The German House
In 1346, the knights and priests of the ‘Order of the Hospitallers of St. Mary of the Germans' built their monastery between the Springweg and the city wall. The order, which was mainly active in the Baltic Sea area at the time, had its main house of the Northern parts of the Netherlands here, the so-called Land Commandery. In 1674 the monastery church was severely damaged by a whirlwind, causing total decay. The sacristy, the convent building, the church with outbuildings and the residence of the Grand Commander have survived to this day. In 1811 the complex was used by the then French Government as a military hospital. Under King Willem I, the very modern hospital building was built along the Geertebolwerk for that time. In 1990 the Military Hospital moved to the Uithof. After a major restoration, the Knightly German Order, Balije van Utrecht, moved back into the 15th-century Commanders' House on the corner of Springweg and Walsteeg in 1995. The other buildings of the complex have also been restored and have been used by Grand Hotel Karel V since 1999. Emperor Charles V (1500-1558) stayed here whilst visiting Utrecht in 1546/47.