Editing Vecht (Utrecht)

{{Short description|River in the Netherlands}}
{{More references|date=December 2009}}
[[File:RhineUtrecht.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Satellite]] [[image]] of the surroundings of [[Utrecht (city)|Utrecht]] showing river Vecht (c) and the [[Amsterdam-Rhine Canal]] (g).]]
[[File:Location vecht.jpg|150px|thumb|right|Location of river Vecht (in dark blue).]]
The '''Vecht''' ({{IPA|nl|vɛxt|pron|
nl-Vecht.ogg}}) is a [[Rhine]] branch in the [[Netherlands|Dutch]] province of [[Utrecht (province)|Utrecht]]. It is sometimes called '''Utrechtse Vecht''' to avoid confusion with its [[Vecht (Overijssel)|Overijssel counterpart]]. The area along the river is called the [[Vechtstreek]].

==Geography==
The Vecht originates from the city of [[Utrecht (city)|Utrecht]], where the [[Kromme Rijn]] stream forks into two branches: the [[Leidse Rijn]]/[[Oude Rijn (Utrecht and South Holland)|Oude Rijn]] branch to the west and the Vecht to the north. Originally the Vecht branched off south of the city near the Roman fort [[Fectio]], flowing eastwards around the city, but in the 12th century a northern shortcut was dug out.

The Vecht meanders north past the towns and villages of [[Maarssen]], [[Breukelen]] and [[Nigtevecht]], crosses the border into the province of [[North Holland]], passes the city of [[Weesp]] and discharges into the [[IJmeer]] (Lake IJ, part of the former [[Zuiderzee]]) at [[Muiden]]. The Amsterdam-Rijnkanaal ([[Amsterdam-Rhine Canal]]) was dug in the Vecht basin.

The [[Roman Empire|Roman]] historian [[Tacitus]] tells us that in the first century CE a Roman fleet sailed due north down a Rhine branch, then sailed past [[Lake Flevo]] (now the Markermeer and [[IJsselmeer]] lakes) into the [[North Sea]]. This could have been the [[IJssel]], which the Romans connected to the Rhine themselves, or the river Vecht.

In the 17th and 18th centuries many country estates, known as [[buitenplaats]]en,<ref>[http://www.radionetherlandsarchives.org/rivers-of-the-world-the-vecht-in-holland/ "Rivers of the World: the Vecht in Holland", Radio Netherlands Archives, January 31, 2003]</ref> were built on the banks of the Vecht by rich merchants and administrators from [[Amsterdam]].

==References==
<references />

{{Coord|52.337|5.069|display=title}}
{{Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta}}

[[Category:Rivers of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta]]
[[Category:Rivers of the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Rivers of North Holland]]
[[Category:Rivers of Utrecht (province)]]
[[Category:Geography of Gooise Meren]]
[[Category:Stichtse Vecht]]
[[Category:Utrecht (city)]]
[[Category:Weesp]]


{{Netherlands-river-stub}}