8x creative hot spots in Nijmegen
Nijmegen is home to a lot of creative hot spots: there are cultural and artisanal companies all over the city. Whether it is an old factory, a silk mill or the former Doornroosje, interesting parties meet everywhere.
1. Honigcomplex
The Honigcomplex, located at the former Honig factory in Nijmegen, is now a hot spot for cultural and artisanal businesses: Nevel, for example, brews beer, and the Oersoep brewery has replaced the broth kettles in the old Honig factory with brew kettles. You can also try out culinary masterpieces at the Meesterproef, browse bicycles or play a game of beach volleyball. View all companies in the Honig complex here.
2. NYMA
The NYMA site is a big creative hot spot, because it includes, among others, the skate hall Waalhalla, the monumental water tower with the letters NYMA on it, De Vasim and its the outdoor area, the area around De Vasim, the area under the arches of De Oversteek and the event site behind NYMA next to Waal river. The municipality of Nijmegen is in the process of developing the area, but you can still do business there, visit the site or organise something.
3. Cultuurspinnerij De Vasim
Cultuurspinnerij De Vasim is an artistic and cultural breeding ground on the NYMA site. De Vasim can be found next to the town bridge De Oversteek and is located in the factory hall of NYMA, a former silk mill. Nowadays, NYMA is a spot with various studios, workshops, offices, and storage space for artists and cultural organisations. It also regularly hosts concerts, performances and festivals. Are you curious about NYMA? Take a look at their calendar to see what’s planned.
4. Paraplufabrieken
Van Oldenbarneveltstraat 63a used to be home to the world-renowned Dickmann's Umbrella Factories. The factory and accompanying house were squatted in 1984, bought by the squatters in 1995, and subsequently used for both housing and workshop purposes. Nowadays, you’ll find all sorts of shops and restaurants there – and you can also live here. There’s also an artists' centre with an exhibition space: Platform POST (formerly Expoplu).
5. Hubert
You don’t have to be in the city centre to encounter art, culture, and entertainment – the NYMA and Honig sites are proof of that. Another cultural hot spot outside the city centre is Hubert, located in the Hazenkamp district. Located just ten minutes away by bike, this industrial area at the Sint Hubertusstraat is home to plenty of things to look at and participate in for both creatives and the general public.
6. Splendorfabriek
With approximately 500 workers, the Splendor light bulb factory on Sint Annastraat was one of the largest industrial employers in Nijmegen back in 1939. Incandescent lamps, radio lights, car lamps, and Christmas lights were all manufactured here. The old Splendorfabriek still embodies those industrial times and is a popular workplace for entrepreneurs in the arts and cultural sector. This makes the factory an inspiring and approachable meeting place for creative entrepreneurs. Some of the companies you can find here are: De Kantine, Proud Nerds, Byron, De Yogaplaats, Meubelmakerij van Mameren, and many more!
7. Houtwerf
De Houtwerf is a spot where entrepreneurs seek to connect with each other. Creativity, art, design, craftsmanship, innovation, social involvement, and sustainability – that is what De Houtwerf is all about. Eat and meet at Plek, get your bread at Bakkerscafé Dé Bakkerij or get advice at Pedaalkracht. Curious which other companies are there? Take a look at dehoutwerf.online.nl.
8. De Basis
De Basis (formerly Doornroosje) is a creative and musical hot spot: a place for young, enterprising musicians to work together and advise and/or inspire each other. Touring foreign bands stay in the artists’ hotel and there’s plenty of room for talent development. In other words, De Basis is where everyone in music comes together.
Discover more - Hotspots & things to explore
-
Expat life in Nijmegen: Sorina, Romania
Expat life in Nijmegen: Sorina, Romania
"The weather, especially in the winter, is sometimes difficult to cope with, but I discovered some places in the city that I really like. One of them is Bhalu. I like that the people there are friendly and I love their homemade pastries."
-
Expat life in Nijmegen: Giulia, Italy
Expat life in Nijmegen: Giulia, Italy
"After my master’s in Italy, I wanted to leave the country and secure a future somewhere else. Because of that, I was looking into ways to specialize more and found the master’s in Human Geography at Radboud University."
-
Expat life in Nijmegen: Alex, Romania
Expat life in Nijmegen: Alex, Romania
"It's quite cliché, but the first thing that really surprised me was how good the bike infrastructure was. I saw people cycle in suits or in dresses – this was really surreal to see, someone so well dressed, but then on a bike."
-
Expat life in Nijmegen: Elle, United States
Expat life in Nijmegen: Elle, United States
"I’m a hairstylist and a fully licensed cosmetologist in America, but it took quite some time to be able to work here. Because I’m from the US, I needed a residence permit to register my business with the KVK."
-
Expat life in Nijmegen: Stuart, Australia
Expat life in Nijmegen: Stuart, Australia
"Nijmegen is really a great city. Especially on a sports level, there’s an athletics club with world-class athletes, football, rugby, tennis, golf… virtually every sport! And the history of Nijmegen is also incredibly fascinating to me."
-
Expat life in Nijmegen: Sanchitta, Bangladesh
Expat life in Nijmegen: Sanchitta, Bangladesh
"One of my favorite places in the city is the Face of Nijmegen statue. In the beginning, when I wasn’t feeling good, my husband and I went there, sat by the river, and drank tea. I still go there to meditate."
-
Expat life in Nijmegen: Sudipta, Bangladesh
Expat life in Nijmegen: Sudipta, Bangladesh
"I’m originally from Bangladesh, but I did my graduate degree in Gothenburg in Sweden, so I had already lived in Europe when I started looking for jobs after my graduation and found a company here in Nijmegen."
-
Expat life in Nijmegen: Masha, Ukraine
Expat life in Nijmegen: Masha, Ukraine
"I moved to the Netherlands on the 12th of May 2017. I remember the day, because it divided my life into a ‘before’ and an ‘after.’ I was born and raised in a small town in Ukraine, with around 30,000 people."
-
Expat life in Nijmegen: Ken, Belgium
Expat life in Nijmegen: Ken, Belgium
"I moved to Nijmegen in January 2018 and I’m working here as a journalist. Originally, I’m from the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. But before moving to the Netherlands, I lived in Brussels for seven years."
-
Expat life in Nijmegen: Kyran, Aruba
Expat life in Nijmegen: Kyran, Aruba
"On the other hand, one thing that definitely positively surprised me about Nijmegen was how queer-friendly the city is. You go out and see a lot of gay pride flags. I do like De Regenboog as well."
-
Expat life in Nijmegen: Romane, France/Indonesia
Expat life in Nijmegen: Romane, France/Indonesia
"One of the main reasons why I love Nijmegen so much is probably the university. Radboud is amazing. It’s not one of those universities where you are dreading to go back on campus to study – there is so much going on all the time."
-
Expat life in Nijmegen: Rahmi, Indonesia
Expat life in Nijmegen: Rahmi, Indonesia
"I discovered some Dutch food as well. Poffertjes, for example. They are just great. They also remind me of a similar type of food we have in Indonesia – just that we have them with different flavors, like matcha or strawberry."
-
Expat life in Nijmegen: Emilios, Cyprus
Expat life in Nijmegen: Emilios, Cyprus
"What I like most about the Netherlands is the Dutch. Sometimes, Dutch people can get a bad rep for being a bit stingy or cold, but I find people to be quite welcoming."
-
Expat life in Nijmegen: Marta, Croatia
Expat life in Nijmegen: Marta, Croatia
"I’m in my third year now and both the study and the city topped all my expectations. When I decided where to study, I wasn’t paying a lot of attention to the city I was choosing, so Nijmegen was a pleasant surprise."
-
Expat life in Nijmegen: Janek Peters, Germany
Expat life in Nijmegen: Janek Peters, Germany
"Comparing Nijmegen to Düsseldorf, I don’t miss living in a big city. It’s more anonymous and people don’t put in as much effort into being nice to each other. Here, you are more likely to run into people you know and it's way less grey and loud."
-
Expat life in Nijmegen: Hanna-Rea, Estonia
Expat life in Nijmegen: Hanna-Rea, Estonia
"Culturally, I think Estonians and the Dutch are quite similar. I didn’t have a huge culture shock moving to the Netherlands. I had to get used to biking under any weather conditions, though, and the sirens at the beginning of the month."
-
Expat life in Nijmegen: Pablo, Mexico
Expat life in Nijmegen: Pablo, Mexico
"For me, the greatest treasure of Nijmegen is its people. I've had the privilege of meeting some of the most welcoming and fun individuals here. Friends that I call family now."
-
Expat life in Nijmegen: Dagmara, Poland
Expat life in Nijmegen: Dagmara, Poland
"I came here initially for one semester but liked it so much that I requested the exchange to be prolonged for another one. During that time, I met my partner, who is German but has done his whole studies here."
-
Expat life in Nijmegen: Hannah, United Kingdom
Expat life in Nijmegen: Hannah, United Kingdom
"Despite Nijmegen being quite a small city, there is loads of stuff going on. I couldn’t believe that I saw the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Goffertpark. You almost feel like you’re living in a capital city but you don’t have the craziness of a capital city."
-
Expat life in Nijmegen: Dim, Romania
Expat life in Nijmegen: Dim, Romania
"I’m originally from Bucharest, so Nijmegen is a small town by comparison. But it’s very concentrated with things to do. I like that about the city. You will have an Irish Pub, a vintage store, and a community-run venue on the same street."