Noord-Brabant
Land van Cuijk
A town gate, a church tower and a castle house very different histories in Land van Cuijk. In Grave, the Stadsmuseum occupies part of the Hampoort. In Cuijk, Museum Ceuclum explores the area’s past in the old St Martin’s tower. In Boxmeer, Kasteelmuseum Julie Postel occupies the castle’s basement. The buildings are therefore more than addresses: their former functions remain part of the introduction.
The Meuse and the defence of the surrounding area recur in several places. The Hampoort was an entrance to fortified Grave; the Arsenal belonged to a military complex that later acquired other uses. Beside the bridge over the Meuse, two river casemates tell stories of the Second World War. Their concrete structures show a different form of defence from the old town gate.
An afternoon in Grave can combine the museum with a walk through the streets. Cuijk and Boxmeer offer separate destinations, each with a different collection and visiting arrangements. A day need not become a succession of distant stops. One town already offers opportunities to see the differences between a building, its history and its present use.
Local history in Cuijk
Museum Ceuclum
Museum Ceuclum, at Castellum 1 in Cuijk, explores the area’s history. Roman objects and models of a temple, fort and Meuse bridge give the Roman past a tangible form. Earlier and later periods are represented too. The museum occupies the medieval tower of St Martin’s Church; the photograph shows its entrance in June 2024.
Castellum 1, 5431 EM Cuijk
A day in Land van Cuijk
An example for an ordinary Saturday or Sunday in Grave, excluding special closure dates. The Stadsmuseum in the Hampoort normally opens 13:00–16:30 on those days. An outdoor walk through the centre follows the museum visit. Half an hour between the two allows for a break and the short transfer; the walk includes neither a booked tour nor admission to other buildings.
13:00–14:30 · Stadsmuseum Grave — Hampoort
The Stadsmuseum Grave, St. Elisabethstraat 10a, tells the town’s history from the Hampoort. A scale model, objects and multimedia elements illuminate different periods. The building was a town gate; the museum uses its northern wing.
15:00–16:30 · Historic centre of Grave
The walk connects Hamstraat, Rogstraat, Maasstraat and the Arsenal. The streets offer different views through the old centre. The Arsenal acquired new uses after its military role; the square and surrounding façades form part of the townscape.
Map and localities
Localities
- Beugen
- Boxmeer
- Groeningen
- Holthees
- Maashees
- Oeffelt
- Overloon
- Rijkevoort
- Sambeek
- Vierlingsbeek
- Vortum-Mullem
- Beers NB
- Cuijk
- Haps
- Katwijk NB
- Linden
- Sint Agatha
- Vianen NB
- Mill
- Sint Hubert
- Langenboom
- Wilbertoord
- Landhorst
- Ledeacker
- Oploo
- Sint Anthonis
- Stevensbeek
- Wanroij
- Westerbeek
- Rijkevoort-De Walsert
- Escharen
- Gassel
- Grave
- Velp
More about the Graafs Kazemattenmuseum
The Graafs Kazemattenmuseum occupies two river casemates beside the Meuse bridge. The northern casemate covers events around 10 May 1940; the southern one concerns Grave’s liberation in September 1944. The photograph shows the southern casemate on the Grave side in September 2010. Visits are by request: Saturdays and Sundays from April to October, and by arrangement outside that season. The casemates remain closed in bad weather.
Key figures and transport
Population
93,645
Area
351.88 km²
Water
10.75 km²
Localities
34
Reference date · 1 January 2026
Stations
Search Holland Magazine
A castle and its residents
Kasteelmuseum Julie Postel in Boxmeer
In Kasteel Boxmeer’s basement, Kasteelmuseum Julie Postel explores the castle, former owners and religious residents. Castle and museum visits are available only by arrangement with a guide. A tour lasts about ninety minutes; the museum indicates roughly two weeks’ notice for bookings. The photograph shows the castle in November 2007.