The Netherlands is full of interesting sights. There are many buildings dedicated to modern art with an interesting backstory. Arnhem has much of places for every tourist. The central railway station, located in Arnhem, is also considered a real monument of modern architecture. Since its foundation, this station has been the most important transport point of a pan-European scale; trains to Germany and Belgium arrive at the station and depart daily. About 40,000 people use the services of the station every day, and the station is also visited daily by curious tourists who want to see its unique architecture in every detail.
Arnhem railway station was opened in 1969, now the entrance to it is preceded by a spacious square. The station attracts curious tourists with its original high-tech pavilions, which have a very unusual shape and are decorated with huge panoramic windows. There are numerous shops, restaurants, and cafes in the pavilions, so visiting the Arnhem station will be interesting not only for those who are going on their next trip.
The station acquired its current appearance after the completion of the last reconstruction. Now its main terminal is decorated with an unusual undulating roof, the height of which reaches 60 meters. It is noteworthy that such a complex structure is devoid of traditional pillars, which creates an unusual feeling of weightlessness. The main building material during the reconstruction of the station was light steel, which allowed the designers to create structures of very unusual shapes.
The bearing walls of the terminal are made of concrete, so the buildings are not only beautiful but also very reliable. The complete reconstruction of the station was completed in 2014, now the main terminal of the station has the status of an art object. After the reconstruction, it began to be used for business needs. The station building is equipped with several conference rooms that are suitable for holding events of various specifics, and office space is also located here. Near the railway station there is a bus station, as well as a trolleybus terminal station, so you can get to the station from absolutely any area of Arnhem.
Near the Arnhem, you can find a museum is dedicated to the Battle for Arnhem. In 1978 the museum moved to Villa Hartenstein. It was in the village of Osterbeek because they needed more space for this exhibition. This house was constructed in 1865, it was reorganized into a resort in 1942. The tale says that on the 1st day of the battle on September 18, 1944, it was a close-quarter battle. Seems like the British paratroopers tried to catch the Field Marshal Model himself, during his breakfast, and almost got him. The Villa Hartenstein later was used as the field base for the commander of the 1st British Airborne Division, it was a Major General Robert Urquhart. All attempts to seize the bridges at Arnhem, were curated from this headquarters, and then the defense of the bridgehead to the west of the city was lead from the same place. Famous Villa Hartenstein survived the battle, even though it was seriously damaged. Interestingly, the name of this villa was unofficially moved to the museum and the surrounding area, although officially the museum is located in the Osterbek village.
Additionally, in Arnhem itself, the museum has a subsidiary called “Airborne at the Bridge” and it’s free. It is located half a mile from the same bridge over the Rhine, the northern part of it was inhabited on September 18, 1944, by a detachment of British paratroopers. Their commander was Lieutenant Colonel John Frost. Paratroopers defended out against larger German forces until 22 September, stopping the enemy from relocating reinforcements south to Niemeigen, against the US 82nd Airborne Division. Currently, this bridge is named after John Frost, and this branch exposition tells a lot about past fights. The basis of the exhibition was a story about three officers – English, German and Dutch – who died in the Arnhem Battle. Nearby is a small memorial with a 25-pounder presented to the city by British paratroopers.
If you walk around Arnhem near the Central Station and the Maritime Museum, your eye will definitely catch a strange building, reminiscent of a huge ship, it is not clear how it ended up in the city center. In this patina-covered hulk, you expect to see a military museum or a museum of modern art. And the last thing you expect is that there is a place of attraction for children (and not only) from all over the Netherlands – the NEMO Museum.
The title refers to Jules Verne’s novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, in which science was organically combined with fantasy. There is even a cafe “Nautilus”, and the halls are “decks”, which clearly demonstrate the structure of our world. In a simple language, it tells about information technologies, the secrets of genetics and biochemistry, the functioning of the economy. Also, the word “nemo” in Latin means “nothing” – an empty, but at the same time, open space, inside which fantasy turns into reality with the help of modern technologies.
Schoolchildren come to the NEMO museum not only from the Netherlands, but also from Belgium, Great Britain, Germany, and other countries. Therefore, during the holidays, he works seven days a week. If you are going to visit the Nemo Museum during the school holidays, be prepared for the fact that there will be a lot of children here.