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European Green Capital Nijmegen
Europe's undiscovered green destination
November 1, 2018
In 2018, Nijmegen celebrated the Award with a concert on the Spiegelwaal - more than 3000 citizens enjoyed an evening filled with music and entertainment, with the free tickets being “sold out” in only half an hour
IMAGE: Nieuws uit Nijmegen
Nijmegen, European Green Capital 2018 and the Netherlands’ oldest city, is a place full of surprises for tourists to discover. Nature, city vibes, sustainability and good food seamlessly blend together in this fascinating historical city with a young vibe.
Arriving by train from cities such as Amsterdam or Cologne, the entrance to the city of Nijmegen can only be described as absolutely stunning. When you arrive at the Spiegelwaal (a closed off water channel for flood relieve purposes), the trains slows down, allowing you to take a good look at the bridges; of which the Lentloper is the absolute showstopper.
An aerial view of Nijmegen
IMAGE: Irvin van Hermert
The creation of the Spiegelwaal was part of a larger-scale initiative for Nijmegen to help increase the capacity of the city’s watercourse in order to prevent climate change-induced flooding. A sharp meander bend in the river Waal (upon which Nijmegen was built), was constricting its flow, so the dyke was repositioned 350m further outfield. This created ample space for a secondary channel and formed an elongated island. The Lentloper Bridge, designed by Ney-Poulissen Architects & Engineers, provides the main access to the island and carries mainly pedestrians and cyclists, but also some cars. The municipal authorities had requested a bridge be built that would not simply provide a connection; but should also act as a local attraction with spatial features above and below the bridge deck. And sure enough, it did.
So enjoy your view of the oldest city in the Netherlands and the busiest river in Europe, and take in some of the rich nature of the Gelderse Poort landscape. When you arrive on a hot summer’s day, you’ll be greeted by the sight of many students, families and couples enjoying themselves on one of the many nice beaches. Looking out of the train window you can catch a glimpse of the city’s outline, with the St. Stephen’s Church (colloquially called the Steven’s Church) majestically protruding out from the centre. The promenade of the river Waal is for now comprised of a stone pavement, but Nijmegen is planning to turn it into an environmentally-friendly green area in the coming year.
In July 2018, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands visited Nijmegen to learn more about river rewilding efforts and the various initiatives taking place during Nijmegen European Green Capital 2018
IMAGE: Marscha van Druuten
Discover Nijmegen on foot
Nijmegen has a whole array of sustainable Points of Interest for visitors to discover. A good starting point is the Nijmegen European Green Capital Visitor Centre, a wooden building which was built drawing on the environmental principles of circular economy in mind, and is also a design of Ney-Poulissen Architects & Engineers. Here you can choose one of various different routes to discover the city, whether that be on foot or on bike. The city also features a sustainable shopping route, with various shops and second-hand thrift stores in the city centre, such as Van Nature and EkoPlaza.
From the Visitor Centre, you can walk towards the river and discover two blue eco-lounge chairs, made entirely from plastics salvaged from old computers and smartphones. Be sure to lie down and relax a little. When you proceed on your journey, you can always fill up your water bottle at a free water bottle point; the city centre is covered with them and they have even been recently decorated by artists. At the promenade, you can throw your waste in one of the waste bins of the Walk of Waste, a series of waste bins which have been decorated into bonafide works of art by artists from all across Europe.
Another place certainly worth a visit is De Bastei: a beautiful and recently opened building on the Waalkade which will become the epicentre of sustainable Nijmegen. If you have time, make sure to drop into this museum and take a journey through the past, present and future of this wonderful city. Here, on the Waal and in the oldest city in the Netherlands, you can discover the flora and fauna of the Gelderland River. There is fun and educational information available for all levels of interest.
De Bastei museum with the St Nicholas Chapel/Valkhof Chapel looming in the background
IMAGE: Mathijs Hanenkamp
All of this walking and biking through the city can work up an appetite. But don’t worry, there is a choice of restaurants with something for everybody, including vegetarian and vegan options, such as De Nieuwe Winkel, Crudo or Credible. Close to the city centre you can also enjoy dining in De Honig, a hotspot for start-ups covering the circular economy, food and fashion industries. Here, you can enjoy coffee at Blommers or a dinner at the Meesterproef.
And should you ever wish to rest your feet, you can a enjoy top-to-toe relaxation experience in combination with the therapeutic benefits of natural thermal sources at Sanadome.
As mentioned, you can take a sustainable shopping route in Nijmegen. Whatever you end up doing, please do not forget to take a stroll down the Hezelstraat. This is the oldest street in Nijmegen, with a lot of surprisingly interesting local shops and of course a whole host of restaurants which are sure to satisfy.
The Grote Markt is a real hub of activity in central Nijmegen
IMAGE: Green Capital Nijmegen
Parks and nature
There are two main parks in the city centre that you can visit in order to relax a little and discover things that perhaps local citizens aren’t even aware of!
The Valkhof Park is an intriguing slice of history in and of itself, as it was used by the Romans as an observation post, whilst De Nicolas Chapel is in fact the oldest stone building in the Netherlands. In the 8th Century, and as part of Charlemagne’s Carolingian Empire, Nijmegen went by the name of 'Numaga'. The Emperor decided to build a large 'palts' (a Dutch term for a historical type of palace) in what is now the Valkhof Park. Standing on this viewpoint, you can get a real sense of the Holy Roman Emperor.
The Valkhof Park also gives you a beautiful view of Nijmegen’s surroundings, and helps to give you an idea of the plentiful green environment which the city is situated in. You’ve got the Ooijpolder reserve on one side and the outskirts of the Beuningen municipality on the other.
The Kronenburgerpark is of walking distance from the Central Railway Station. It boasts beautiful lush greenery, serene water scenes and of course, bridges. The park itself is of old English design, whilst the pond is maintained by mussels, which feast on the algae to help keep the water clean. In the Kruidtoren, you can have a cup of tea or coffee in the Grandmothers’ Kitchen Museum.
Lounging around in Kronenburgerpark
IMAGE: Henk Kersten
What’s rather unique about Nijmegen is that you only need to walk for about 10 minutes from the city centre to enjoy the silence of nature and the view of ponds, dykes and birds in the Ooijpolder. But please remember that you are in one of Europe’s Green Capitals, so always take a small paper waste bag with you to help keep the area free of litter.
Not quite in the centre of town, but nevertheless certainly worth a visit is the Goffertpark. This public park, is also sometimes used as an outdoor concert venue and is the proud home of local football club Nijmegen Eendracht Combinatie (N.E.C.). In the 1930s, local unemployed people helped to transform sixty acres of woodland and heathland into a glorious spacious park, which includes the provision of sports fields, a stadium, a teahouse and even a petting zoo. The new Goffertpark was finally opened on Saturday, July 8th, 1939.
The unmistakable river banks of Ooijpoort - locally known as Waalstrand
IMAGE: Bart Kouwenberg
Festivals and music
Nijmegen is a university city. Which helps bestow this old city with a young vibe. You can feel it on the chain of terraces in the city centre, but also in various theatres and the music hall Doornroosje; a hotbed for youth culture where you can listen to the latest hottest bands and other musical acts.
The International Four Days Marches Nijmegen take place during the 3rd week of July, and are a walking achievement event for four consecutive days in which tens of thousands of walkers come to participate annually. On those days, people from all over the world come to Nijmegen to walk in and around the city and its beautiful wooded surroundings, whilst thousands of spectators cheer on the walkers along the route. After four days of walking, a glorious finish line along the Via Gladiola awaits the walkers, followed by the collection of their well-deserved Four Days Marches Medals.
During this week, the Vierdaagsefeesten offers the largest and most vibrant party in whole of the Netherlands, with over 1.5 million visitors arriving at the inner city of Nijmegen. In July 2018, 40 stages featured approximately 3000 artists. Day and night, the festival offers an amazing line-up of dance, rock, Latin, pop, jazz, classical music, theatre and fine arts. Besides the music you’ll get to enjoy the markets, food trucks, fine dining, a Kids Walk and even a spectacular sustainable fireworks show. Nijmegen always emphasises on environmentally friendly collaboration, innovation and fun. In doing so, social engagement and sustainability always remain paramount.
Even the fireworks are environmentally-friendly in Nijmegen!
IMAGE: Mathijs Hanenkamp
27 Sustainable Events
Make the events in Nijmegen more sustainable. That was the goal from one of the Green Capital Challenges, a citizen-inspired way of bringing Nijmegen European Green Capital into the city and its inhabitants. A total of 27 Events, including the Music Meeting and the short film festival Go Short in Theatre LUX, signed the covenant and promised to make their events more sustainable. And yes, it worked with great success. For instance Drift, a popular dance festival, became energy neutral in 2018.
For Zevenheuvelenloop, one of the largest roads races in the Netherlands, sustainability was already enshrined in its DNA. The Zevenheuvelenloop Foundation organizes its events (the Stevensloop, Marikenloop and the NN Zevenheuvelenloop) in the most sustainable way possible. Every aspect of the event, from waste to (plastic) bags, is put under the microscope and checked whether it is sustainable enough. Anyone who does not come by train or does not live in the Nijmegen region and is not in possession of an NS or public transport pass will pay a private transport surcharge of €5 at the events. This surcharge is intended to stimulate and incentivise travel by public transport.
The proceeds from the transport surcharge are invested in sustainable projects. For example, investments have been made in wind turbine deployment and a contribution was made to install solar panels at the Meander Free School for primary education. This year the proceeds will be going to De Bastei.
Het Groentje aka the 'Little Green One' cycling bridge is another local favourite
IMAGE: Green Capital Nijmegen
Discover the green surroundings of Nijmegen on a bike
The Nijmegen region is perfectly positioned in a magnificent and undulating river landscape between the Rhine, Meuse and Waal rivers, and cycling on the dykes gives you a beautiful view of the landscape.
Nowadays, it is not only Roman archaeological remains that you will come across in the Nijmegen region, but also Roman traditions and customs, such as relaxing in a sauna or spa to help recharge your batteries. Although perhaps you might prefer more active forms of relaxation? Well, you could hike the N70; a unique walk that takes you on a cultural history over eight ‘mountains’ through varied countryside. Or cycle through the area commonly known as the Betuwe. This is the fruit garden of the Netherlands, where you will be captivated by the spring blossom, and where later on in the year you can buy tasty cherries, apples and pears from roadside stalls. You’ll find plenty of grapes in the wine village of Groesbeek: a village proud of its prize-winning wines.
Whatever your taste, you’ll be sure to find something you’ll love in Nijmegen.
To find out more about Nijmegen European Green Capital, please visit the official website:
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