Utrecht Post Office

The former Utrecht Main Post Office (Dutch: Hoofdpostkantoor Utrecht, Post Neude or Post Utrecht) building completed in 1924, is situated on Neude square, Utrecht, the Netherlands. Since 2020 it has served as the headquarters of the Utrecht Public Library. ^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]}

History

On the site, a convent dedicated to St. Cecilia was built around 1400 for the nuns of the third order of Francis of Assisi. After the Protestant Reformation the building was possessed by the municipality of Utrecht and continued to exist until 1647. Afterwards, the Dutch National Mint was located here until its move as Royal Dutch Mint to Leidseweg 90, Utrecht, in 1911. In the hall of the former post office a commemorative plaque recalls this predecessor and the issue of the first Dutch stamp here on December 27, 1851. It is a donation by the Utrechtsche Philatelistenvereeniging (Utrecht Philatelist Society) and was designed by Dutch artist Maarten Pauw.

The National Mint building at Neude was demolished and in 1919-1924 the main post office was constructed here, designed by architect Joseph Crouwel jr. (1885–1962).

In the 1970s, the building was renovated under the direction of Dutch architect René van Raalte. In 2008, it was announced that Fortis Vastgoed (now ASR Nederland real estate development) would take over the building from the Dutch telecommunications company KPN.^[8] On October 28, 2011, Utrecht Post closed as the very last independent post office in the Netherlands.^[9][10]

For some years the former post office could not be repurposed. Starting in 2016, the building was converted into a multipurpose cultural centre.

Since 2020, the headquarters of the Utrecht public library has resided in the monumental building. This Neude branch of the municipal library was scheduled to open to the public on March 13, 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this happened only in phases starting from May 11, 2020.^[11][12] On April 23, 2020, the new shop of Broese Booksellers in the rear of the former post office along the Oudegracht was opened by Utrecht novelist Ronald Giphart.

Description

The former Main Post Office was designed by architect

In the 1970s, the building was renovated under the direction of Dutch architect René van Raalte. After the closure of the post office here in 2011, it was restructured from 2016 onward into both a large cultural centre and offices for the Utrecht Public Library. The centre includes a library, cinema, auditorium, two cafés and restaurants, exhibition spaces, workplaces for visitors and a large underground bicycle parking lot in the former telephone cable basement. A modern extension to the rear of the building (Oudegracht side) was added in the former courtyard to accommodate a large book shop.

PTT Telecom

The national state telecommunication service PTT Telecom, forerunner of KPN, has been a long-time co-user of this building. The various floors housed offices, telephone exchanges, and an amplifier station where long-distance connections converged. At PTT Telecom, this building was known as UT1. In the 1990s, much of the telephone traffic of the

The cellar underneath the building accommodated the extensive telephone cables connecting Utrecht city.

Gallery

• 
  Post office northwest corner at Viestraat along Oudegracht (Old Canal), Utrecht.
• 
  Corridor on an upper floor above the main hall, 2023.
• 
  Wall statue in Petit Granit stone representing the continent of Europe. In the background yellow pigeons in relief as symbols for the telegraph service, 2011.
• 
  Large hall clock made by De Porceleyne Fles, 2023.
• 
  View of the roof construction, 2023.
• 
  Side entrance at Neude square, 2008.

See also

• KPN, successor company to PTT Telecom
• National monument list for Utrecht city (nl)
• Utrecht Public Library

References

External links

• Photographs and other relevant documents can be retrieved from the Utrecht municipal and provincial archive (Het Utrechts Archief, HUA) by querying its online database, "De zoekterm hoofdpostkantoor geeft de volgende resultaten:". hetutrechtsarchief.nl.
• "iconen van de post, 1924 hoofdpostkantoor utrecht Joseph Crouwel". TNT Post. Archived from the original on 2022-03-06. Retrieved March 20, 2024.

Literature

• van den Berg, Ton; den Boer, Arjan; Goosen, Dick; Stoppelenburg, Nettie; van Vlimmeren, Ton (2020). Neude : Hart van Utrecht. Zwolle: WBOOKS.
  OCLC 1149926235
  .
• 't Hart, P.D. (1992). Een machtig middel tot volksontwikkeling : honderd jaar openbare bibliotheken in de stad Utrecht 1892-1992 (in Dutch). Zwolle: Catena.
  OCLC 65588225
  .
• Heidemann, Willeke (2023). Rondleiders Alfabet, versie 2023 (in Dutch). Utrecht: Bibliotheek Utrecht, internal publication.
• de Keizer, Harry (2007). Historische Muurreclames Utrecht (in Dutch). Gemeente Utrecht, Werkgroep Directe Voorzieningen.
  OCLC 212427413
  .
• Meyer, G.A.E.B.; (Kluit-)de Clercq), A.E. (1917). De Openbare Leeszaal te Utrecht 1892-1917 (in Dutch). Utrecht: [Den Boer].
  OCLC 64114968
  .

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Dutch Rijksmonument 514259

52°05′35″N 5°07′04″E / 52.09306°N 5.11778°E / 52.09306; 5.11778 Media related to Hoofdpostkantoor, Utrecht at Wikimedia Commons