In addition to walking through the beautiful surroundings of Nijmegen, you can also walk through the landscape of your own interior. That’s where a beautiful hiking trail becomes a pilgrimage. But there is plenty to see along the way on this route.
St. Steven’s Church
The Stevens Church is one of the most beautiful and oldest monuments in Nijmegen. The church has always had a larger function than just a church building. For example, the city rights used to be kept here in a cupboard with eight locks, the keys of which were distributed among various notables in the city. Radboud University uses the Stevenskerk for ceremonies.
The church develops into a general inspiring meeting point or, as the director Heleen Wijgers puts it: a “temple without thresholds”. An interesting and worthy start and end point of the Walk of Wisdom.
Photos: Patrick van Bree
Photos Stevenskerk.nl
Mariken van Nimweghen
At the beginning and end of our route are two special statues from the story of Mariken van Nimweghen.
The mayor of Nijmegen, Hubert Bruls, calls Mariken van Nimweghen the most famous Nijmegen resident who never existed. It’s true: almost everyone knows the medieval story of the girl who lives with the devil Moenen for seven years. When she wants to break up with him, he throws her down from high above the Stevens Church. Mariken survives and goes on a pilgrimage to Rome to ask for advice and forgiveness from the Pope. She goes in search of ‘her own story’ (Heimweelied, Marjolein Pieks/Ben Dirks).
A statue of Mariken stands at the beginning of the route. A statue of the devil Moenen at the end. Image Moenen: Piet Killaars. Image: Mariken van Nimweghen: Vera van Hasselt. Photos: Bart Kouwenberg.
Photos by Bart Kouwenberg
The Ooijpolder
From the center of Nijmegen you are in the middle of nature within a kilometre: the famous Ooijpolder.
An example area for how we can deal with the landscape in the Netherlands. Farmers, government and nature conservationists work together here. Within a short period of time, a vast nature reserve has been created with overflow for the water, new wilderness and a strolling area for nature lovers. Farmers are paid to help maintain the landscape in exchange for farmland paths where hikers walk along miles of meadows bordered by thickets bursting with biodiversity.
More: via Natura.
Wylerberg
At Beek Ubbergen on the Duivelsberg is an expressionist villa by Otto Bartning, designed in 1921 on behalf of Marie Schuster Hiby. It became an idealistic building in which music, dance, visual arts and literature had to be honoured. From above, ‘Huize Wylerberg’ looks like a large crystal that has been deposited in the slope of the moraine. Outside and inside, the crystallines return, especially in the music hall.
Cultural landscape and birds
The villa is now owned by the Forestry Commission and houses the Dutch Cultural Landscape Association, among others. On Sundays and Wednesdays you can visit miniature landscapes of the most beautiful pieces of agricultural cultural landscape in the Netherlands. With the Delta Plan ‘The Netherlands Beautiful Again’, the association wants to use 200,000 kilometres of field margins and meadow edges for the restoration of the agricultural cultural landscape: http://www.nederlandscultuurlandschap.nl.
The concert hall in Huize Wyerberg is managed by SOVON bird research Netherlands, which regularly organizes concerts with a green theme: https://www.sovon.nl/nl/groene-concerten. Birds are also ringed for research.
More about Bartning
Otto Bartning is considered one of the founders of the Bauhaus and designed experimental churches, community halls and chapels. In 1924 he received an honorary doctorate in theology from the University of Köningsbergen for his “inspiring, tangible forms in which the ineffable is tangible”.
Sint Jansberg
About 45 kilometers from the starting point you will pass through one of the most beautiful forests in the Netherlands: the Sint Jansberg. The forest is located on the moraine of Nijmegen, where streams originate and a fairytale landscape has been created on the hills.
You walk through a real beech cathedral! More: Natuurmonumenten.
A special monastery
In Velp (N-Br.) you will pass a tree-lined driveway towards a special 18th century monastery. It was once built by the Capuchins. The Capuchins are part of the Franciscans who are known for their connection with nature. Founder Francis of Assisi wrote the Song of the Sun in which he sings of all beings and even the sun and the moon as brothers.
The Capuchins have since left and the building is in new hands. You can still spend the night there and the beautiful chapel is open daily. Be sure to drop in!
If you want to spend the night in the monastery, please book in time via: reserveringen.emmausklooster@
Unfortunately, pilgrims no longer receive a discount, check the rates here: Emmaus Monastery Velp (N-Br).
Trinity
The monastery in Velp is part of three religious buildings together: the Trinity. In addition to the Capuchin monastery, this also consists of Bronckhorst castle monastery from the 19th century and an old Romanesque church (the Vincentius church), from the 10th century.
On weekends there are often art exhibitions in the old Romanesque Church of St. Vincent. It can therefore be visited. The Bronckhorst Monastery is not open to the public.
Take a look at the website of the Emmaus Monastery.
Sunset March
At a good hour’s walk from the finish you pass the Oversteek in Nijmegen (map 33). One by one, 48 lanterns are lit here every sunset at the pace of a slow march. This is in memory of the 48 Allies who died here in 1944 for our freedom. Out of respect for the soldiers, Dutch veterans walk with the lanterns almost every evening: the Sunset March.
You are welcome to join us and give the march your own theme. Meet at the elevator exit on top of the bridge. In the nearby Honigfabriek you can wait for the sunset. There is an artisanal melting pot with a brewery, café and restaurant.
Video: Martijn Schinkel, The Third Image