Nijmegen

   City in the province of Gelderland. Traces of Roman settlement of the first century B.C. have been found there. After the revolt of Gaius Julius Civilis, in A.D. 70 the Romans built a fortifi cation on the boundary of the empire. Later, about 800, Emperor Charlemagne built a fortress, in the place where a Frankish settle ment had already existed. Nijmegen, on the River Waal, an arm of the Rhine, became an important commercial town and member of the Hansa League. In 1678, the peace treaty following the war between the Republic and France was signed in Nijmegen. A Roman Catholic–supported university was founded in Nij megen in 1923, since 2004 called Radboud University. The town, with about 159,000 inhabitants, is situated on an important intersec tion of roads, canals, and rivers. It has a harbor and houses several in dustries such as chemical products and paper. Nijmegen is an admin istrative and cultural center for the neighboring region in Germany, as well. After the devastations during the last phase of World War II, the city has been rebuilt with care. It houses a fine collection of paintings in the museum of the arts, the Commanderij van St. Jan, and has an archaeological museum. Several Dutch Catholic organi zations have their administrative centers in Nijmegen.