Buildings and Opening Hours

The current facade dates from the 17th century, but the original building was a 14th-century cloister house that fell under the jurisdiction of the Cathedral. The interior contains 19th-century elements, such as the curved door arch and a high Empire-style plaster ceiling in the front parlour.

The oldest mention of a building at this location dates from 1468, although only the cellars remain from this period. The current structure consists of a 17th-century house oriented parallel to the street and a large garden house with a servants’ wing, which was radically renovated in 1907 according to a design by the Utrecht architect P.J. Houtzagers. Many of the ornaments from this renovation can still be seen today. The renovations utilised many exceptionally modern materials and techniques: reinforced concrete, central heating with floor grates (visible in the hall) and even a flushing toilet. One of these toilets can still be seen in the servants’ quarters on the ground floor. The wrought iron fence was placed in the 18th century.

This house was built around a cloister house that fell under the jurisdiction of the St. Jan church. In 1541 the building was combined with Drift 25, but was separated again in 1668. The entrance with the bay window dates from the 18th century. A thorough renovation in the 19th century left only the facade intact, with the addition of another floor. The house was organised around an interior courtyard. The rear wing houses two rooms with unique panelling and paintings from the latter half of the 19th century.

When the Drift was dug in 1393, several medieval houses were already located here. At Drift 25 only the medieval cellar has been preserved from this period. From 1541 to 1668 the building formed one residence together with number 23 (Huis Renesse). The staircase may be the original one from the 17th century. The façade dates from 1752. The garden contains a monumental beech. The garden house and wall were built around 1808 for King Louis Napoleon.

On 5 June 1806, Emperor Napoleon named his brother Louis (Lodewijk) Bonaparte as King of Holland. The new king settled first in The Hague, but soon moved to Utrecht. Shops and houses on the Keizerstraat, Wittevrouwenstraat and the Drift (with the exception of no. 23, which refused to sell) were bought up and J.P. Zocher Sr. converted them into a single palace. This involved the demolition of the houses on the Wittevrouwenstraat, which were replaced by simple service buildings and a gate to the inner courtyard. As the king was impatient to move in, the renovations of the Drift had a provisional character. The resulting palace was the first building in the Netherlands to be completely plastered. The king officially moved to the palace in 1808, and a small chapel was added on the Keizerstraat side. Construction also began on a ballroom, now the long foyer leading from the main entrance. After only four months, the king moved to Amsterdam and only used the palace for brief stays before he was forced to abdicate in 1810. In 1811, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte stayed briefly in the palace, as did Tsar Alexander I of Russia when he visited the Netherlands in 1814. The building was converted into a library in 1815.

This house, built in 1648, still contains much of its 18th-century interior, including the stairway and the formal rooms with Louis XV-style elements such as the damask tapestries and ceiling frescoes. Sculpted infant figures called ‘putti’ decorate the space above the doors. The 17th-century cellars feature groin-vaulted ceilings.

The Kromme Nieuwegracht was most likely formed by a curve in the original Oude Rijn, and still partially follows the original stream bed. In the Middle Ages, the canal formed the border around the legal jurisdiction of the Pieterskerk. This house dating from 1686 was converted into an office building in 1935 for the insurance firm Tiel Utrecht Verzekeringen. The result is a unique interior with remarkable columns and panelling on the 1st floor. Elements such as the monumental stairway are characterised by their elegantly organic forms. The brass bicycle stand at the entrance was used by the President of the insurance firm.

The building complex at Muntstraat 2A includes Kromme Nieuwegracht 20 and 22. The Kromme Nieuwegracht was most likely formed by a curve in the original Oude Rijn, and still partially follows the original stream bed. In the Middle Ages, the canal formed the border around the legal jurisdiction of the Pieterskerk. The stately home at No. 20 dates from the 17th century, as illustrated by the small bricks joined perpendicularly. Most of the other details were added in later centuries. The building housed not only a private home, but also a fashionable restaurant with a ballroom and later a bank. During World War II the building was occupied by the Dutch fascist NSB organisation.

The buildings on the Trans formed the border of the medieval monastic chapter of Oudmunster and consisted of the homes of the canons, who built their houses facing the north. In the 17th century they were partially demolished in order to widen the alley behind the houses into a street, now the Trans. The southern facades were built at this time. The street soon became a fashionable address for the nobility. New renovations were conducted in the 18th and 19th centuries. The building at the head of the Korte Nieuwstraat (no. 2) has a medieval core and one of the first Renaissance facades in the Northern Netherlands. The other facades also bear Renaissance features. Between numbers 10 and 12 is a Classicist entrance from the 17th century. The restored 17th-century double entrance at no. 8 provided access to the stairway and the hall. Number 14 was entirely rebuilt in the 20th century, and many of its interior details are Art Nouveau.