Nijmegen - beautiful old Dutch city, located about 100 km from Rotterdam, on the river Waal - one of the tributaries of the Rhine . Nijmegen quiet, at peace, full of almost Zen calm: pedestrian sidewalks resting ducks leisurely stroll along the beautiful promenade moms with strollers, no one is in a hurry, and everyone is smiling . In 1944 . the city was bombed by the Americans, so little is left of its old construction . However, it still remains one of the three oldest cities in the Netherlands - and one of the three warmest .
How to get to Nijmegen
The nearest airport is Vieze located on German territory and accepts Ryanair flights - for example, from Düsseldorf . from Weeze to Nijmegen can be reached by bus (an hour and a quarter) . Dutch Eindhoven airport is located 60 km from Nijmegen and from the central station of Eindhoven you can get to Nijmegen by train with one change (approximately 1, 5 hours) . Generally speaking tsya in Nijmegen train comfortably almost every major city in the Netherlands: the train from Utrecht are here 4 times per hour, from Roosendaal - 2 times per hour . Finally, you can reach by bus from Nijmegen German Kleve or Emmerich .
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A little history
Nijmegen rightfully can hardly be called not the oldest in the whole country . It was founded by the Romans, having built a fortified citadel at the very dawn of a new era . During the reign of the Carolingians, Nijmegen reached its heyday: the royal court settled here, and in the first half of the 13th century the city became officially a city , under the decree of Emperor Frederick II . In the Middle Ages Nijmegen flourished already as a member of the powerful Hansa . Subsequently he was briefly seized by Fr ntsuzy and even repeatedly, and during WWII it began with the German invasion of Nijmegen in the Netherlands . During the landing of Americans and bloody battles of 1944 the city . . was badly damaged and the city center of Nijmegen today - it's only a few miraculously preserved buildings, and otherwise - modern buildings .
Entertainment, excursions and attractions of Nijmegen
Since little of the historical Nijmegen has survived, all the really old sights here are absolutely obligatory and are absolutely obligatory for tourists to inspect . The oldest of them are the ruins of the old churches of the 11th and 12th centuries that can be seen in the Valkshof park . @ Both of them were rvonachalno much to the imperial castle, which has built here Frederick I (Barbarossa) . Chapel of St. Nicholas is a remarkably well-preserved buildings of the first half of the 11th century, which is now regarded as the oldest stone structure Netherlands . A Barbarossa ruins of the chapel dates to the middle 12 century: from the chapel there is today only one semicircular wall .
- Try the famous Kaasgehakt, a hot dish made of cheese and breadcrumbs, something like a vegetarian counterpart of minced meat at the Deket plank.
- Find the "birdy yard", one wall in which is completely hung up by the birdhouses.
- Look inside to the historic brewery "De Hemel", which occupies the cellars and the first floor of the picturesque monastery of the 12th century
In search of the most impressive buildings it is worth to go first to the main square of the city - Grotemarkt . Here you will see Grotakerk, the main city church, consecrated in honor of St. Stefan . The church is a restored version, like the town hall of the mid-16th century, built in the Renaissance style . In addition to the church and the Town Hall, the square is built up entirely and completely restored medieval buildings: here you can see the Chamber of Weights and Measures the beginning of the 17th century (today it has a restaurant), the Latin school of the 15th century with many statues and dark shutters on the facade, the 16th-century Kerkborg arcade and slightly more residential mansions . In the center of the square is a delicate bronze statue Mariken is a symbol of Nijmegen . There is a fascinating legend associated with her: a woman made a deal with the impure woman and was stuck with iron hoops, which after the repentance of the unfortunate burst .
The central city park of Valkhof, located above the river embankment, caresses the eye with an abundance of greenery. If you walk to the end of the park, you can see the old watch tower Belvedere, in which today a restaurant with a panoramic view of the river and the city is open. At the foot of the tower you can still see the German anti-tank 50-millimeter gun "Pantserabver". Nearby is the city museum Valkhof. The park is surrounded on one side by a piece of the 16th century city wall with a watchtower
Also the remains of the city fortifications can be seen in the small park of Kronenburger: the Powder Tower and the Rondel
And a little further down the Baal there is the rather famous metal railway bridge Vaalbrug shortly before the Second World War. At that time, the 244 m long bridge was the largest in Europe. With its semi-circular design, this bridge strongly resembles the bridge in Zwolle, and in 1944 it played an important role in the liberation operation. The bridge has been included in the list of national monuments since 2001.
Nijmegen There are several interesting museums in Nijmegen. It is a museum of African culture and art, a museum of World War II, a museum of nature, a historical museum with free entrance and a park-museum of the three main European religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In addition, the museum of old bicycles Velomar has been operating in the city since 1981, small but curious.
Book popular Nijmegen hotels at the best prices
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Nijmegen Events
Nijmegen Every year the famous July Walking Marathon starts running in Nijmegen, which lasts four days. The route of marathon runners implies passage from 30 to 50 km each day. Initially, the event was coined for veterans of the Allied troops of the Second World War, which helped free the Netherlands from occupation: British, Canadians, Australians, Americans and New Zealanders. On average, about 40 thousand people take part in the marathon.
Every year in the Valkshof Park there is a May folklore festival with an abundance of booze and traditional music . Also in May in downtown there is a Pink Fest devoted to sexual minorities . In the summer in the Goffert Park there is a Heavy Metal festival called "Fortarok", which gathers about 20 thousand . people . And in the autumn they mark in the city themselves the oldest street carnival in the whole country, it was first held in 1272 g . The festival usually lasts a week and a half, and it has a wide variety of attractions: from traditional carousels to modern bungee jumping .