ARNHEM or ARNHEIM, capital, province of Gelderland, Holland, on the right bank of the Rhine (here crossed by a pon toon bridge), and a junction 35m. by rail east-south-east of Utrecht. Pop. (193o) 78,234. Tramways connect with Zutphen and Utrecht, and there is a regular service of steamers to Cologne, Amsterdam, Nijmwegen, Tiel, 's Hertogenbosch and Rotterdam.
Arnhem is beautifully situated. It was known in the Middle Ages as Arnoldi Villa and may be the Arenacum of the Romans. It is first mentioned in 893. In 1233 Otto II., count of Gelderland, resided here and conferred municipal rights on the town, and fortified it. Later it entered the Hanseatic league. Charles the Bold of Burgundy captured it in 1473 and Philip, son of Maxi milian I., gave it coining rights in 1505. In 1514 Charles of Egmont, duke of Gelderland, took it from the Spaniards; but in 1543 it fell to the emperor Charles V., who made it the seat of the council of Gelderland. It joined the union of Utrecht in and came finally under the States-General in 1585. In 1586 Sir Philip Sidney died in the town. The French took it in 1672, but left it dismantled in 1674. It was refortified by Coehoorn, in the 18th century. In 1795 it was again stormed by the French and in 1813 was taken from them by the Prussians. Gardens and promenades have now taken the place of the old ramparts. The Groote kerk of St. Eusebius has a chime of forty-five bells. The Roman Catholic church of St. Walburgis is of earlier date, and a new Roman Catholic church dates from 1894. The town hall was built as a palace in the 15th century, and converted to its present use in 183o. The provincial government house occupies the site of the former palace of the dukes of Gelderland. The public library contains many old works, and there is also a museum of antiquities. On account of its proximity to the fertile Betuwe district and its situation near the confluence of the Rhine and Yssel, Arnhem is an important market centre. It makes wool len goods, and tobacco is cultivated in the neighbourhood. Wool combing and dyeing are also carried on.