It With Utrecht's Other Underground History
For more of Utrecht's history below street level, DOMunder takes visitors under the Domplein to see archaeological remains, including traces of the Roman fort and the medieval cathedral. Above ground, the Dom Tower, the tallest church tower in the Netherlands at 112 metres, can be climbed on a guided tour of 465 steps, and the view shows the canals winding through the old town.
