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In honour of Keti Koti (Slavery Remembrance Day), Utrecht Time Machine, a history platform initiated by Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ, is launching the Colonial History Walking route. This route takes visitors through Utrecht's city centre, bringing to life the city's colonial history using resources from, amongst others, the walking tour Sporen van Slavernij Utrecht and The Utrecht Archives (Het Utrechts Archief), one of the partners within the Utrecht Time Machine consortium. "By doing so, we aim to foster a deeper understanding of our history and, consequently, our present." The route is available on the and on their app.

Around 1860, Christiaan Willem Weidner resided on the Wittenvrouwensingel. His residence stood across from 'Het Suikerhuis', a sugar refinery located at the Lucasbolwerk, where the City Theatre now stands. The refinery processed sugar from the Dutch colonies. Weidner himself owned the Goossen plantation in Suriname, where at least 83 enslaved people were forced to work. Weidner is one of the historical figures from Utrecht highlighted in the new walking route.

Sitie

Spanning four kilometres, the walking route takes visitors past eleven key sites in the city center. Apart from Weidner's residence, walkers will pass Drift 27 where Sitie, an East Indian house servant, once lived. They will also come across Boothstraat 6, the home of Nicolaas Beets, an abolitionist and vocal opponent of slavery. The app and website provide abundant information, visuals, and audio resources concerning Utrecht's colonial past, allowing visitors to delve into the history of Utrecht.

Plantation owner Weidner received a staggering 290,000 euros, adjusted for inflation, as compensation for his 'loss' when slavery was abolished.

Fostering understanding

Jitske Hell from Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ designed the walking route based on resources obtained from  and (Trails of Slavery Utrecht). "The colonial past continues to be a significant subject in our society," she emphasises. "The wealth generated through colonial trade has contributed to our heritage. With this route, we aim to shed light on this contentious chapter in Utrecht's history, fostering a more inclusive and transparent understanding of our past."

Compensation for plantation owners

During her research in The Utrecht Archives, Hell encountered some confronting information. She discovered that plantation owners received compensation of 300 guilders per enslaved individual when slavery was abolished in 1863. Plantation owner Weidner received an astounding sum of 290,000 euros, adjusted for inflation, as compensation for his 'loss’. "Yet, what struck me most was the absence of the enslaved individuals' own voices in the records. The elite spoke about them, but their own experiences are not documented. We have made a concerted effort to bring their stories to the forefront," adds Hell.

Update 23 June 2023

There has been some discussion on social media about this walking route, and its possible overlap with a tour developed by researcher Nancy Jouwe of Sporen van Slavernij Utrecht. Jouwe's research was an important source of information for the Utrecht Time Machine walk. This is also mentioned on the Utrecht Time Machine’s home page. In addition, references to Sporen van Slavernij Utrecht are mentioned per topic, when was the source of information. For Colonial Past other sources have also been used and own research has been done at The Utrecht Archives. An earlier version of this news story suggested that The Utrecht Archives was the only source of information for the walk, and did not refer to Jouwe's research. This has now been corrected.