The campus of Utrecht University is a world of concrete. Even the two builings Rem Koolhaas designed cannot change the gloomy atmosphere of the place. The Uithof sports a variety of buildings, ranging from a library (I call it the borg cube):
to the almost Soviet-style student dorms
I must admit that the campus has its unique surroundings, namely the sheep and cows that are on the grasslands inbetween the buildings. You might say those farm animals give it a typical Dutch atmosphere.
Let me get to the point of the story. The Uithof has a secret which is undiscovered by most students and I always wonder why. After this post it won’t be a secret anymore, but hey, someone’s gotta spread the word.
Next to the Campus lie the Botanical Gardens; a quiet, heavenly sanctuary of nature in the midst of concrete and highways. As a student you can visit it for free, and whenever I go there it’s always very quiet. Whenever I am studying at the campus all day, knowing that there’s an option to escape from it all only a few meters away makes me feel at ease. I am not going to put more words into describing the garden, the pictures will speak for themselves. The pics are made with my iPhone, so the quality isn’t breathtaking.
You took BEAUTIFUL pictures!
But would you really want a whole bunch of students gather in such a gorgeous and peaceful place? Hmmmm
I don’t know about the students in Holland, but in my university they are freaking noisy…the library where I work is like a market square sometimes.
The architecture of the buildings is very intersting, and varied. I really like the dorms! To wake up in the morning surrounded by the noise of cow bells…bliss!