Tallest church tower in Netherlands
The Dom Tower of Utrecht is the tallest church tower in the Netherlands at a height of 112.5 meters. The Gothic style cathedral is a symbol of the city since it stands at the spot where the city of Utrecht originated almost 2,000 years ago.The tower was a part of the Cathedral of Saint Martin, Utrecht, also known as the Dom Church, and was built between 1321 and 1382 and was designed by Joh of Hainaut. The cathedral was never fully completed due to lack of money. Since the unfinished nave collapsed in 1674 the Dom tower became a free standing tower.
The Dom Tower was one of the largest towers constructed in Europe during the fourteenth century, and it was planned to show the power of the church of Utrecht. The tower has its own visitor centre, RonDom, which is located in the square.
As well as stocking a range of souvenirs,they organise a number of activities centred on the tower, including regular guided tours which allow people to climb the 465 steps to the top of the Dom Tower. On a clear day it is possible to see both Amsterdam and Rotterdam. The booking office for guided tours is located in the square at the foot of the tower. It is also possible to get married in the tower.
The Dom Tower even had their own radio station at one point! Radio DOM was an automatic radio-station located on the Dom tower in Utrecht, which from June 4, 1999 until October 3, 1999 broadcast an audio ‘soundscape’ based on the sounds of the city of Utrecht.
Radio DOM got its inputs from six computer-controlled surveillance microphones installed at a height of 80 metres on the Dom tower, which constantly scanned the central area of the city. The sound signals picked up by these microphones were algorithmically combined into a continuously varying soundscape which was broadcast 24 hours a day by an FM radio transmitter installed on the Dom tower.
