The Ubica buildings are two adjacent buildings standing at 24 and 26 Ganzenmarkt, in central
Utrecht
Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...
, the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. Number 24 is a
rijksmonument
A rijksmonument (, ) is a national heritage site of the Netherlands, listed by the agency Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (RCE) acting for the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.
At the end of February 2015, the Netherlands ...
. The first recorded mention of the buildings is from 1319. After centuries of residential use, the buildings were bought by the Ubica mattress company in 1913 and used until a devastating fire in 1989. The buildings were then
squatted
Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...
for 21 years, before being redeveloped into a hotel and café-restaurant in 2014.
History
The first recorded mention of number 24 dates from 1319. This building was originally constructed in the 'weergangshuis' style, which in Utrecht is only otherwise found along the
Oudegracht
The Oudegracht, or "old canal", runs through the center of Utrecht, the Netherlands. It starts in the southeast of the city. Here the Kromme Rijn (the original main bed of the Rhine river) and the Vaartse Rijn (a medieval canal reconnecting Utrec ...
.
The building now has a 19th century façade which pairs it with number 26, but internally the walls and beams follow a structure believed to be from the 13th century.
In 1917, a painted beam was removed which now resides in the
Centraal Museum
The Centraal Museum is the main museum in Utrecht, Netherlands, founded in 1838. The museum has a wide-ranging collection, mainly of works produced locally. The collection of the paintings by the Northern Mannerist Joachim Wtewael is by a lon ...
.
After centuries of residential use, the buildings were taken on by
mattress
A mattress is a large, usually rectangular pad for supporting a lying person. It is designed to be used as a bed, or on a bed frame as part of a bed. Mattresses may consist of a quilted or similarly fastened case, usually of heavy cloth, conta ...
maker Ubica in 1931.
In 1989, there was a major fire and the buildings were left in an unuseable state.
Squatted
![Ubica-panden](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/Ubica-panden.jpg)
The two buildings were
squatted
Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...
in February 1992. The squatters repaired the buildings and lived there in a group of 15 people. They organised various activities such as the PUSCII
hacklab,
infoshop
Infoshops are places in which people can access anarchist or autonomist ideas. They are often stand-alone projects, or can form part of a larger radical bookshop, archive, self-managed social centre or community centre. Typically, infoshops offer ...
Schism, art collective De Wilde Ganzen,
freeshop
Give-away shops, freeshops, free stores or swap shops are stores where all goods are free. They are similar to charity shops, with mostly second-hand items—only everything is available at no cost. Whether it is a book, a piece of furniture, ...
Tranendaal, the Black Lentil cafe,
cargo bike
A cargo bike (also known as a box bike, carrier cycle, freight bicycle, cycletruck, or freight tricycle) is a human powered vehicle designed and constructed specifically for transporting loads. Cargo bike designs include a cargo area consisting o ...
hire and a venue for concerts and art exhibitions.
The owner of Ubica was
speculator Wim Vloet. He owned over 40 buildings in Utrecht and by 2012, the city council had opened 23 courtcases against him.
In the same year, he was sentenced to six months imprisonment for seven criminal offences.
Vloet sold Ubica in 2012 to property developer Willem Klaassen, who announced his intention to make a hotel in the building.
Vloet then decided he did not want to sell the building and a complicated legal battle began between him and Klaassen.
Also the squatters went to court because they distrusted Vloet and did not want the building to be left empty but following a ruling by the higher court in
Arnhem
Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both banks of ...
which stated they had to leave, they decided instead to provoke an eviction. The building was then evicted by riot police (
Mobiele Eenheid
Riot control measures are used by law enforcement, military, paramilitary or security forces to control, disperse, and arrest people who are involved in a riot, unlawful demonstration or unlawful protest.
If a riot is spontaneous and irrat ...
) in May 2013.
The squatters had thrown paintbombs at the neighbouring city hall and set fire to tyres in the Ganzenmarkt. They had then locked themselves in the Ubica buildings. After the eviction, the city declared the buildings unliveable and closed them. Ten squatters were arrested.
Nine of the squatters were later sentenced to one month in jail and 120 hours of community service. They also had to pay to the city and the police 14,000 euros.
Hotel
At first, Wim Vloet continued to say that he considered Willem Klaassen's offer to buy the building as just a bid and he was not minded to sell the property (as the squatters had warned).
However, July 2013, Vloet had decided to give up his legal battle with Klaassen and to sell him Ubica .
After the renovations, a café-restaurant opened on the groundfloor of both buildings, with a hotel above. The café was called Hoppe Utrecht originally, but after a complaint from Café Hoppe in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
, it changed the name back to Ubica.
The restaurant pledged to keep Ubica's historic features whilst providing places for 120 paying customers.
The hotel became known as Mother Goose.
See also
*
ACU (Utrecht)
*
ASCII (squat)
The Amsterdam Subversive Center for Information Interchange (ASCII) was a squatted communication laboratory in the Dutch city of Amsterdam. The first incarnation was formed in 1999, based at Herengracht 243a. The lab then moved to the following ...
*
Vrijplaats Koppenhinksteeg
Vrijplaats Koppenhinksteeg (Freespace on Koppenhinksteeg street) was a complex of buildings first squatted in 1968 in Leiden, the Netherlands. It took its name from the alley on which it was located and was run since the 1990s by the Vrijplaats Ko ...
*
Moira (Utrecht)
Moira is a music and arts venue in the city center of Utrecht, Netherlands.
History
The building at Wolvenstraat 10 was built in 1906. From 1939 until 1959, it was the Zegers dance school. The insurance company Moira turned it into a canteen, ...
References
External links
Current restaurant websiteMother Goose Hotel websiteOld squat website
{{Authority control
Buildings and structures in Utrecht (city)
Infoshops
Squats in the Netherlands
Hackerspaces
Rijksmonuments in Utrecht (city)
Evicted squats
Hotels in the Netherlands
Restaurants established in 2014