Utrecht (province) from bogs formed after the last ice age. One of the most attractive natural areas in the province is the Vechtstreek ("Vecht region"), situated on either side of the Vecht river. An international nature conservation organisation that has settled the head office of its Netherlands branch in this province (at Zeist) is the WWF. "Natuur en Milieu" ("Nature and Environment") is a national nature protection organisation whose head office is in this province (at Utrecht city). The Province of Utrecht is divided into 26 municipalities. Utrecht (province) Utrecht () is a province of the Netherlands. It is located in the
Utrecht than 50 years before it was demolished in an uprising in the early stages of the Dutch Revolt. In 1579 the northern seven provinces signed the Union of Utrecht, in which they decided to join forces against Spanish rule. The Union of Utrecht is seen as the beginning of the Dutch Republic. In 1580, the new and predominantly Protestant state abolished the bishoprics, including the archbishopric of Utrecht. The stadtholders disapproved of the independent course of the Utrecht bourgeoisie and brought the city under much more direct control of the republic, shifting the power towards its dominant province Holland. This