Grave

Grave, pronounced GRAH-vah, is a small city in the Netherlands, located along the river Meuse.

Town center of Grave.

Understand

Het Arsenaal, the city's armory.

Grave, being a fortified city on the southern side of the river Meuse, has been the subject of many sieges. These sieges happened during the Eighty Years' War, when the city fell in 1586 and became a subject of Spain. The city then was sieged again, though this time by the Dutch in 1602, which ended up in a Dutch victory. Both in 1672 and 1674 the city was under siege, first resulting in French, and then in Dutch victories, only for the French to retake the city in 1794.

The city, having been around for a good eight hundred years, is filled with Rijksmonumenten (National monuments), roughly 43 per square kilometer (the city is about 3 square kilometer big).

• VVV Grave (Tourist Information), Hoofdwagt 2, ☏ +31 486 870 067. (updated Aug 2017)

Get in

By car

From Utrecht

First, head to Nieuwegein via either the A2/E25 or A27/E311. At Knooppunt Everdingen, where both highways meet, turn onto the A2 if you're not on it yet, heading for 's Hertogenbosch. Having reached 's Hertogenbosch, turn onto the A59 at the second interchange that allows you to do so (Knooppunt Hintham), heading for nearby Oss. Use exit 53 (Oss Oost) and turn onto the N324. Grave should be signposted from here on out, but reaching the city is as simple as following the N324 for a dozen of kilometers.

From Venlo

From Venlo, first turn onto the A73, heading for Nijmegen. Use exit 4 (Cuijk), and turn onto the N321, driving away from the city. The last nine kilometers to Grave are straightforward, following the N321 until it terminates in Grave. These last kilometers are signposted.

By public transit

Grave does not have a connection to the outside world via rail, but the city is connected via bus, connecting to Nijmegen (9), 's Hertogenbosch/Den Bosch (90), Gennep (92), Uden (99) and Boxmeer (238). Out of this lot Nijmegen is the easiest when visiting Grave via rail, as the city is the closest from this lot. If you're on the line between 's Hertogenbosch and Nijmegen, then either use bus line 90 or the train to Nijmegen to get to Grave. In the latter case, however, get of the train at Wijchen, and then take bus line 99 heading for Uden. This line crosses through Grave.

See

Het Gemaal van Sasse.

• 1 Gemaal van Sasse, Mars en Wijthdijk 1. The first electrical pumping station of the region, built in 1928. (updated Aug 2017)
• The old city
  • 2 Het Arsenaal. The armory of the city, built where once the castle of Grave stood. After most of the fortifications were demolished in 1876, the Arsenaal too got a new function, namely that of Rijkspsychiatrische Inrichting (Mental hospital) which was housed there until 1993. Dutch designer Jan des Bouvrie has a rather unsuccessful designers centre in the building until 2006. Parts of the building can nowadays be rented out for events and congresses. (updated Aug 2017)
  • 3 Hampoort, Sint Elisabethstraat 10. One of the old city gates, dating back to 1688. (updated Aug 2017)
  • 4 Old city hall, Hoofdwagt 1. (updated Aug 2017)
• Graafs Kazematten Museum (Casemate Museum), Mars en Wijthdijk, ☏ +31 486 475 924, gkm@graafsmuseum.nl. April through October, Saturdays and Sundays 13:00 - 17:00. Closed on all other days and during bad weather. Outside of the days listed before, appointments for a tour can be made by calling or mailing. Museum that focuses on the defence of Grave. The museum consists of two parts, Kazematten North houses the exhibition about mobilisation and May of 1940 (i.e. the annexation of the Netherlands by Nazi Germany). Kazematten South focuses on the liberation of Grave (September 17th, 1944) and the retreat of the Nazi Germans. €1. (updated Aug 2017)

Buy

Grave has a fair assortment of stored located within the old city walls, most of which can be found in the Hoofschestraat, Hofwagt and Rogstraat.

Eat

• 1 Cafetaria Lepoutre, Elftweg 3, ☏ +31 486 473 132, admin@cafetarialepoutre.nl. 12:00-23:00. (updated Oct 2016)
• 2 Apollo (Greek restaurant), Sint Elisabethstraat 27, ☏ +31 486 422 589, info@grieksrestaurantapollo.nl. (updated Aug 2017)
• 3 Meneer Makropoulos, Hoofschestraat 13b, ☏ +31 486 474 150. (updated Aug 2017)
• 4 Colori, Maasstraat 22, ☏ +31 486 474 530, info@restaurantcolori.nl. (updated Aug 2017)
• 5 D'n Eetkaemer, Maasstraat 16, ☏ +31 486 420 816. (updated Aug 2017)
• 6 Steakhouse Don Kiesjot, Maasstraat 17, ☏ +31 486 420 501. (updated Aug 2017)
• 7 Eetcafé de Maaspoort, Maasstraat 20, 5361 GG Grave, ☏ +31 486 475 618. (updated Jan 2019)
• 8 Eten bij Tanja, Rogstraat 11, 5361 GP Grave, ☏ +31 6 2513 6584. (updated Jan 2019)

Sleep

• 1 Motel Koolen, Tolschestraat 1, Velp, ☏ +31 486 472 387, info@motelkoolen.nl. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 11:30. €62. (updated Aug 2017)

More hotels, as well as campsites, can be found in nearby Wijchen, Oss or Cuijk.

Go next

• Wijchen
• Nijmegen lays claim to being the oldest city in the country, and this lively university city has the heritage to back it up.