Wageningen is a historic city in the central Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland. It is famous for Wageningen University, which specialises in life sciences. The municipality had a population of 39,635 in 2021, many thousands of whom are students!  

 

Geography

Wageningen is situated on the north bank of the Lower Rhine part of the Gelderse Valley and the Veluwe, the southwest hill of which is called the Wageningse Berg (where the conference venue is located!).

 

History

Wageningen received city rights in 1263. The city was protected by a city wall and a moat, and in 1526, a castle was built. The castle was dismantled during the 18th century, but the foundations of three towers and part of the wall remain visible today. The people, city, and institutions of Wageningen suffered greatly during World War II. The central part of Wageningen was destroyed by artillery fire soon after the German invasion of the country in May 1940. The town is also famous for its role at the end of the war: Wageningen was the site of the surrender of Oberbefehlshaber Niederlande supreme commander, Generaloberst Johannes Blaskowitz, to I Canadian Corps commander Lieutenant-General Charles Foulkes, on 5 May 1945, officially ending the war in the Netherlands. The generals negotiated the terms of surrender in the Hotel de Wereld, near the center of the city. Now, each year on 5 May, celebrated as Liberation Day in the Netherlands, Wageningen hosts a large festival. On this occasion, veteran soldiers parade through the city and are honoured for their service, and around 120,000 people visit the pop-podia around the city.

 

Education and research

In 1918, the town acquired its first institution of higher education, the Netherlands Agricultural College, which was based on the previous agricultural college founded in 1876 and later became Wageningen University. This initiated the development from a small historical town into a modern technological community that continues today.

The mission of Wageningen University & Research is ‘To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life’. Over 7,600 employees, 13,100 students and over 150.000 participants in WUR’s Life Long Learning from more than a hundred countries work worldwide in the domain of healthy food and living environments for governments and the business community at large. The strength of Wageningen University & Research lies in its ability to join the forces of specialised research institutes and the university. The domain of Wageningen University & Research consists of three related core areas:1- Food, feed & biobased production, 2- Natural resources & living environment and 3- Society & well-being.

Interesting places to see in the surroundings:

Airborne Museum 'Hartenstein', Oosterbeek

Botanical Gardens in Wageningen

De Casteelse Poort Museum

Het Depot Museum Hoge Veluwe National Park, Ede

Hotel de Wereld

Kröller-Müller Museum, Ede/Otterlo

Netherlands Open Air Museum, Arnhem

Ouwehands Zoo, Rhenen

Wageningen University Campus