The Ceuclum Museum, housed in a 500 year old church tower, shows the history of Cuijk through archaeological finds, documents, photographs and drawings. Its name "Ceuclum" is the name the Romans called their settlement and can be seen on a roadmap from that period.

A permanent collection and regular special exhibitions are shown in this magnificent historical location.

THE COLLECTION

The collection focuses on the origin and the development of the history of Cuijk and its surrounding area. Objects, photos and documents from the Cuijk Archaeologica Study group, the Regional Archives of the Province of Brabant Noord-Oost, the Cuijk Photo Archive Service and private collections are displayed for this purpose.

A HISTORICAL PART OF CUIJK

The history of the location of the Ceuclum Museum goes back a long way. The're-has been habitation from the Stone Age onwards. On the very spot stood the Roman: - Castellum and in later times the Castle of the "Heren van Kuyc". A Roman Church and a 15th century church (1485) have stood here. The present Gothic Tower, now housing the Museum, was part of the latter church. So, the Museum literally has its roots in history.

THE OLD TOWER

After a great fire in 1480 the Cuijk people had a new church built. Regulations from the French period prevented Cuijk from ownership of the Tower until 1798. In 1913 after the completion of the present church, the old church was demolished, except for the tower.

" The Tower stood empty for a long time; in summer, though, people were allowed to climb the Tower and could enjoy the magnificent view of Cuijk and its surroundings. The Tower, brick-built, has three levels, flat, pointed-arch niches and an octagonal spire. On the 2nd level is the "Kroetegat", a former prison cell, the belfry is on the 3rd level.

THE PREHISTORIC AGE

From the Stone Age onwards the sand dunes alongside the river have offered a safe haven to roaming reindeer hunters. The earliest traces of their presence date back to some 12,000 years ago. Arrowheads, made from stone, knives, scrapers and artfully sharpened stone axes have been found. People from the New Stone Age must have used them. Earthenware objects, urns and goblets were found in mounds, dating back to the times when tools were made of bronze as well as of stone. All those burial mounds - quite a few of them were situated in Hanshof and Kalkhof - have disappeared in the last 150 years. The names "Dodenberg" and "Gal(gen)berg" are probably linked to the earlier mounds in the area.

During various excavations hamlets and burial sites from the Iron Age have been unearthed; this is proof of a densely populated area at the time. Important sites are: Vossenhol, Heeswijkse Kampen, the Kraayenbergse Plassen and Kamperveld in haps.

THE ROMAN AGE

The Roman Period is a predominant subject of interest in the museum. From ca. 50 till 400 AD there stood, on this very spot the Ceuclum Castellum, on the then military road from Tongeren via Maastricht to Nijmegen. Originally made of clay and wood, the fortress was later rebuilt in brick.

In the nineteen sixties, Professor Dr. J.E. Bogaers conducted extensive archaeological research in Cuijk, his former residence, and he has reconstructed the various periods of the castellum. Remains of walls, moats and two temples were revealed. In 1992-1993, divers discovered and brought to the surface remains of a Roman bridge.

The visitor can form an image of military presence, habitation religion and burial rites from the objects on display.

THE MIDDLE AGES

After the Romans left in about 400 AD, a rather dark period of several centuries ensued. Artefacts from this period are a single weaving shed and the grave of a warrior. Nothing more has been found. One can assume that Christianity has been firmly established during the Carolingian period. Around the year 1000 an extensive Deanery was set up in the Cuijk region.

The "Heren van Kuijc" took their home here in around the same period, but moved to Grave after their castle had been destroyed.

Still, Cuijk retained its regional function as the High Council of Justice resided here and annual fairs and political meetings were held in Cuijk.

CUIJK AFTER 1500

Wars, lootings and fires regularly struck the region, while floods were quite common as well. The Eighty Years war caused strife between Catholics and a small Protestant minority, which gained the upper hand. With the arrival of the French in 1795 the Catholics regained their ancient rights as well as their church.

Until well into the 19th century Cuijk remained a village, a small community of peasants, its number of inhabitants being 1000 at the most. After 1850 its industrial development slowly began. The building of a railway and above all the building of safe dikes, which controlled the river, enabled Cuijk to grow considerably in the 20th century.