Thursday, May 21, 2009

The best secret of Utrecht University

The campus of Utrecht University is a world of concrete. Even the two builings Rem Koolhaas designed cannot change the gloomy atmosphere of the place. The Uithof sports a variety of buildings, ranging from a library (I call it the borg cube):


the Educatorium


to the almost Soviet-style student dorms



I must admit that the campus has its unique surroundings, namely the sheep and cows that are on the grasslands inbetween the buildings. You might say those farm animals give it a typical Dutch atmosphere.

Let me get to the point of the story. The Uithof has a secret which is undiscovered by most students and I always wonder why. After this post it won't be a secret anymore, but hey, someone's gotta spread the word.

Next to the Campus lie the Botanical Gardens; a quiet, heavenly sanctuary of nature in the midst of concrete and highways. As a student you can visit it for free, and whenever I go there it's always very quiet. Whenever I am studying at the campus all day, knowing that there's an option to escape from it all only a few meters away makes me feel at ease. I am not going to put more words into describing the garden, the pictures will speak for themselves. The pics are made with my iPhone, so the quality isn't breathtaking.












1 comment:

Milla said...

You took BEAUTIFUL pictures!

But would you really want a whole bunch of students gather in such a gorgeous and peaceful place? Hmmmm
I don't know about the students in Holland, but in my university they are freaking noisy...the library where I work is like a market square sometimes.

The architecture of the buildings is very intersting, and varied. I really like the dorms! To wake up in the morning surrounded by the noise of cow bells...bliss!