Nijmegen
\n
Nijmegen (obsolete spellings: Nijmwegen, Nymegen, Nieumeghen) — known in
German as
Nimwegen,
French as
Nimègue, and
Spanish as
Nimega) is a
city of 160,000 in the east of the
Netherlands, near the
German border, in the province of
Gelderland.
\nNijmegen\n\n\n | \n | \n |
\nPopulation (1-1-2004)
| 157,473 |
\n
Nijmegen is also the name of the municipality that comprises the city itself and the villages of Lent, Nijmegen-Oosterhout and Nijmegen-Ressen that lie to the north of the
Waal river. Together they form the district of Waalsprong.
Nijmegen is famous for the
International Four Days Marches Nijmegen, an annual event starting on the third Tuesday in July, comprising four days of
walking (distances ranging from 30 to 50 km a day), and the accompanying festivities, which have been drawing the largest crowds for any Dutch event in the past few years.
[1]
The
University of Nijmegen (
Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen) is also located here.
History
\nThe first mention of Nijmegen in history is in the 0s BC, when the
Romans built a military camp on the place where Nijmegen was to appear; the location had great strategic value because of the surrounding hills, which gave (and give) a good view over the
Rhine valley.
By
69, when the
Batavians, the original inhabitants of the
Rhine and
Maas valley, revolted, a village called
Oppidum Batavorum had formed near the
Roman camp. This village was destroyed in the revolt, but when the revolt had ended, the
Romans built another, bigger camp. Soon after, another village formed around it.
In
104,
Trajan gave market rights to this village, which officially became known as
Ulpia Noviomagus Batavorum. Hence, Nijmegen.
In the
4th century,
Roman power decreased and Nijmegen became part of the
Frankish kingdom. In the
8th century, Emperor
Charlemagne built a castle in Nijmegen, which marked the start of an era of prosperity for Nijmegen.
Thanks to the
Waal river, trade flourished and in
1230, Nijmegen was given city rights by the Holy Roman Emperor. In
1247, the city was ceded to the count of
Gelderland as safety for a loan. The loan was never repaid, and Nijmegen has been a part of
Gelderland ever since. This did not hamper trade; Nijmegen even became part of the
Hanseatic League.
During the
Dutch Revolt, trade came to a halt and even though Nijmegen became a part of the Republic of United Provinces in
1585, it remained a border town and had to endure multiple sieges. There were some highlights, though, such as the
Treaty of Nijmegen (
1678).
In the second half of the
19th century, the fortifications around the city became a major problem; there were too many inhabitants inside the walls, but the fortifications could not be demolished because Nijmegen was deemed as being of vital importance to the defence of the
Netherlands. When, however, events in the
Franco-Prussian war proved that old-fashioned fortifications were no more of use, this policy was changed and the fortifications were dismantled in
1874.
Through the second half of the
19th century and the first half of the
20th century, Nijmegen grew steadily. The
Waal was bridged in
1878 by a rail bridge and in
1936 by a car bridge, in
1923 the
University of Nijmegen was founded and in
1927 a channel was dug between the
Waal and
Maas rivers.
In
1940, the
Netherlands were invaded by
Germany and Nijmegen was the first city to fall into their hands. In
1944, Nijmegen was heavily bombed by
American planes (allegedly the pilots thought they were bombing the
German city of
Kleve, although it has also been claimed to have been a deliberate act), which caused great damage to the city centre. Later in
1944, the city saw heavy fighting during
Operation Market Garden.
The current mayor is Mrs Guusje Ter Horst.
Museums in Nijmegen
\n*Africa Museum (african art and culture)\n*
biblical open air museum (ancient middle eastern buildings)\n*
Valkhof museum (roman history and modern art)\n*
Velorama (bicycle museum)
External links
