 |
|
| |
|
||||
Population centresThe municipality is formed by the city of Nijmegen, incorporating the former villages of Hatert, Hees and Neerbosch, as well as the Waalsprong, that lies to the north of the river Waal, including the village of Lent and the new suburbs of Nijmegen-Oosterhout and Nijmegen-Ressen. The city of Nijmegen
International Four Days Marches NijmegenNijmegen 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] (http://www.4daagse.nl/frameset.asp?lan=eng) EducationThe Radboud University Nijmegen (formerly Katholieke Universiteit) is located in Nijmegen. HistoryThe 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 Waal and 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, where the Legio X Gemina was stationed. Soon after, another village formed around this camp. In 103, the Legio X Gemina was removed to Vienna, which was a major blow to the economy of the village around its camp. To soften the blow, in 104, Emperor Trajan gave market rights to the village, which officially became known as Ulpia Noviomagus Batavorum. Hence, Nijmegen. Few Roman remains are visible today; a fragment of the old city wall can be seen near the casino, and the foundations of the amphitheatre are traced in the paving of the present-day Rembrandtstraat. However, the Museum Kam, now part of the Valkhof Museum, has a large collection of Roman artifacts that have been dug up over the ages. 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 Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor. In 1247, the city was ceded to the count of Guelders 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 in 1364. The arts also flourished in this period. Famous medieval painters the Limbourg brothers were born and educated in Nijmegen. 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. The old castle had already been demolished in 1797, so that its bricks could be sold.   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 current Radboud University 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, caused great damage to the city centre. Allegedly the pilots thought they were bombing the German city of Kleve, although it has also been claimed to have been a deliberate act. The NIOD announced in January 2005 that it's study of the incident confirmed that it was an accident, caused by poor communications and chaos in the airspace. Later in 1944, the city saw heavy fighting during Operation Market Garden. The current mayor is Mrs Guusje Ter Horst. Museums in Nijmegen
Famous people from Nijmegen
Miscellaneous informationNijmegen is twin town to the cities of Pskov in Russia and Masaya in Nicaragua. External links
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
Copyright 2008 WordIQ.com - Privacy Policy
::
Terms of Use
:: Contact Us
:: About Us This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Nijmegen". |