Editing Dom Tower of Utrecht

{{Short description|Bell tower in Utrecht, Netherlands}}
{{Infobox religious building
| building_name         = Dom Tower
| native_name           = Domtoren
| native_name_lang      = nl
| religious_affiliation = 
| image                 = DomTorenUtrechtNederland.jpg
| caption               = Dom Tower, with the remaining part of the cathedral in the background
| location              = [[Utrecht (city)|Utrecht]], Netherlands
| coordinates           = {{coord|52.09065|5.12140|region:NL_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| architecture_type     = [[Steeple (architecture)|Church tower]]
| architecture_style    = [[architecture|Gothic]]
| groundbreaking        = 1321
| year_completed        = {{Start date|1382}}
| height_max            = {{convert|112.32|m|ft|1|abbr=on}}
| designated            = Dutch [[rijksmonument]] #36075
}}

The '''Dom Tower''' ({{langx|nl|Domtoren}} {{gloss|Cathedral Tower}}) of [[Utrecht]] is the [[List of tallest church buildings|tallest church tower]] in the Netherlands,<ref name=holland>{{cite web| url=http://www.holland.com/global/tourism/cities-in-holland/utrecht-1/Architecture-in-Utrecht-1/dom-tower.htm| page=http://www.holland.com/global/tourism/cities-in-holland/utrecht-1/Architecture-in-Utrecht-1/dom-tower.htm| title=Province Utrecht| work=Holland.com| access-date=2012-11-18| date=2011-03-16}}</ref> at 112.32 metres (368,5&nbsp;feet) in height.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.trayle.com/destinations/poi/dom_tower| title=Dom Tower| work=Trayle.com| access-date=2008-01-12| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://archive.today/20120915094118/http://www.trayle.com/destinations/poi/dom_tower| archive-date=2012-09-15}}</ref> It is considered the symbol of Utrecht.<ref name=holland/> The tower was part of [[St. Martin's Cathedral, Utrecht|St. Martin's Cathedral]], also known as the Dom Church, and was built between 1321 and 1382,<ref name=holland/> to a design by John of Hainaut.<ref name=ukg>{{cite web| url=https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=nl&u=http://www.klokkenluiders.nl/&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3DUtrechts%2BKlokkenluiders%2BGilde%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG| title=Domtower History (translated from Dutch)| work=Utrechts Klokkenluiders Gilde| access-date=2008-01-13}}</ref> The cathedral was never fully completed due to lack of money. Since the unfinished nave collapsed in 1674, the Dom tower has been a freestanding tower. The tower stands at the spot where the city of Utrecht originated almost 2,000 years ago.<ref name=holland/>

==Design and construction==
Its construction led preacher [[Geert Groote]] to protest against the vanity of such an immense project, suggesting it was too tall, too expensive and all but aesthetic.<ref>R.R. Post, ''Geert Grote's tractaat 'Contra turrim traiectensem' teruggevonden'' (The Hague, 1967</ref>

The tower consists of two square blocks, topped by a much lighter lantern. One of the most striking features is the absence of visible [[buttress]]es. Upon completion in 1382 the tower stood 109 metres tall.<ref>Reconstruction of height based on measurements drawings in Haakma Wagenaar, ''Memorandum Domtoren'' (Utrecht, 1975).</ref> However the height was increased during the restorations in 1910, to its present height of 112.5 metres.<ref>Current height without cross and vane is 106.75 meters. This figure does not represent the height of the tower before 1910. See Haslinghuis and Peeters, ''De Dom van Utrecht'' (The Hague, 1965), p. 416</ref>

The Dom tower was a multifunctional building. In addition to being a belfry, it contained a private chapel of the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Utrecht#Roman Catholic archbishops after Restoration of the Episcopal Hierarchy|Bishop of Utrecht]] on the first floor. It also served as a watchtower; the tower guard was housed on the second floor of the lower square block.<ref>Haslinghuis and Peeters, ''De Dom van Utrecht'' (The Hague, 1965), p. 435-440</ref>

== Carillonneurs of the Dom Tower of Utrecht ==
The Dom tower has a [[carillon]] in its building. There were many operators of the Carillon spanning from the 16th century to now.

Here is a list of all the [[carillonneur]]s that played in the Dom tower:
{| class="wikitable"
|+
! colspan="2" |Years
! [[Carillonneur]]
|-
|1
|1594-1606
|Daniël van Berlicom
|-
|2
|1606-1611
|Jan van Groenenberg
|-
|3
|1611-1623
|Gijsbert van Berlicom
|-
|4
|1623-1624
|Herman van Riemsdijk
|-
|5
|1625-1657
|{{lang|nl|[[Jonkheer]]}} [[Jacob van Eyck]]
|-
|6
|1657-1666
|Johan Dicx
|-
| rowspan="2" |7
| rowspan="2" |1666-1700
|Carel Valbeek
|-
|David Slichtenhorst
|-
|8
|1700-1708
|Jacob Han
|-
|9
|1708-1709
|Gerard Han (father of Jacob Han)
|-
|10
|1709-1721
|Jacob Han
|-
|11
|1721-1733
|Johan Han (brother of Jacob Han)
|-
|12
|1733-1737
|Rutgerus ten Hengel
|-
|13
|1737-1778
|Johan Philip Albrecht Fischer
|-
|14
|1778-1840
|Frederik Nieuwenhuyzen
|-
|15
|1840-1879
|Willem Johan Frederik Nieuwenhuysen
|-
|16
|1879-1894
|J.A.H. Wagenaar I
|-
|17
|1894-1943
|J.A.H. Wagenaar II
|-
|18
|1937-1953
|J.A.H. Wagenaar III
|-
|19
|1954-1985
|T.C. (Chris) Bos
|-
|20
|1985-2011
|Arie Abbenes
|-
|21
|2011-
|Małgosia Fiebig
|}

==Bells==
[[Image:Dom voor storm (retoucheerd).jpg|thumb|left|Dom Church as it looked prior to 1674, with the nave still standing. Etching after Steven van Lamsweerde, 1660.]]
[[Image:Domtoren vanaf de Stadhuisbrug.JPG|thumb|left|Dom Tower from the northwest]]
[[Image:Domtoren in avondlicht.JPG|thumb|left|Dom Tower in evening light]]
The Dom Tower has an exceptional peal of fourteen ringing bells, weighing 32 tonnes in total. In 1505 [[Geert van Wou]], then the most famous bell-founder of the Netherlands, made a harmonious peal of thirteen bells.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{Cite web |url=http://www.klokkenluiders.nl/engels/index.html |title=UKG - Utrechts Klokkenluiders Gilde NL - Information in English<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2008-06-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070907223525/http://www.klokkenluiders.nl/engels/index.html |archive-date=2007-09-07 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The seven smallest bells, sold in 1664 to finance the new carillon, were replaced in 1982 with new bells by [[Royal Eijsbouts bell foundry|Eijsbouts]]. The largest bell, the ''Salvator'', has a weight of 8,200&nbsp;kg and a diameter of 227&nbsp;cm.<ref name="autogenerated1" /> Together with the fourteenth bell, they form the largest existing homogeneous group of medieval bells.{{Citation needed|date=January 2008}} The cathedral's bells are still rung by hand by members of the Utrecht Bellringers Guild.<ref name=gilde>{{cite web| url=https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=nl&u=http://www.klokkenluiders.nl/&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3DUtrechts%2BKlokkenluiders%2BGilde%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG| title=UKG Activities (translated from Dutch| work=Utrechts Klokkenluiders Gilde| access-date=2008-01-13}}</ref>

In 1625, [[Jacob van Eyck]] became [[carillon]] player of the Dom Tower. In 1664, a new carillon was installed by Juriaan Sprakel of [[Zutphen]],<ref name=carillon>{{cite web| url=http://www.essentialvermeer.com/music/carillon/carillon_c.html| title=The Carillon: Playing Techniques| work=Essential Vermeer| access-date=2008-01-13}}</ref> with a mechanism consisting of 35 chimes,<ref name=rondom/> made by the brothers [[Pieter and François Hemony]].<ref name=carillon/> In 1972 the carillon was restored and extended to 50 bells. The current player is [[Małgosia Fiebig]]<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/6CQgzqYuo04 Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20170925192201/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CQgzqYuo04 Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{Citation|title=Domtoren Clock Tower Plays the Marble Machine Song|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CQgzqYuo04&t=52s|language=en|access-date=2019-11-07}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==Storm damage==
The cathedral's [[nave]] was never completely finished,<ref name=domtower>{{cite web| url=https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=nl&u=http://home.hccnet.nl/e.ley/dom.html&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=8&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Ddomtoren%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG| title=Domtower(translated from Dutch| work=hccnet.nl| access-date=2008-01-13}}</ref> and on the night of August 1, 1674, a [[tornado]] destroyed this part of the cathedral, but the tower was undamaged.<ref name=tornado>{{cite journal| title=Reporting on historical severe storms: Two examples of Utrecht(1674) and Abtenau(1796)| author=Katrin Hauer & Niki Pfeifer| doi=10.1016/j.atmosres.2010.08.007| volume=100| issue=4| pages=580–585| journal=Atmospheric Research| year=2011| bibcode=2011AtmRe.100..580H}}</ref>

The remaining section of the church and the tower were never reconnected, and the Domplein Square now separates the two structures. In the summer of 2004, however, a mock nave was constructed out of scaffolding to commemorate the missing link. The floorplan of the missing section is shown by the multicoloured paving of the square.

In 1836 the top floor of the tower was heavily damaged in a storm and demolition of the tower was seriously considered. However, it was subsequently restored, a process which took five years.<ref name=rondom>{{cite web| url=http://utrecht.utrechtyourway.nl/default.asp?action=onderdeel&onderdeel=315&taal=2&sId=3| title=Domtoren/RonDom| work=UtrechtYourWay| access-date=2008-01-13| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080716000935/http://utrecht.utrechtyourway.nl/default.asp?action=onderdeel&onderdeel=315&taal=2&sId=3| archive-date=2008-07-16}}</ref>

==Tourism and weddings==
The tower has its own visitor centre, RonDom (which refers to both the Dutch word ''rond'' or ''rondom'', meaning around or surrounding and the name of the church - emphasised by the capital D), which is located in the square. As well as stocking a range of souvenirs,<ref name=domtoren>{{cite web| url=https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=nl&u=http://www.domtoren.nl/&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Ddomtoren%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG| title=Domtoren Homepage (translated from Dutch)| work= domtoren.nl| access-date=2008-01-13}}</ref> they organise a number of activities centred on the tower, including regular guided tours which allow people to climb the 465 steps to the top of the Dom Tower.<ref name=holland/><ref name=rondom/> On a clear day it is possible to see both Amsterdam and Rotterdam. The booking office for guided tours is located in the square at the foot of the tower.
It is also possible to get married in the tower.<ref name=rondom/>

==Radio DOM (1999)==
Radio DOM was an automatic radio-station located on the Dom tower in Utrecht, which from 3 June 1999 until 3 October 1999 broadcast an audio 'soundscape' based on the sounds of the city of Utrecht. Radio DOM got its inputs from six computer-controlled surveillance microphones installed at a height of 80 metres on the Dom tower, which constantly scanned the central area of the city. The sound signals picked up by these microphones were [[Algorithm|algorithmically]] combined into a continuously varying soundscape which was broadcast 24 hours a day by an [[FM broadcasting|FM radio]] [[transmitter]] installed on the Dom tower.<ref name=radio>{{cite web| url=http://iaaa.nl/radio/domE.html| title=Radio Dom| work=Institute of Artificial Art| access-date=2008-01-12}}</ref>

Broadcast on 102.3&nbsp;MHz FM, Radio DOM was part of the exhibition Panorama 2000, organised by the [[Centraal Museum]] in Utrecht.<ref name=radio/>

==Local planning restrictions==
Until recently, the unwritten rule in evaluating planning applications in the city of Utrecht was that no building could be built that exceeded the Dom Tower in height.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www2.utrecht.nl/smartsite.dws?id=49602 |title=Utrecht.nl - Hoogbouwvisie - Alles over de Hoogbouwvisie |access-date=2009-04-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724173426/http://www2.utrecht.nl/smartsite.dws?id=49602 |archive-date=2011-07-24 |url-status=dead }}</ref> This restriction seems to have been dispensed for plans in the developing suburban area in the west of Utrecht ([[Leidsche Rijn]]) and a skyscraper of 262 metres in height has been proposed, challenging this long-standing tradition.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www2.utrecht.nl/smartsite.dws?id=49600 |title=Utrecht.nl - Hoogbouwvisie - de 10 meest gestelde vragen |access-date=2009-04-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724173442/http://www2.utrecht.nl/smartsite.dws?id=49600 |archive-date=2011-07-24 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The plans for this tower, however, were cancelled in 2010 due to the [[2008 financial crisis]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.24oranges.nl/2010/01/24/tallest-building-of-the-netherlands-cancelled/|title=Tallest building of the Netherlands cancelled|date=24 January 2010}}</ref>
==Restorations==
[[File:Dom Tower (Under restoration works).jpg|thumb|Dom Tower in 2023]]
From 2019 to 2024, the tower underwent restoration works. The restoration was only done on the exteriors of the tower.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Everything about the Dom Tower restoration {{!}} Dom Tower Utrecht |url=https://www.domtoren.nl/en/the-story/restoration/ |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=Domtoren EN |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Replica ==
A replica of the Dom Tower has been constructed in the Dutch themed amusement park; [[Huis Ten Bosch (theme park)]] at [[Sasebo, Nagasaki|Sasebo]], Nagasaki, Japan. [https://www.google.com/maps/@33.0853037,129.7873846,3a,75y,230.45h,94.57t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sViGpicuBmCN5o9_IIJDClw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en Google Street View]

== Panoramas ==
{{Panorama
| image = File:Panorama Droochsloot.jpg
| height = 200px
| alt = Panorama of Utrecht by [[Joost Cornelisz Droochsloot]], ca. 1630 (Centraal Museum, Utrecht)
| caption = Panorama of Utrecht by [[Joost Cornelisz Droochsloot]], ca. 1630 (Centraal Museum, Utrecht)
}}
{{Panorama
|image      = File:Panorama Utrecht.jpg
|height     = 200px
|alt        = Panorama of Utrecht with the Dom and the Buurkerk, 2008
|caption    = Panorama of Utrecht with the Dom and the Buurkerk, 2008
}}

{{commons category|Utrecht Dom Tower}}

==See also==
* [[List of carillons]]
* [[List of tallest structures built before the 20th century]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.klokkenluiders.nl Utrechts Klokkenluiders Gilde]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20161005101018/http://ukv-utrecht.net/ Utrechtse Klokkenspel Vereniging]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100428022100/http://www.kasteel-utrecht.nl/kasteelcam/live.html Webcam Live Domtoren Utrecht]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120130030600/http://www.bouwdomtoren.nl/ How the tower was built] (Dutch, but with useful illustrations)

{{Rijksmonument|36075}}
{{Tallest buildings in the Netherlands}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dom Tower Of Utrecht}}

[[Category:Bell towers in the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Carillons]]
[[Category:Towers in Utrecht (province)]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Utrecht (province)]]
[[Category:Rijksmonuments in Utrecht (city)]]
[[Category:History of Utrecht (city)]]
[[Category:Towers completed in the 14th century]]