The Utrecht ship

The thousand-year-old Utrecht Ship was found on December 3, 1930 by burrowing workers on the Van Hoornekade in Utrecht-Noord. At first, it was thought to be a Roman ship. The then director of the Centraal Museum had the remains of the ship transferred to the museum's basement. To get the monster there, a large hole was cut in one of the side walls.

The ship has been on display at the Centraal Museum since 1936. And to smell, because the wood was preserved with a mixture of creosote (a tar product) and linseed oil. The scent of that still fills the room.

What makes the ship so special is that the bottom plate consists of a single piece of oak, a hollowed out and then curved tree trunk that is more than 17 meters long. Planks and beams were installed on it. The ship sailed across the Rhine and was powered by a combination of towing, sailing, trees and rowing. The sturdy bottom made it suitable for sailing over dangerous rocks, such as near the Lorelei. Utrecht was the likely home port of the freighter, which could transport all kinds of things.

The ship is on display in the basement of the Monastery Building.