Amersfoort

Home to an essentially Medieval skyline dominated by historic spires, beautifully preserved merchant houses and imposing towers that highlight its storied past, the city of Amersfoort is Utrecht’s second largest. While the city is shaping up to be both dynamic and urbane, its charming streets and Middle Age-marvels still retain its wonderful heritage. In its heydays, the city was a prominent pilgrimage center, a past that is immortalized in what remains of the 1444-constructed cathedral. For a significant time, Amersfoort also excelled in part due to its brewing, cloth and tobacco industries. The Den Grooten Slock, one of the city’s oldest pubs, and the De Drie Ringen, a landmark brewery, are both historic markers of the city’s fabled brewing past. Apart from its architecture, Amersfoort’s innate Dutch charm is also wrapped in its lissome canals that slice through the city, and the mystique that surrounds its Medieval alleys and streets is undeniable.