De Bastei tells the story of the river. Here, on the Waal and in the oldest city of the Netherlands, you touch the past, you discover the flora and fauna of the Gelderland river area and you also get to work yourself.

The core of De Bastei is the 16th-century Stratemakerstoren. This defense work – type of bastei – with a corridor and casemates has been integrated into the new museum building.

During the archaeological investigation prior to the new construction, it was discovered that the historical bastei was larger than we thought. In addition to this extra piece of Stratemakerstoren, wall remains from Roman times, the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries can be admired.

In the basement you will find the permanent exhibition Oergrond. Here you learn about the origin of the dike landscape, beasts from the ice age and boulders.

The permanent exhibition in the cannon corridor tells about the history of this unique place in Nijmegen, from the Romans to the present.

One floor up you stand in the Treasury of the River. You learn about nature in the area on the basis of four different biotopes. A wooden door in the side wall takes you to the Atelier, where there are often activities.

The Bastei Academy is on the first floor. Here you can get started with an interactive sandbox that you can use to influence the water level in the river. Other installations are still being developed. You can also take a book out of the closet and start reading.

You can view the temporary exhibition in the Arkelzaal on the second floor. Challenge your fear of heights and stand in the glass bay!

Are you hungry and thirsty from your Bastei expedition? The restaurant of Droom! De Bastei on the third floor serves a lot of goodies. And you have a fantastic view over the river, the bridge and nature!

In short, museum De Bastei aan de Waal in Nijmegen is a must-see and should not be missed when visiting this historic city!