Location Paardenveld

Here we are at the first stretch of water that was restored to its original state… wait no, this is actually the second part. The water of the Weerdsingel to the right past the bend had already been restored in 2001. Restored from what? Well, in the seventies the original Stadsbuitengracht was sacrificed and filled in with asphalt to make way for the car. For decades there was much resistance from citizens against the disappearance of the water. And with success: in 2001 the first stretch of water at the Weerdsingel was restored. And during a referendum in 2002, the majority of the Utrecht residents voted in favour of further digging up the Weerdsingel and the Catharijnesingel. At the end of 2018, the next stretch of water between Paardenveld and Vredenburg was officially and festively opened here. To make the opening party a little nicer, a few small fountains were temporarily placed in the water. These were removed afterwards, because otherwise they would impede the passage of boats and sloops. However, many local residents liked the idea of ​​a fountain very much and argued that there was enough room in the spacious outer bend at Paardenveld. The municipality agreed. So, a fountain was still installed in the spring of 2017. In the outer bend of the canal, you can now see the fountain splashing cheerfully during the day.

In the inner bend is hidden under the park a piece of old concrete sluice tube. The sluice pipe once channeled the water from the Catharijnesingel to the Weerdsluis when the Stadsbuitengracht was filled in with asphalt for the Catharijnebaan. Now the chute is an underground artificial cave, intended as a new sleeping place for bats. This is where the Utrecht Bat Cave is located.