Albertinum, Former Dominican monastery in Nijmegen, Netherlands.
The Albertinum is a former Dominican monastery in Nijmegen featuring a distinctive hexagonal layout with three-story sections and semicircular stairwells at each end. Brick walls enclose a spacious central courtyard that originally served as the monastic garden and remains the building's quiet heart.
Construction took place between 1930 and 1932 under architects H.J.A. Bijlard and K. van Geyn, responding to the recent establishment of the Catholic University in the city. The monastery was built to house Dominican friars who sought to support the university's educational mission through their religious community.
The central courtyard garden shapes how residents and students experience daily life, offering a quiet retreat within the urban setting. Long hallways with stained glass windows throughout the building reflect the Dominican spiritual tradition that defined this space for decades.
The ground floor operates as educational space for the Arnhem and Nijmegen University of Applied Sciences, while upper floors house student residents. Access to certain areas may be limited since this is an active building in daily use for teaching and living.
A cemetery lies south of the building where Dominican members were laid to rest until 2007, preserving the memory of generations of religious scholars. This quiet burial ground remains largely unnoticed by visitors but tells the story of the order's deep roots in the community.
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