Nijmegen

Nijmegen is a city in the east of the Netherlands, 6 km (4 mile) west from the German border and 16 km (10 mile) south of Arnhem. Nijmegen and Maastricht are the oldest cities in the Netherlands, both dating back to Roman times (ca. 100 AD). Nijmegen is mainly situated on the south bank of the river Waal, the main branch of the Rhine, but since 2004 Nijmegen is extending to the north of the Waal, the so-called Waalsprong. On 1/1/2009 the city had 162,000 inhabitants.

The city hosts a university, previously called Catholic University, but on 1 September 2004 renamed to Radboud University, after one of the first bishops of Utrecht, Saint Radboud (ca. 850–917). The university has about 17,000 students and the following faculties/graduate schools: Philosophy; Languages; Management; Mathematics, Natural and Computer Science; Law; Theology and Religious Science; Social Science and Psychology; Medical School and University Hospital.

Highlights in Nijmegen's history are:

• Negotiations between European powers taking place in Nijmegen in 1678 led to the Treaty of Nijmegen.
• For many centuries Nijmegen was a fortified city, but around 1875 it was realized that city walls were not functional in modern warfare and the walls were taken down. The city was allowed to extend to the west and the south.
• In 1923 the Catholic University was founded.
• On February 22, 1944 Nijmegen was bombed by the United States Air Force leading to about 750 dead and many wounded.