MUSEUM HET VALKHOF

Museum Het Valkhof presents 3 permanent collections: Archaeology, Ancient Art and Modern Art. Each year, the museum organizes in parallel remarkable temporary exhibitions.

This museum with its remarkable architecture was designed by Ben van Berkel, a Dutch architect of international renown, who has already designed the Erasmus bridge in Rotterdam, the Mercedes-Benz museum in Stuttgart or the Möbius house near Amsterdam.

Archaeology: this exhibition brings together the most beautiful objects found in Nijmegen and the province of Gelderland. It covers three periods: ancient history, Roman rule and the Middle Ages. In Roman times, Nijmegen was the most important city in the Netherlands. Excavations have brought to light a number of small bronze and glass objects that give an idea of the life of the soldiers and inhabitants of Nijmegen in those days. Don't miss the bronze portrait of Emperor Trajan and the silver canthar (vase) discovered in Stevensweert, a masterpiece of ancient goldsmithing. The most beautiful finds come from tombs such as the remains of a Frankish warrior lying between his two swords and the harness of his horse.

Ancient art: pictures, paintings and silver objects of art. On the historical site of Valkhof lived in turn the Romans, the Batavians, the Frankish kings and the dukes of Gelre (Guelders). They made Nijmegen a flourishing city. The Valkhof has also inspired many artists. The works of Jan van Goyen, who was fascinated by the city, have remained famous, in particular The view of the courtyard of the Valkhof castle painted in (1641).

In the basement, the Nijmegen Treaty Room displays Henri Gascard's famous painting of the signing of the Treaty of Nijmegen between France and Spain on September 17, 1678. Louis XIV gave Maastricht and the principality of Orange, occupied militarily by the French since 1672, back to William III. Spain loses a lot and cedes to the Great Nation Franche-Comté and many strongholds in Flanders and in the north of France.

Modern art: from pop art to contemporary art. The collection, which is largely devoted to pop art, exhibits works whose authors have shown an unbridled imagination, such as the two Dutch representatives of this artistic movement born in the mid-1950s, Woody van Amen and Gustave Asselbergs. The museum has also given space to works from the 80s and 90s such as Garouste's Nest in the Head or Panamerenko's Mock-up. The astonishing photographs of Berend Strik or Ruud van Empel are worth seeing.