On the occasion of Open Monument Day 2024, Radboud Heritage will present the campus' academic heritage and university monuments on Saturday 14 September from 11 am. From Radboud University, Huize Heyendael, the Huygens Building, the Berchmanianum, the Aula and the University Library will be open to the public. Registration for the activities, lectures and tours is not necessary.
Huize Heyendael
Geert Grooteplein Noord 9
Guided tours, starting at 11:00, 12.15 and 13.30.
Huize Heyendael is a country house with a spacious front garden. The building is brick and has two storeys under a slated roof. The country house was commissioned by margarine manufacturer Frans Jurgens, one of the Dutch founders of Unilever. Architect Charles Estourgie moved to Nijmegen from Amsterdam for this purpose. Both the exterior and interior exude much splendour, which was meant to represent the status of this wealthy industrialist. The façades are richly decorated, with various sculpted parts, and on the front façade the tall bell tower stands out. The interior of the manor house is made up of historical interior elements from elsewhere. Elements to admire include 17th-century stucco ceilings, panelling, door frames, fireplaces with chimney pieces and ceiling paintings.
The Huygens Building
Heyendaalseweg 135
Tours at 11.15, 11:45, 12.15, 12:45, 13.15, 13:45, 14.15, 14:45 & 15:15.
The Faculty of Science has been in the Huygens building since 2005. Two optical telescopes can be seen on the roof and a Foucault's Pendulum hangs in the main hall and a special display of the periodic table is visible. In the various departments, there are collections of minerals, fossils, prepared animals and research instruments. Right next to the building, there are special facilities like the magnet lab and the greenhouse complex. They clearly show what teaching is about and what the researchers in this building are engaged in.
Radboud University Aula
Activities: dress up in a toga (continuous), scavenger hunt (continuous), lecture on portraits in the Senaatszaal followed by the screening of a documentary in the Senaatszaal (11.30 and 13.30).
The Aula is where the most important academic ceremonies take place: promotions, inaugurations and farewell lectures. It is an open building with lots of glass and a large hall. It radiates hospitality, exactly as intended when it was built around 1988. The auditorium shows a lot of university history: in the Senaatszaal there's the gallery with portraits of rectors, and in the central hall there's a plaque with the names of students, alumni and professors who died in World War II. The rector's chain, in which all faculties are present, is also here, but usually it can only be seen during academic ceremonies.
Berchmanianum
The ground floor is freely accessible. In addition, films about the university will be shown continuously and there will be a historical tour once in the morning and once in the afternoon. There will also be a performance by the Gregorian women's schola Voces Caelestes and a lecture on Titus Brandsma once in the morning and once in the afternoon.
The Berchmanianum has been the Academy Building of Radboud University since 2018. This is where the Executive Board and professional university services are based. This monumental building from 1929 was built as a study house for the Jesuits and it was named after Saint Jan Berchmans (1599-1621). With all the changes of functions and users in the more than 90 years since, the concept of architects Joseph Cuypers and son Pierre has been largely preserved. For instance, the undulation in the south facade recalls the Amsterdam School style and corridors and staircases still have the colourful stone panelling. In the former chapel, stained-glass windows designed by Joep Nicolas sparkle. The new main entrance opens onto the university campus.
University Library
There will be ongoing opportunities to tinker with heritage and take a look at pieces from the special collections. In the afternoon, there will be a lecture by several (former) campus poets.
12:00 Jarmo van Dam
12:30 Thijs Kersten
13:30 Merel van Slobbe
14:30 Jordi Lammers
15:30 Wout Waanders
The University Library is the treasure trove on campus. Nearly five kilometres of extraordinary book holdings can be found in the vault and in special depositories. Its oldest heritage, seven papyrus fragments, was created some two thousand years ago. In the more than one hundred years since the university was founded, books, but also sometimes entire libraries, have been acquired, for instance from monasteries and schools. The collections have been made accessible to students, researchers and the wider public. Increasingly, this is done digitally. For a very long time, the University Library was located in the city centre, before the war in a bank building, then in villa Stella Maris. In 1968, it moved to a new building on campus. When you enter there, you immediately see what it is all about: books and the written word. The reading rooms are large and bright, and you can see books all around you. The main reading room is an oasis of light and calm. Literary critic Kees Fens, a professor in Nijmegen, described that room as one of the most beautiful he knew.
Alumni Pub Quiz
End your visit to Open Monumentendag (Heritage Day) with the Alumni Pub Quiz and have an afternoon of fun, challenge and nostalgia. On 14 September, we invite all former students to get together again and reminisce while wracking their brains. Gather your old uni friends/acquaintances, form a team and compete. The rounds will be filled with challenging questions ranging from general knowledge and pop culture to specific trivia from your student days.
