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The Stratemakerstoren is an early 16th-century www.debastei.nl
/ref> a centre for nature and cultural history.
De Bastei, centrum voor natuur en cultuurhistorie
(Dutch language link) History of Nijmegen Museums in Nijmegen Rijksmonuments in Nijmegen
The Stratemakerstoren is an early 16th-century bastion
A bastion or bulwark is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fi ...
on the Waalkade in the Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
town Nijmegen
Nijmegen (;; Spanish and it, Nimega. Nijmeegs: ''Nimwèège'' ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and tenth largest of the Netherlands as a whole, located on the Waal river close to the German border. It is about 6 ...
. It is a rijksmonument
A rijksmonument (, ) is a national heritage site of the Netherlands, listed by the agency Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (RCE) acting for the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.
At the end of February 2015, the Netherlands ...
(national heritage site) and since 1995, it housed a museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
. This was closed in April 2015, for major reconstruction.
The Stratemakerstoren is located on the edge of the river Waal
WAAL (99.1 FM "The Whale") is a commercial radio station licensed to Binghamton, New York. It airs a classic rock radio format and is owned by Townsquare Media. WAAL is the oldest FM radio station in the Binghamton metropolitan area. It is an ...
, at the foot of the Valkhof at Nijmegen
''The Valkhof at Nijmegen'' is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age painter Aelbert Cuyp, likely painted between 1652 and 1654. It is now held in the Indianapolis Museum of Art.
''The Valkhof at Nijmegen'' typifies the Dutch landscape. A smal ...
. This bastion was a part of the fortifications
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
of Nijmegen
Nijmegen (;; Spanish and it, Nimega. Nijmeegs: ''Nimwèège'' ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and tenth largest of the Netherlands as a whole, located on the Waal river close to the German border. It is about 6 ...
, built in or before 1526. The current name, which means "Road Workers Tower", was already in use in 1569 - the reason for this name is still not exactly known.
The Stratemakerstoren was constructed to protect the adjacent gate, the Veerpoort. The tower often figures on old paintings and prints, where it is seen on the riverbank, at the foot of the Valkhof castle, for example in the painting called the Valkhof at Nijmegen
''The Valkhof at Nijmegen'' is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age painter Aelbert Cuyp, likely painted between 1652 and 1654. It is now held in the Indianapolis Museum of Art.
''The Valkhof at Nijmegen'' typifies the Dutch landscape. A smal ...
.
Due to technical innovations in warfare, by the end of the 18th century, the round bastion
A bastion or bulwark is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fi ...
had lost its importance as a defensive stronghold. A rise in the water level of the river Waal
WAAL (99.1 FM "The Whale") is a commercial radio station licensed to Binghamton, New York. It airs a classic rock radio format and is owned by Townsquare Media. WAAL is the oldest FM radio station in the Binghamton metropolitan area. It is an ...
also meant that the tower was partly submerged. In 1789, a local carpenter, J. ten Boven, was given permission to build houses on the site of the bastion. He didn't demolish the tower completely, but just built the houses on top of the bastion. In 1987 these houses were demolished, and to almost every one's surprise the tower re-emerged.
From 1995 until 2015, the building was hidden behind a grey wall (to protect the porous marl
Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, clays, and silt. When hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae.
Marl makes up the lower part o ...
stones and bricks against the weather), and housed a museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
. In April 2015, the museum was closed for major reconstruction and restoration of the building. Plan is to re-open in 2016 as De Bastei,/ref> a centre for nature and cultural history.
References
{{ReflistExternal links
(Dutch language link) History of Nijmegen Museums in Nijmegen Rijksmonuments in Nijmegen