The national Open Monument Day takes place this weekend throughout the country. Here in Utrecht, the official date is Saturday, September 11. The theme this year is the 19th century, exploring the contrasting thoughts of the time, as the Industrial Revolution ran up against the revival of historical architectural styles. The result was a number of fascinating buildings, many of which will be open this weekend to the public.

In Utrecht, there will be five different location categories throughout the city, including the historic and beautiful Maliebaan area, and the old city center. Various university buildings and numerous churches will be open, along with the Aorta Architecture Center, as well as places like the Geld Museum and the Molen De Ster. A full listing of all locations -- and there are a lot of them -- can be found on the official website. There's an English-language summary of the theme of the event that will help explain it in more detail, and through the website, you can also find links to the monuments that will be open throughout the rest of the country.