Herwen: Roman History and De Bijland

Herwen is well suited to a trip focused on Roman history and its traces in today’s landscape. The Herwen–De Bijland archaeological monument is part of the Lower Germanic Limes, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since July 2021. This gives the place a historical context: its frontier location, water management, archaeological finds and present-day memorials each tell a different part of the Roman past. When planning your stay, you can consider which of these topics interests you most.

Herwen on the Roman Limes

In Roman times, Herwen lay immediately south of the Rhine. The river then formed the northern boundary of the Roman Empire. Near Herwen, the Romans built a dam to regulate the flow of water between the Rhine and the Waal. This combination of a frontier location and water management offers a tangible way to explore the region’s history. The Roman fort of Carvium stood on the site of today’s De Bijland. Remains of a Roman fort, which is thought to have been located there, lie beneath the present-day recreational lake De Bijland. Here, a historic waterways landscape meets archaeological interpretation, while the Limes’s UNESCO designation provides the broader regional context.

Sanctuary and funerary monuments

In Herwen-Hemeling (Zevenaar), archaeologists excavated the remains of a Roman sanctuary in 2022. It is one of the best-preserved Roman places of worship in northwestern Europe. The finds provide information about the role of the gods in the lives of the Romans along the Limes. This takes the story from the frontier region to Roman religious beliefs.

The funerary monument to Marcus Mallius was discovered during work to create De Bijland and dates from the first half of the first century AD. A replica of the tombstone stands on the Herwensedijk near Puttmanskrib in Herwen. The original is held at the Valkhof Museum in Nijmegen. The circumstances of its discovery, the replica in Herwen and the original in the museum offer different points of reference to the same monument.

De Bijland and the surrounding area

On the shore of De Bijland stands the ten-metre-high Romeinse Baadster (Roman Bather). The sculpture recalls that this area was once part of the northern boundary of the Roman Empire. Siertuin Jelle Grintjes offers a different perspective: this landscaped garden lies on the dike at the edge of Herwen and is the experimental garden of landscape gardener Jelle Grintjes.

The “Rondom de Bijland” walking route reaches the Herwensedijk after approximately three kilometres. Check local conditions before setting out. The Draaipontje Geitenwaard is a hand-operated crossing of the Oude Waal, connecting the Geitenwaard with the area around Herwen. These two examples show different ways to understand the landscape and its route connections; they do not imply a specific time commitment or itinerary.

Church architecture from a different era

St. Martinus in Herwen is also part of the local landscape, but belongs to a much later period than the Roman finds. The neo-Gothic church was built in 1904–1905 to a design by A. Tepe (1840–1920). The contrast in dates helps distinguish Herwen’s themes: Roman frontier history, archaeological evidence and church architecture represent different historical contexts.

Find a hotel for your trip to Herwen

If you are looking for a hotel in Herwen, start by asking which part of the town’s history you want to shape your stay. The Limes, the finds at Herwen-Hemeling and the memorials near De Bijland each offer a different focus; St. Martinus adds a building from the early 20th century. This can help you narrow down your trip by theme before choosing a hotel to suit your own requirements.

Discover more destinations: Pannerden, Tolkamer, Lobith, Spijk.

For the broader travel overview: Rijnwaarden.