Nijmegen is the oldest city in the current Netherlands and celebrated its 2000th anniversary in 2005.
During the Roman Empire, Nijmegen was part of the Limes, the border between the Roman Empire and the various so-called Germanic areas.
The 10th legion of the Romans was stationed in Nijmegen from 71 to 104. During the Roman rule a large fort (castrum) was built on a hill on the Waal, a few parts are still left. There are also regular excavations where Roman remains are found. Along the Waal where now the Waterkwartier is located, a new settlement arose that of the Roman emperor Trajan (originally from Itálica, Spain) between 98 AD. and 102 AD. under the name Ulpia Noviomagus Batavorum received city rights.

The city was formed as a trading settlement next to the Roman castrum. This offered an advantage because the market could be protected by the legionaries and moreover because the legionaries also needed many goods, for which they could also pay a good price, because they received a reasonable salary. The name Nijmegen is therefore derived from the Latin name Novio-magus, which means new market. However, the Romans abandoned the fortress in the 3rd century.

Incidentally, there are still clear traces of this rich history of Nijmegen. For example, the large traffic circle south of the Waalbrug has been called Keizer Traianusplein since 1956. Between that square and the Waal there are still some ruins and a defensive tower Belvedere still stands on the hill near the Waal, even though it is of course much younger than the aforementioned Roman castrum.

At the beginning of the fifth century, the Romans disappeared from Nijmegen. Although written and archaeological evidence is lacking, it is believed that the fortress, settlement and surrounding area will come into Frankish hands. Because Charlemagne is said to have built a palace near Nijmegen, the city is sometimes referred to as the Imperial City. He is said to have had a palts (palace) built on the Valkhof around 770 and to have celebrated Easter here several times, including in 777, but also in 804 and 808. The Frankish historian Einhard says that Charlemagne built a palatium in Noviomagum on the Vahalem, a river that flows south of the island of the Batavians. That this concerns Nijmegen is often defended and is also very plausible. Karel's son, Lodewijk the Pious, is also said to have often stayed in Nijmegen. However, the Normans took the Palatine around 880. This led to their destruction upon their departure. The city is now known as Numaga. At the bottom of the hill on the Waal there was a trading post.

The last time Nijmegen was in the firing line of a war was in World War II. In May 1940 it was the first Dutch city to fall into German hands. The city suffered extensive damage during the war. On February 22, 1944, hundreds of people were killed in an allied (American) bombing raid on the city center, in which the center and the station were particularly badly hit.
In September 1944, during operation Market Garden, there was heavy fighting in and around the city to get and keep the Waalbrug undamaged, which the British and Americans eventually succeeded.

The Square, which was created as a result of the American bombardment, remained largely undeveloped after the war. Since 2013, there have been apartment complexes and a parking garage under the square. During construction, the remains of an old city wall were discovered, which can be viewed in the bicycle cellar under the square.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Nijmegen had only a good 10,000 inhabitants. By 1875 this number had more than doubled to about 24,000 and by the turn of the century the population had risen to 44,000. In the last quarter of the 19th century, the population almost doubled.

However, major growth occurred in the 20th century. Just after the First World War, Nijmegen reached 70,000 inhabitants, a few years after the Second World War it already exceeded 110,000 inhabitants. The 150,000th inhabitant was registered in 1971, but due to the decline in family size and the same housing stock, a stagnation and even population decline occurred (on 1 January 1995 Nijmegen had 147,561 inhabitants and 65,020 homes), which was only broken in an upward direction with the transition. into the 21st century, thanks to large-scale new buildings north of the city and the many students of Radboud University.

Nijmegen has been growing slowly but steadily ever since. The municipality of Nijmegen expects the population to be between 181,000 and 187,000 in 2020.

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