Our next visit was to the city of Nijmegen, the oldest city in The Netherlands and is home to one of the largest universities in the country.
The boat was docked on the River Waal right at the entrance to the city. Just ahead was a beautiful bridge. We walked off the ship and crossed the road to begin our walk around the city. The remains of the old city wall, on a part of which was a map of Nijmegen were directly opposite the boat.
The origins of Nijmegen date back to the 1st century BC when the Romans established a fort at this strategic hillside overlooking the Rhine and Waal rivers, but it was already occupied by Batavian tribes who revolted against the Romans. Few Roman ruins exist in situ today but many artefacts are on display in the Valkhof Museum. Nijmegen grew fast as a trading centre until 1874 when the walls were demolished to accommodate the growing population. The city centre was reshaped by bombing by the allies and shelling by Germany in WWII, but the adjoining neighbourhoods and streets with centuries-old buildings survived.
We began our exploratory walk down a small lane which had a couple of interesting buildings. The first was formerly brewery which operated from 1621 to 1969. The second was a home built in 1498 and is now a studio for artists to be creative, known as the Besiendershuis.
From there we walked back down to the riverside to see a statue of the Waterwolf and an aquanaut. This is a 3.5m high bronze statue created by a duo called Spacecowboys working with the Besiendershuis. It was created to be part of the reclamation of the Waal River area which had been badly neglected. The statue was made for children to climb on and enjoy and to learn not to be afraid of the wolf or the water as the aquanaut was their friend.
We walked back towards the town and entered a passage where, through a glass division, we saw a small piece of the original Roman wall and a part of the archaeological dig. These were discovered when building of a casino began and had to be halted while digging and discovery took place.
On leaving the passage, in front of us was a set of stairs, almost 50 of them and our guide asked us, the special walkers’ group, if we could climb them. When we all said no, she led us to the lift beside the museum called De Bastei. This is a museum which tells the story of life in, around and on the River Waal.
Once we had reached the upper level of the street we were able to see a round-shaped building high on a hill. We were told that it was the former Valkhof St Nicholas Chapel built from 1030 and is the oldest building still standing in the city. In the mid-12th century, Emperor Frederick I, known as Barbarossa, came to Nijmegen and built a castle with large towers known as the Valkhof fortress. It was the biggest castle ever built in the Netherlands and was enclosed in a wall which was linked to the city wall. For centuries the towers of the castle and St Steven’s tower on the other side of the city were the landmarks for approaching Nijmegen until 1795 when the castle was destroyed. Today this whole castle mound is a park with the Chapel and castle ruins in the central attractions.
As we made our way to the city centre, we passed a sign, outside a business school, which read, “Higher salaries start here”. There were also some buildings with beautiful murals, mainly of animals. The best one was of a Reindeer, high above the shop front of what appeared to be a former restaurant and now under reconstruction.
Halfway down the main street was a former home now turned into a museum of the 3 van Lymborch brothers, Herman, Paul and Jean. They were taught to paint and create by their uncle who lived in Paris and although they were not well known their paintings of miniatures were very popular. In the cellar of their 14th century home can be seen many of their creations. They lived between 1385 and 1416 and all died of the plague.
A little further down the road on the opposite side was a former prison and torture chamber. When a prisoner was being tortured the windows were opened wide so that people could hear the prisoner screaming and so be aware of what happens when one broke the law.
At the end of the main street was the Great Market, a building which was formerly a cheese weighing house and now houses 2 restaurants, a statue of young girl and the arched entrance to St Steven’s Square.
The story of the young girl, named Mariken Nieumeghen, formed a play in the city and a legend. According to the legend, Mariken lived in the countryside with her parents and regularly came into to purchase groceries for the family. When in town she stayed with her aunt and uncle but her aunt accused her of seducing her uncle and banished her from their home. Roaming the streets she called on both God and the Devil to save her, agreeing to go with whoever came first. It was the Devil who did and she went with him for 7 years but then realised her sin and went to her local priest who could not tell her how she could be forgiven. Neither could the Bishop and she was sent to the Pope. He told her that she had to enter a nunnery and wear metal rings on her arms. When these broke, she would be forgiven. She awoke one morning, 30 years later, to find the rings broken so she was able to leave the nunnery.
The Grand Market has been the pulse of Nijmegen since the 13th century, particularly on Mondays and Saturdays when vendors arrive with stalls selling anything from stroopwafeln or syrup waffles to sunglasses. It was totally destroyed in the war but many of the baroque buildings were spared and are still in use today.
We went through the arches into St Steven’s Square. As there was a service in progress, it was a Sunday, we couldn’t enter the church but were able to look around the Square and read all the history of the church and its architecture. Building began in 1254 and the church was completed in 1273 when it was named after the first Christian martyr, St Steven. Like the church in Wesel, St Steven’s was originally Roman Catholic but became Protestant during the Reformation in 1591 and was also badly damaged in WWII.
We walked a short way back and then went down a narrow and steep street to take us back to the ship. Halfway down our guide showed us the home where Karl Marx was born and where his mother lived for many years. At 2pm we set sail for Maastricht.
