Editing Utrecht (section)

====City of Utrecht====
Its location on the banks of the river Rhine allowed Utrecht to become an important trade centre in the Northern Netherlands. The growing town was granted [[City rights in the Netherlands|city rights]] by [[Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry V]] at Utrecht on 2 June 1122. When the main flow of the Rhine moved south, the old bed which still flowed through the heart of the town became ever more [[canal]]ized; and the wharf system was built as an inner city harbour system.<ref>{{cite web |title=De Utrechtse (Werven |language=nl |publisher=Gemeente Utrecht |url=http://www.utrecht.nl/smartsite.dws?id=168424 |access-date=27 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081016132529/http://www.utrecht.nl/smartsite.dws?id=168424 |archive-date=16 October 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> On the wharfs, storage facilities (''werfkelders'') were built, on top of which the main street, including houses, was constructed. The wharfs and the cellars are accessible from a platform at water level with stairs descending from the street level to form a unique structure.<ref group=nb>Almost all other canal cities in The Netherlands (such as Amsterdam and Delft) have the water in canals bordering directly to the road surface</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Historic wharf photos from the Utrecht City Archive |publisher=Utrecht City Archive |url=http://www.hetutrechtsarchief.nl/atlantis_treffers.asp?trefwoord=werven |access-date=27 January 2008}}{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The relations between the bishop, who controlled many lands outside of the city, and the citizens of Utrecht was not always easy.<ref name="20eUtrecht"/> The bishop, for example dammed the [[Kromme Rijn]] at [[Wijk bij Duurstede]] to protect his estates from flooding. This threatened shipping for the city and led the city of Utrecht to commission a canal to ensure access to the town for shipping trade: the Vaartse Rijn, connecting Utrecht to the [[Hollandse IJssel]] at [[IJsselstein]].