After
five years of painstaking renovations, one of the best-loved buildings in the city of Utrecht was officially reopened last week, and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands made light work of it.
Accompanied by Utrecht’s Mayor, the Queen flicked the switch to illuminate the 14thcentury Dom Tower, the tallest church tower in the Netherlands, which has had a €36m (£30m) makeover. Since scaffolding was erected in 2019, experts have repaired or replaced each of the building’s 10,000 stones. Its four clock faces, weathervane, carillon and stained glass were also restored, and new, permanent lighting has been installed.