If on a random summer evening you take a walk through Rotsoord, the former industry terrain along the Vaartsche (or Vaartse) Rijn in Utrecht South, you’ll be amazed by the liveliness that’s currently around the area. A crowd in front of the door at pop podium De Helling and well-filled terraces at restaurant LE:EN, Klein Berlijn, Café Brutal, and De Zagerij. Groups of chatting people going through the area. A lost cyclist on her phone who seems to be looking for an address. Until recently, it was very different. The area is in full development, increasingly functioning as a sort of extension of the city center and as a new cultural and creative hotspot. A new piece of the city with entirely its own and, for the time being, unusually lovely and relaxed atmosphere.
De Helling and LE:EN were of course the absolute pioneers in the area, but since then a number of hotspots have extended Rotsoord. With the recent completion of the home project De Trip, directly beside another developing complex for students and starters, a Moxy hotel on the way, and even more home projects arriving, Rotsoord is being subjected to a new dynamic. Besides living, nowadays there’s fortunately also lots of entertainment in the area. We’ve already mentioned LE:EN, the new Klein Berlijn on De Trip, WT Urban Café & Kitchen and Café Brutal in the water tower here, and we recently posted a video of a short impression of Rotsoord during one of the Explore Utrecht meetups. De Zagerij was still in development, but is now open and fully functional. The industrial looking restaurant with a fine terrace on the Vaartsche Rijn looks like a good place for lunch, drinks, or dinner.
Even more is coming! Het Ketelhuis has opened directly beside De Zagerij in the old Pastoe Fabriek on Rotsoord, where the HKU and various creative businesses are settled. And on the ground floor of the Kade apartment complex, part of De Trip, Camping Ganspoort and Taplokaal Gist will soon be opening. So anyone who wants to look further than the Utrecht city center for a nice evening out is beckoned to check out the developments on Rotsoord. Maybe we’ll run into each other – see you then!
Photo’s LE:EN by Susanne Sterkenburg
Header photo view by DUIC