Court Hotel and De Rechtbank restaurant were acquired by real estate and hospitality gurus Paul Westra and Hans Pieters a few years ago. With the addition of Court Hotel to their portfolio they began their first hotel adventure. With a carefully assembled team of real ‘people’s people’, to whom hospitality is second nature, they will go to any length to provide their guests with an unforgettable stay.
‘We’ve always had one goal in mind: to have a positive impact on growing Utrecht, the city we love.’
Owners Paul Westra and Hans Pieters
The history of Court Hotel dates back to 1054 when St Paul’s Abbey was founded, a monastery.
St Paul’s Abbey consisted of several buildings of which the remnants are still visible today. Since the Reformation, the monastery was used as courthouse.
The fence embellishments are called fasces, meaning a bundle of wooden rods including an axe. These particular fasces symbolise jurisdiction and were the perfect decoration for the courthouse. Unfortunately, such fasces would later become associated with Mussolini’s fascist party.
1054 Roman St Paul’s Abbey
1854 Current facade constructed
1911 Start of major renovations
During renovation work in 1854, a pot of gold coins was found just a stone’s throw away from the courthouse. The contractor, his workers and the city of Utrecht all wanted to claim this treasure.
The case was taken to court, where it was decided the money would be split evenly between two parties: the contractor’s workers and the city of Utrecht. This meant the contractor was left with nothing; his workers felt so sorry for him that they decided to donate a quarter of the money to him.
The initial plan was to place a scaffold on the square. However, the wealthy people living in Hamburgerstraat found this very inappropriate and successfully protested against it.
On 8 January 1964, Princess Irene appeared at the courthouse in Utrecht and was sworn in as a Spanish translator. Princess Irene was the first of the royal family to appear in court. Queen Juliana and Princess Beatrix both attended this special session.
Directly prior to the courthouse being transformed into a hotel, it was home to artists who held exhibitions especially for individuals with sensory disabilities.
Nowadays the courthouse is home to Court Hotel, De Rechtbank restaurant and The Utrecht Archives.
Utrecht is known for its inner city with wharf cellars along the canals, of which the Nieuwegracht is on of the best known. It is precisely there that Court Hotel has furnished 3 special rooms. The wharf cellars date back to 1150 and were originally intended as a storage and transit space for the supply or removal of goods by water. Over the centuries, the wharf cellars have been used in many different ways. In 2008, the Utrecht wharf cellars were nominated for the UNESCO World Heritage List because they are unique in the world.
Contributing to the sustainable future of Utrecht is part of what we do. We are proud to share that we have been awarded the golden Green Key.
In our corporate social responsibility (CSR) statement you’ll find the things that matter to us and what we prioritise in terms of sustainability when running our hotel and restaurant.
Staying at Court Hotel is a unique experience thanks to its location and history dating back to 1054!
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