Hoog Catharijne is a shopping mall built on top of a grudge. In 1529, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, put up Vredenburg Castle on this spot. Its job was blunt: to keep the citizens of Utrecht under control.

Utrecht did not take it well. After about 50 years, the castle was slowly dismantled by an unforgiving populace. Only the name lingered on the square.

Then the mall's builders uncovered the last pieces of the tower. Fragments now sit in a nearby car park, an ignoble resting place for an emperor's fortress, and a few remains still lie below the mall.

Two of VoiceMap's walking tours of Utrecht pass this spot. One starts here, with the mall at your back, and both tell the castle's story on Vredenburg Square.