A specialist in river scenes, Ruysdael here depicted the Dutch town of Nijmegen, situated near the German border on the river Waal. Dominating the scene is the Valkhof, a medieval fortress built on Roman foundations, a subject he painted many times, as did many of his compatriots in the period. The prevailing artistic interest in local topography coincided with a widespread surge of national pride, the result of political successes that secured Dutch independence from Spanish domination in 1648.