De Inktpot
De Inktpot rises in Utrecht as the Netherlands’ largest brick building, with a square form that recalls an old-fashioned inkwell. George van Heukelom designed the railway administration building, completed between 1918 and 1921, and its headquarters now serve ProRail.
More than 22 million bricks shape the structure, while about 4,000 cubic metres of oak and 21 kilometres of old railway tracks support its construction. Stained-glass windows by Jan Schouten, monumental oak staircases, art deco clocks and a 27-cubic-metre water reservoir remain among its notable features. A pedestrian tunnel connects it with Hoofdgebouw II, extending Utrecht’s railway heritage around the site.
Look up to find a 12-metre-wide artwork by Marc Ruygrok, created for Panorama 2000 and shaped like a hovering UFO. The green space outside hosts cultural events, while the building shelters a large colony of protected bats.
- City
- Utrecht
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Take this page with you
The myTuur app is free, and once you are standing at a spot its story starts by itself.
Spots like this one are the stops myTuur strings into tours through Utrecht. In the app, each story begins where you stand: walk up to a spot and it starts, read it on screen or listen as you go, then follow the route to the next one.
What is myTuur?
myTuur is a free city-guide app. Its tours are built from spots, and each spot carries a story that starts when you get there, to read or to listen to as you like.