What to See in Nijmegen, Netherlands: Free Audio Guide

Nijmegen is a historic city in Gelderland, shaped by churches, medieval remains, defensive forts and the River Waal. Its landmarks range from the eleventh-century Sint Nicolaaskapel to former military sites north of the river, making it a rewarding destination for anyone deciding what to see in Nijmegen. Neywo has a free audio guide for Nijmegen with 93 narrated places.

What to See in Nijmegen

Sint Nicolaaskapel and Valkhof Hill

The Sint Nicolaaskapel, also known as the Valkhofkapel, stands on Valkhof Hill beside the Voerweg. This small medieval stone chapel is the oldest surviving building in Nijmegen and one of the oldest stone buildings in the Netherlands. It was probably built in the first half of the eleventh century.

From the middle of the twelfth century, Valkhof Hill was also home to the Valkhof castle of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. The chapel is commonly regarded as one of the surviving parts of the castle, although its exact structural relationship to the fortress remains uncertain. Today, the hill is a city park, with the Barbarossa ruin marking the remains of the apse of the Sint-Maartenskapel.

St Steven’s Church

St Steven’s Church, or the Stevenskerk, is one of Nijmegen’s defining landmarks. It stands on the Hundisburg, a small hill in the heart of the city, and is the oldest and largest church in central Nijmegen. Built in the thirteenth century, it is a Protestant church dedicated to Saint Stephen.

The historic synagogues and churches

Nijmegen’s religious buildings reflect several centuries of local history. On Nonnenstraat in the Benedenstad, the synagogue known as Beth Knesset Jitzchak dates from 1756 and has roots reaching back to the eighteenth century.

The Lutheran Church on Prins Hendrikstraat dates from 1896, but it preserves important features from an older Lutheran church on Grotestraat. Its oldest organ was made in 1756 by Nijmegen organ builder Matthijs van Deventer, while the pulpit dates from 1671. A small tower was added in 1929.

The Titus Brandsma Memorial at Keizer Karelplein is a Roman Catholic church built in 1908 and 1909. Originally known as the Sint-Jozefkerk, it was dedicated to Titus Brandsma in 2004. Its three-aisled cross-basilica design gives the building a spacious and distinctive form.

Other churches add further variety to the city’s architectural landscape. The Neo-Gothic Maria Geboortekerk in the Hunnerberg district was designed by Johannes and Jules Kayser. The Groenestraatkerk, also called the Heilige Antonius van Padua-Sint Annakerk, stands at the corner of Groenestraat and Dobbelmannweg in Hazenkamp. In Hees, the Petruskerk is a Protestant church, while the Titus Brandsmakapel on Kroonstraat is a small municipal monument built in 1960 in the style of the Bossche School. Architect Pieter Dijkema designed both the chapel and its accompanying pylon.

The White Church of Neerbosch

The Nederlands Hervormde kerk Neerbosch, known as the White Church of Neerbosch, is one of Nijmegen’s historic landmarks. The building dates from the end of the fourteenth century and was originally a Roman Catholic church dedicated to Saint Antonius Abt. Since the Reformation, it has served as a Dutch Reformed church.

Quack monument

The Quack monument, also known as the Marie-Adolf Fountain, is a distinctive red granite landmark. Designed by Willem Bijlard, it has four fountains and four bells at its base, with four lanterns rising above an Art Deco-decorated obelisk. The bronze lanterns and bells contrast with the granito lower section and the red granite of the obelisk.

The monument was erected in 1926 using a legacy from Arnoldus Burchard Adolphus Quack, who was an alderman of Nijmegen from 1902 to 1919. He stipulated that a fountain named after his twin sister, Maria Christina, should be built. The monument was removed in 1958 to make way for traffic and was later rebuilt in 2000.

Fort Beneden-Lent

North of the Waal, west of Lent, Fort Beneden-Lent—also known as Nieuw Knodsenburg—illustrates Nijmegen’s military history. Built in 1862, it was first intended to defend Nijmegen. After a railway bridge was built across the Waal and Nijmegen was connected to the Dutch rail network, its role shifted to protecting the strategically important bridge.

The fort consists of a bombproof lodging building surrounded by an earthen redoubt and moat. It was manned during the First World War and again at the beginning of the Second World War. From the 1970s, the site was repeatedly occupied by squatters before becoming the property of Staatsbosbeheer.

Fort Boven-Lent

Further along the Waal, Fort Boven-Lent, also called Sprokkelenburg, was built in 1862 for the defense of Nijmegen. Together with Fort Beneden-Lent, it later protected the railway bridge across the river.

Its defensive design includes casemates, a tower and a moat surrounded by a glacis. The fort was occupied by soldiers during the First World War and at the beginning of the Second World War. After the war, it was used to store ammunition and materials for possible dike damage. Its military role ended in 1959, and it is now used for hospitality.

Maria Geboortekerk in Lent

The Maria Geboortekerk in Lent is a parish church and listed national monument in the municipality of Nijmegen. Designed by Gerard te Riele, it opened in 1879. Two side aisles were added in the middle of the 1920s, forming part of the building’s present appearance.

Explore Nijmegen with a self-guided audio tour

Neywo lets you turn these sights into a Nijmegen self-guided walking tour. The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. Narration is available in 11 languages.

The Nijmegen audio guide includes:

• Five walking tours, including Valkhof Hill: Emperors, Romans and the River Waal at 1.56 km and 97 minutes with 12 stops, and Gunpowder, Lions and Memory: Nijmegen’s Old Town at 2.5 km and 106 minutes with 11 stops.
• A 2.24 km, 78-minute walk through the city’s religious and Roman heritage, with 8 stops.
• A 0.51 km, 30-minute walk around Keizer Karelplein, with 4 stops.
• A 5.07 km, 114-minute walk across the Waal in Lent, with 6 stops.
• One bus route, covering 7.1 km in 30 minutes with 11 narrated stops.
• One bike route, covering 10.2 km in 51 minutes with 6 narrated stops.

Download Neywo for free and explore Nijmegen’s churches, monuments, river landscape and forts while the city’s stories play exactly where they happened. You choose the route and the pace; the app provides the narration.

Nijmegen is part of Gelderland in the Netherlands.