Nijmegen, the largest town in Gelderland (though not its capital, which is Arnhem), with a Roman Catholic University, lies in the south of the province, only 7km/4.5mi from the German frontier on the left bank of the Waal, the southern branch of the Rhine as it approaches the sea. It is dominated by seven hills, the terraced
slopes of which have something of the air of a gigantic amphitheater. Nijmegen ranks with Arnhem as one of the two leading towns in the province of Gelderland, with the offices of numerous administrative bodies (including some provincial government departments) and many higher educational establishments and research institutes as well as a university. A number of commercial houses and markets for horticultural produce also make important contributions to the economy. The decisive factor in the economic life of Nijmegen, however, is industry - principally metalworking and electrical engineering but also textiles, foodstuffs and chemicals. Nijmegen's port on the Waal can take ships of up to 6,000 tons, making it one of the most important ports on the inland waterway between Rotterdam and the Ruhr. It is also of regional importance as a transshipment point serving the province of Gelderland.
Nijmegen was a considerable Roman settlement under the name of Batavodurum and later of Noviomagus. In Carolingian times it was an imperial residence, and later became a free imperial city and a member of the Hanseatic League. In 1579 it joined the Union of Utrecht. In 1585 it surrendered to the Spaniards, but in 1591 was recaptured by Maurice of Orange. The 1678 peace treaty between France and the Netherlands was signed in Nijmegen. Nijmegen's period of economic prosperity began only with the development of industry, after the demolition of its old fortifications between 1877 and 1884. During the Second World War the town suffered heavy destruction, particularly in the central area, but the damage was rapidly made good after the war.
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