"Nijmegen - it's on a HILL!" a Nijmegen Travel Page by johngayton

It's definitely an understatement to say that there aren't many hills in the Netherlands and in fact over a quarter of the country lies below sea level with most of the rest not much above it.

The city of Nijmegen however actually sits atop a hill overlooking the River Waal and the Rhine Valley. Nijmegen is considered to be the Netherlands oldest city, having celebrated its 2000th anniversary in 2005, and began its life as a relatively important Roman garrison town.

The city has a rich history with associations to Charlemagne and the emperor Louis the Pious in the 8th and 9th centuries, around which period it became fortified and a castle built on the Valkof. The city was accorded city rights by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in 1230 though its claim to be the oldest city predates this by over 1200 years. It was here in 1678-9 that the Treaties of Nijmegen were signed in an attempt to resolve the then Europe-wide series of conflicts during the Franco-Dutch war.

The city's modern history has been one of destruction and rebuilding. The castle was demolished in 1797 and the city walls taken town in 1874 to allow for the city's growth. The rail bridge was constructed in 1878 and the road bridge (at the time claimed to be the biggest in Europe) in 1936.

During the Second World War the city was the first in the Netherlands to be captured by the Germans and then in 1944 became the accidental target of a major American bombing raid which destroyed much of the city centre, killing almost 800 people. Also in 1944 the area saw heavy fighting as the Allied forces (during Operation Market Garden) captured and secured the road bridge to prevent its destruction.

Despite the extent of the 1944 damage the city has been rebuilt along modern lines but still keeping its Mediaeval core which has been carefully restored. This rebuilding and subsequent developements have combined to create a pleasant little city with plenty of open spaces (green and otherwise), interesting architecture (old and new) and a lively social and cultural environment.

Whilst the modern city sprawls over quite an area its centre is pretty compact with all the main sights easily walkable. This central area focuses around the Grote Markt (a triangle rather than a square) with the 13th Century St Stephens Church tucked in the apex. The Grote Markt is surrounded by various cafes and restaurants which spill out onto the pavements as soon as the sun comes out.

To the east of the city centre is the site of the former castle on the Valkof which has great views up and down the river and whose square has the rather interesting-looking Valkof museum. To the west (towards the railway station) is the pleasant little Kronenburger Park in a dip with its little lake and pair of towers. To the north is the river with its promenade, the Waalkade, and more cafes and bars as well as the Holland Casino and a couple of small museums. The main shopping area is to the south leading from Burcht Straat down the split-level Marikenstraat to the Molenpoort shopping mall and Molenstraat.

Nijmegen is situated on the River Waal which is a major distributary of the Rhine and as such is very much a working river. This is the Netherlands most important shipping route, connecting Rotterdam with the Rhur in Germany. According to one source there were approximately 165 million tonnes of cargo transported along the river in 1996.

The river is still quite badly polluted, though stringent measures are in place to reduce this, but isn't an unpleasant river to watch the boats plying up and down. It's not quite ready for fishing or swimming in yet but for an interesting website on the regeneration of the Rhine in general try this one: International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine