1945-now: Moving forward

Resurrected city
After the war, people worked hard to rebuild the city. With only limited resources, a new city centre was built incorporating the few remaining and often heavily damaged buildings such as the Waaggebouw, the historic Town Hall and St. Steven’s Church. In the south-western part of town, a new industrial estate was realised. In the seventies and eighties, the dilapidated lower town, bordering on the river Waal, was renovated. The renovation and rebuilding of the lower town were carried out while leaving intact the historic street pattern with its beautiful alleys and cul-de-sacs and the remains of the old town were also integrated. Nijmegen received the Europa Nostra Award, an international award for architecture for the exceptional way in which this project was executed. Later on, the Waalkade was also given a face lift.

Growing city
To meet the large demand for housing, several new residential areas were built between 1950 and 2000, particularly to the south and west. The housing problem is still unsolved, making further expansion necessary. In 1999, it was decided to expand across the river Waal where more than 11,000 houses for 30,000 inhabitants are to be built. The quality of the houses is so high that this project, known as the Waalsprong, is ranked among the top five of sustainable building locations in the Netherlands. For centuries the Waal was Nijmegen’s natural border, but thanks to the Waalsprong, the river now flows right through the city.

City centre
In the coming years Nijmegen will continue with the city centre’s face lift, creating a pleasant public space, cosy shopping streets, green areas and many cultural facilities. One major step forwards is the realisation of Mariënburg: a new cultural quarter and a shopping route with many splendid façades. The public library and municipal archives are also located here. LUX houses a cinema and theatre complex and simultaneously functions as a city gate and entrance to the new triangular square. The great difference in height between the old streets required an extraordinary solution for the construction of Marikenstraat, as a result people can now shop on two levels.