UTRECHT (anc. Trajectum ad Rhenum, or Ultra-Trajectum), a town of Holland, capital of the province of the same name, on the old Rhine, at the point where the Vecht branches off from it, 21 miles S.E. of Amsterdam. It is oval in shape, and traversed by two canals, which are crossed by numerous bridges. Unlike most Dutch towns, it stands on a site where the ground is elevated considerably above the level of the river, and thus it commands a wide prospect over a rich and well cultivated country. Under the quays which line the sides of the canals there are large cellars, used partly as dwellings and partly as storehouses and manufactories. The town is well built, but has an antique appearance, and many of the houses are in the Gothic style. The streets are more regular, the squares more spacious, and the canals fewer, than in the other towns of Holland. The cathedral of St Martin, built in 1382, must have been originally a magnificent edifice, larger than York minster; but it is now in a very dilapidated condition. Only the choir, transepts, and tower remain; and the last has been entirely separated from the body of the church by a terrible storm in 1674, which threw down the nave. The choir is used for Protestant worship, and it has some fine carved pillars and interesting monuments. Utrecht contains 14 other churches, among which are 4 belonging to the sect of the Jansenists, who have their head-quarters here, and indeed now hardly exist anywhere but in Holland. Their numbers are about 5000, under an archbishop of Utrecht and bishops of Haarlem and Deventer; and they hold the doctrines of St Augustine, and deny the infallibility of the pope, but still consider themselves as belonging to the Roman Catholic Church. The first confederation of the Dutch provinces was formed in 1579, in a room of the old town-hall; and in another many of the preliminaries of the celebrated peace of 1713 were agreed to. A new and handsome town-hall, however, has been built in 1830. There are also here a government-house, court-house, mint, picture-gallery, barracks, arsenal, and prison. The university, founded here in 1636, has 22 professors, and in 1858-9, 469 students. Its buildings are plain; but it has a valuable library, a museum, botanic garden, and observatory. Utrecht is also distinguished for the excellence of its schools, and has several literary and scientific societies, hospitals, &c. The most important manufactures of the town are those of cotton, linen, and silk, cloth, carpets, leather, soap, and arms. Dyeing, bleaching, sugar-refining, and boat-building are also carried on. There is an active trade, chiefly in corn, cattle, and the produce of the manufactures. Utrecht was formerly fortified, but the ramparts have been formed into fine promenades; and to the east of the town is an avenue called the Maliebaan, or Mall, consisting of eight rows of trees, about half a mile in length. Pop. 50,000. The province of Utrecht, bounded on the N. by the Zuyder Zee, E. and S. by the province of Gelderland, and W. by that of Holland, has an area of 536 square miles, being the smallest in the kingdom. It is a rich and well cultivated region, watered by the Rhine and its branches; and as the surface is not so low and flat as the most of Holland, it enjoys a mild and healthy climate, free from the excessive moisture that prevails in other parts of the country. The chief towns are Utrecht and Amersfoort. Pop. (1859) 162,249.