Ubica

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Ubica
Ubica Utrecht 2015.JPG
Ubica in 2015
P06-UT-positiekaart2-gemlabels.png
Red pog.svg
Location
General information
Status cafe, restaurant, hotel
AddressGanzenmarkt 24 & 26, Utrecht
Coordinates 52°05′33″N5°07′11″E / 52.092494°N 5.119803°E / 52.092494; 5.119803
Opened1319
Renovated2014
OwnerWillem Klaassen
Other information
Seating capacity120
Website
ubicautrecht.nl

The Ubica buildings are two adjacent buildings standing at 24 and 26 Ganzenmarkt, in central Utrecht, the Netherlands. Number 24 is a rijksmonument. 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 for 21 years, before being redeveloped into a hotel and café-restaurant in 2014.

Contents

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. [1] 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. [2] In 1917, a painted beam was removed which now resides in the Centraal Museum. [3]

After centuries of residential use, the buildings were taken on by mattress maker Ubica in 1931. [4] In 1989, there was a major fire and the buildings were left in an unuseable state. [5]

Squatted

Ubica while occupied by squatters in 2010 Ubica-panden.jpg
Ubica while occupied by squatters in 2010

The two buildings were squatted 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 Schism, art collective De Wilde Ganzen, freeshop Tranendaal, the Black Lentil cafe, cargo bike hire and a venue for concerts and art exhibitions. [6]

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. [7] In the same year, he was sentenced to six months imprisonment for seven criminal offences. [8]

Vloet sold Ubica in 2012 to property developer Willem Klaassen, who announced his intention to make a hotel in the building. [9] Vloet then decided he did not want to sell the building and a complicated legal battle began between him and Klaassen. [10] 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 which stated they had to leave, they decided instead to provoke an eviction. The building was then evicted by riot police (Mobiele Eenheid) in May 2013. [11] [12] 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. [13]

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. [14]

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). [15] However, July 2013, Vloet had decided to give up his legal battle with Klaassen and to sell him Ubica . [16] 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, it changed the name back to Ubica. [17] The restaurant pledged to keep Ubica's historic features whilst providing places for 120 paying customers. [4] The hotel became known as Mother Goose. [18]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "450416 Ganzenmarkt 24 3512 GE te Utrecht". Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (in Dutch). 7 December 2017. Retrieved 29 February 2020. Een voor het eerst in 1319 vermeld pand, tegenwoordig bestaande uit vier bouwlagen. Het pand behoord van oorsprong tot het type "weergangshuis", dat buiten dit pand alleen langs de Oudegracht voorkomt.
  2. ↑ "450416 Ganzenmarkt 24 3512 GE te Utrecht". Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (in Dutch). 7 December 2017. Retrieved 29 February 2020. Hoewel het karakter tegenwoordig wordt bepaald door de vroeg 19e eeuwse voorgevel met lijst en recente onderpui, waarmee het pand gekoppeld wordt met Ganzenmarkt 26, is er van de waarschijnlijk 13e eeuwse opzet nog veel aanwezig in muurwerk en balklagen.
  3. ↑ "450416 Ganzenmarkt 24 3512 GE te Utrecht". Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (in Dutch). 7 December 2017. Retrieved 29 February 2020. Op de derde verdieping (in 1917 is de kap vervangen door een plat dak) is nog de aanzet van de weergang aanwezig, met de helft van de borstwering. Eveneens in 1917 is een deel van de eiken balklagen vervangen, waarbij in circa 1530 beschilderde balkdelen met rijmpjes, acanthus ranken, figuren te paard en vogels tevoorschijn kwamen. Deze zijn nog aanwezig in het Centraal museum te Utrecht.
  4. 1 2 "Historic hospitality in Utrecht". Discover Benelux. 4 October 2016. Archived from the original on 29 February 2020. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  5. ↑ "Utrechts café Hoppe wordt Ubica". nos.nl (in Dutch). 29 December 2014. Archived from the original on 29 February 2020. Retrieved 29 February 2020. Door een grote brand in 1989 werden beide gebouwen onbewoonbaar totdat ze in de jaren 90 werden gekraakt.
  6. ↑ "Start". ubica.squat.net. Retrieved 29 February 2020. Naast het bouwen van woonruimte voor 15 mensen, hebben diverse groepen en organisaties gebruik gemaakt van de beschikbare ruimte. Zo hebben de panden in het verleden onderdak geboden aan vele verschillende initiatieven met klinkende namen als: Infoshop 'Schism', Swopshop 'Tranendal', Kunstenaarscollectief 'De Wilde Ganzen', en Smartlappenkoor 'Vinger in je Oor'. Op dit moment herbergt Ubica een non-profit veganistisch eetcafé ('The Black Lentil'), een internetwerkplaats ('PUSCII'), een bakfietsuitleen, een werkplaats en ruimte voor een incidenteel concert of kunstexpositie.
  7. ↑ Huisman, Charlotte (26 November 2012). "Het net sluit zich rond Utrechtse huisjesmelker Wim V." de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 29 February 2020. Retrieved 29 February 2020. De gemeente heeft deze maand maar liefst 23 zaken tegen hem voor de bestuursrechter gebracht: van achterstallig onderhoud tot het niet betalen van aanschrijvingen bij elf van zijn panden.
  8. ↑ "Terroriserende Wim Vloet zes maanden achter tralies". De Utrechtse Internet Courant. 13 December 2012. Archived from the original on 29 February 2020. Retrieved 29 February 2020. De Utrechtse huisbaas Wim Vloet (77) is veroordeeld tot zes maanden gevangenisstraf, waarvan drie maanden voorwaardelijk voor het plegen van een zevental strafbare feiten.
  9. ↑ "Utrechts kraakpand Ubica wordt hotel". RTV Utrecht. 20 January 2012. Archived from the original on 29 February 2020. Retrieved 29 February 2020. Het Utrechtse krakersbolwerk Ubica aan de Ganzenmarkt is verkocht aan een projectontwikkelaar en wordt een hotel. De nieuwe eigenaar is Willem Klaassen, die onlangs ook een klein hotel opende op de Nieuwegracht.
  10. ↑ Redactie (25 May 2013). "ME haalt aantal krakers uit Ubica-panden Utrecht". AD. Retrieved 1 March 2020. Het geschil tussen koper en verkoper is nog onder de rechter.
  11. ↑ Redactie (25 May 2013). "ME haalt aantal krakers uit Ubica-panden Utrecht". AD. Retrieved 1 March 2020. De Mobiele Eenheid is in de nacht van vrijdag op zaterdag het krakersbolwerk Ubica in de binnenstad van Utrecht binnengevallen. (...) De krakers namen 20 jaar geleden bezit van het complex, dat in 1989 ernstig beschadigd was geraakt bij een brand. Ze hebben er geen vertrouwen in dat er echt iets mee gaat gebeuren. 'We gaan niet meewerken aan weer een pand dat ontruimd wordt om uitgesloopt leeg te gaan staan', stelden ze voorafgaand aan de ongeregeldheden in een verklaring op de website Indymedia.nl.
  12. ↑ "Ubica ontruiming". www.indymedia.nl (in Dutch). 19 January 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  13. ↑ "Tien aanhoudingen bij ontruiming kraakpand Utrecht". NU (in Dutch). ANP. 25 May 2013. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020. Bij de ontruiming van een kraakpand aan de Ganzenmarkt in Utrecht zijn zaterdagochtend vroeg tien mensen aangehouden (...) De ME'ers kwamen in actie nadat de krakers enkele uren lang verf en vuurwerk vanaf het dak naar beneden hadden gegooid. Eerder hadden ze het stadhuis beklad en een ruit ingegooid, en op de Ganzenmarkt autobanden in brand gestoken. Een aantal krakers had zich in het pand vastgeketend. De politie moest hen met slijptollen losmaken. Volgens de gemeente Utrecht is het pand niet veilig genoeg meer om in te wonen, ze heeft het daarom onbewoonbaar verklaard en gesloten.
  14. ↑ "Cel- en werkstraffen voor negen Ubicakrakers". RTV Utrecht. 18 November 2013. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020. Negen Ubicakrakers zijn in hoger beroep veroordeeld tot een maand celstraf. Dat heeft het Hof in Arnhem besloten. Justitie had twee maanden celstraf geëist. Ook moeten de negen krakers elk 120 uur werken en moeten ze de gemeente en de politie samen ruim 14.000 euro schadevergoeding betalen
  15. ↑ "Na zware slag om Utrechts kraakpand dreigt nu leegstand". AD (in Dutch). 4 June 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2020. De omstreden huisbaas Vloet blijft bij zijn weigering het vorige week ontruimde Ubicapand te verkopen aan ontwikkelaar Willem Klaassen. Dat gaat hij de rechter vandaag vertellen. Door Vloets opstelling dreigt langdurige leegstand van het voormalige krakersbolwerk aan de Ganzenmarkt. Voor die leegstand waarschuwden de krakers van Ubica eerder al in deze het AD. Dat was ook de reden waarom ze weigerden vrijwillig het pand te verlaten.
  16. ↑ "Beruchte huisbaas Vloet staakt strijd om Ubica". RTV Utrecht. 11 July 2013. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020. Het hoger beroep van huisbaas Vloet tegen de nieuwe eigenaar van de Ubicapanden gaat niet door. Hij geeft de strijd op en heeft het verkoopcontract ondertekend, meldt Dick Hoek aan RTV Utrecht.
  17. ↑ "Utrechts café Hoppe wordt Ubica". nos.nl (in Dutch). 29 December 2014. Archived from the original on 29 February 2020. Retrieved 29 February 2020. De eigenaar van Hoppe in Amsterdam dreigde eerder dit jaar met een kort geding tegen twee gelijknamige cafés in Utrecht en Breda. Die besloten de zaak te schikken en hun cafés een nieuwe naam te geven. (...) Het etablissement in het centrum van Utrecht plakte de naam Hoppe op de gevel af en schreef een prijsvraag uit voor een nieuwe naam. Ubica verwijst naar matrassenhandel Ubica die sinds 1931 in het pand en het gebouw ernaast was gevestigd.
  18. ↑ Redactie (7 July 2014). "Hotel 'Mother Goose' geopend in voormalig Ubica-pand". De Utrechtse Internet Courant (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
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