Editing Nijmegen (section)

== History ==
{{For timeline}}
{{Historical populations
|title       = Historical population
|align       = left
|cols        = 
|pop_name    = 
|percentages = pagr
|footnote    = 
|source      = {{Harvnb|Lourens|Lucassen|1997}}
|1400|10800
|1500|12000
|1560|10000
|1611|11780
|1651|8160
|1741|12000
|1795|11008
}}

=== Antiquity ===
The first mention of Nijmegen in history is in the first century BCE, when the [[Roman Empire|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 give a good view over the river Waal and [[Rhine]] valley.

By 69, when the [[Batavi (Germanic tribe)|Batavi]], the original inhabitants of the [[Rhine]] and [[Meuse]] (''Maas'') delta, [[Revolt of the Batavi|revolted]], a village called ''[[Oppidum]] Batavorum'' had formed near the Roman camp. This village was destroyed in the revolt, but when it had ended the Romans built another, bigger camp where the [[Legio X Gemina|Legio X ''Gemina'']] was stationed. Soon after, another village formed around this camp.

In 98, Nijmegen was the first of two settlements in what is now the [[Kingdom of the Netherlands]] to receive [[municipium|Roman city rights]].

In 103, the X ''Gemina'' was restationed in [[Vindobona]], now [[Vienna]], which may have been a major blow to the economy of the village around the camp, losing around 5000 inhabitants. In 104 Emperor [[Trajan]] renamed the town, which became known as ''Ulpia Noviomagus Batavorum'', Noviomagus for short, the ultimate origin of the current name.

A collection of artifacts from Roman antiquity were compiled by [[Johannes Smetius]] in the 17th century, called the [[Smetius Collection]].<ref>Nellissen, L. (translator), ''Nijmeegse Oudheden'', Stichting Stilus, {{ISBN|90-808719-1-5}}.</ref>

In January 2022, archeologists led by Pepijn van de Geer announced the discovery of an intact 2,000-year-old blue glass bowl with a vertical stripe pattern in Nijmegen. Researchers assume that this well-preserved bowl was made in a glass workshop. According to van de Geer, this type of bowl was made by allowing molten glass to cool and harden over a mold.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=McGreevy|first=Nora|magazine=Smithsonian|title=2,000-Year-Old Roman Bowl Discovered Intact in the Netherlands|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/2000-year-old-ancient-roman-glass-bowl-found-in-netherlands-180979461/|access-date=2022-02-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Nijtmans |first=Anne |date=2022-01-20 |title=Archeologen vinden bijna 2000 jaar oude puntgave schaal in Nijmegen: 'Topstuk met museale waarde' |language=nl |work=[[De Gelderlander]] |url=https://www.gelderlander.nl/nijmegen/archeologen-vinden-bijna-2000-jaar-oude-puntgave-schaal-in-nijmegen-topstuk-met-museale-waarde~a7b2f01f/ |access-date=2023-10-28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Aton|first=Francesca|date=2022-01-25|title=Perfectly Preserved 2,000-Year-Old Roman Glass Bowl Unearthed in the Netherlands|url=https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/roman-glass-bowl-nijmegen-1234616630/|access-date=2022-02-20|website=ARTnews.com|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Liu|first=Jasmine|date=2022-01-24|title=2,000-Year-Old Roman Glass Bowl Unearthed "Like New"|url=http://hyperallergic.com/707260/2000-year-old-roman-glass-bowl-unearthed-like-new/|access-date=2022-02-20|website=Hyperallergic|language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Middle Ages ===
Beginning in the latter half of the 4th century, Roman power decreased and Noviomagus eventually became part of [[Francia]]. It also appeared around this time on the {{Lang|la|[[Tabula Peutingeriana]]}}. In the 8th century Emperor [[Charlemagne]] maintained his ''palatium'' in Nijmegen in 777,<ref>{{Cite book |url= https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015055306438?urlappend=%3Bseq=35 |title=Oorkondenboek der Graafschappen Gelre en Zutfen tot op den Slag van Woeringen, 5 Juni 1288|last=Baron Sloet|first=L. A. J. W.|publisher=Martinus Nijhoff|year=1872|location=s'Gravenhage|pages=13 (no. 11)|hdl=2027/mdp.39015055306438?urlappend=%3Bseq=35}}</ref> and possibly on at least three more occasions. During his brief deposition of 830, the emperor [[Louis the Pious]] was sent to Nijmegen by his son, [[Lothair I]]. Thanks to the [[Waal (river)|Waal]], trade flourished.

[[Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor]], was born at Nijmegen in 1165. In 1230 his son [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]] granted Nijmegen [[City rights in the Low Countries|city rights]]. In 1247, the city was ceded to the count of [[Guelders]] as [[collateral (finance)|collateral]] 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 like the [[Limbourg brothers]] were born and educated in Nijmegen. Some of [[Hieronymus Bosch]]'s ancestors also came from the city.<ref>Hieronymus Bosch. Complete Works, published by Taschen.</ref>

=== Early modern period ===
During the [[Dutch Revolt]], trade came to a halt and even though Nijmegen became a part of the Republic of United Provinces after its [[Siege of Nijmegen (1591)|capture from the Spanish in 1591]], it remained a [[border town]] and had to endure multiple sieges. [[File:View on the waal janvangoyen.jpg|thumb|right|260px|The Waal river near Nijmegen, 1641]]
[[File:Nijmegen - Stadhuis en Grote Markt 1900.jpg|thumb|right|260px|Nijmegen town hall (left) around 1900]]
In 1678 Nijmegen was host to the negotiations between the European powers that aimed to put an end to the constant warfare that had ravaged the continent for years. The result was the [[Treaty of Nijmegen]] that failed to provide for a lasting peace.

In 1702, at the start of the [[War of the Spanish Succession]], the French nearly took Nijmegen by surprise. Only because of the intervention of an Anglo-Dutch army under the [[Godert de Ginkel, 1st Earl of Athlone|Earl of Athlone]] and the bravery of the citizens of Nijmegen was the [[Assault on Nijmegen (1702)|Assault on Nijmegen]] repulsed.

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 events in the [[Franco-Prussian war]] proved that old-fashioned fortifications were no longer 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. In 1923 the current [[Radboud University Nijmegen]] was founded and in 1927 a channel was dug between the [[Waal (river)|Waal]] and [[Meuse]] (''Maas'') rivers.

The Waal was bridged in 1878 by a [[Nijmegen railway bridge|rail bridge]] and in 1936 by a [[Waalbrug|road bridge]], which was claimed to be Europe's biggest bridge at the time. In November 2013 a second road bridge ({{langx|nl|[[De Oversteek]]}}), 2&nbsp;km downstream, was opened to ease congestion.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 2013 |title=Tweede verkeersbrug bij Nijmegen |url=https://www.absolutefacts.nl/gelderland/nijmegen/oversteek-nijmegen.htm | access-date=5 January 2024|website=Absolutefacts.nl |language=nl}}</ref>

=== World War II ===
In 1940, [[Battle of the Netherlands|the Netherlands was invaded]] by Germany, with Nijmegen being the first Dutch city to fall into German hands. On 22 February 1944, [[Bombing of Nijmegen|Nijmegen was heavily bombed]] by American planes, causing great damage to the city centre. It was subsequently claimed by the Allies that the American pilots thought they were bombing the German city of [[Kleve]], while the Germans alleged that it was a planned operation authorised by the Dutch government in exile. The Dutch organization for investigating wartime atrocities, the [[NIOD]], announced in January 2005 that its study of the incident confirmed that it was an accident caused by poor communications and chaos in the airspace. Over 750 people died in the bombardment.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.godutch.com/newspaper/index.php?id=684|title = U.S. Air Force deadly 1944 bombing of Nijmegen accidental » the Windmill news articles » goDutch}}</ref>

During September 1944, the city saw heavy fighting during [[Operation Market Garden]]. The objective of the [[Battle of Nijmegen]] was mainly to prevent the Germans from destroying the bridges. Capturing the road bridge allowed the British Army [[XXX Corps (United Kingdom)|XXX Corps]] to attempt to reach the [[1st British Airborne Division]] in [[Arnhem]]. The bridge was heavily defended by over 300 German troops on both the north and south sides with close to 20 [[anti-tank guns]] and two [[anti-aircraft guns]], supported with artillery. The Germans' late attempt to blow the road bridge was possibly foiled by a local Dutch resistance hero, [[Jan van Hoof]], who is said to have cut the wires to the bridge. The Germans made repeated attacks on the bridge using bombs attached to driftwood, midget submarines and later resorted to shelling the bridge with [[88mm]] barrages. Troops {{Clarify | post-text = German or Allied? | date = September 2019}} were positioned on the bridge giving an excellent [[arc of fire]] in case of attack. Troops that could not fit onto the bridge were positioned in a bombed-out house slightly upstream of the bridge. During the shelling, the house was hit, killing six soldiers and wounding one. Nijmegen was liberated from German occupation by the British [[Grenadier Guards]] of the [[Guards Armoured Division]], as well as elements of the American [[82nd Airborne Division]] in September 1944. The city was later used as a springboard for [[Operation Veritable]], the invasion across the Rhine River by Allied Troops.

=== Post-war period ===
From 1946 to 1948 [[Mariënbosch concentration camp]], near Nijmegen, was used to house German nationals who were to be deported from the Netherlands.

On 23 February 1981, the Nijmegen police department and the [[Royal Netherlands Army|Dutch Army]] stormed the [[Piersonstraat riots|Piersonstraat]] and Zeigelhof, a squatted housing block in the city centre of Nijmegen. Using 200 riot vans, three [[Leopard 1]]s, three [[armoured personnel carrier]]s, a helicopter, 1,200 policemen, and 750 members of the armed forces, they evicted the squatters and demolished the block, while clouding the entire area in teargas and [[CS gas]]. This received enormous backlash in local politics. While the city government wanted the squatters out to build a parking garage, most of the population wanted affordable housing to be built in the area.

The [[city council]] was largely dominated by left-wing and progressive parties such as the [[GroenLinks|Green Party]], [[Democrats 66]], [[Socialist Party (Netherlands)|Socialist Party]], and [[Labour Party (Netherlands)|Labour]]. At times Nijmegen has been the only major city in the Netherlands with a solely left-wing government, and received the nickname '[[Havana]] on the Waal'.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.eupedia.com/netherlands/nijmegen.shtml|title = Eupedia}}</ref>

Nijmegen celebrated its 2000th year of existence in 2005. It is considered the oldest city in the Netherlands. In gaining this qualification, it has competed with the city of [[Maastricht]].

In November 2005, the city centre of Nijmegen was the site of the assassination of political activist [[Louis Sévèke]] by a former activist, Marcel Teunissen, who was arrested in 2007 in Spain and extradited to the Netherlands. Teunissen has also been accused of bank robbery. He committed his acts out of revenge for a forcible eviction from the squatter scene by Louis Sévèke.