Discovering Groningen - A City Introduction for New PhD’s
So you’ve started a PhD in the Netherlands’ most northern university city. You’ve found out about the whereabouts of your faculty, you know where the Academiegebouw is, and you’re able to point at the Martinitoren. But what about the less obvious Groningen spots? This small introduction will provide you with some Groningen city trivia, and point out the places that are worth checking out.
A Touch of History The history of Groningen goes a long way back. The first written mention of Groningen was jotted down in 1040, but the oldest archeological findings even date back to the third century BC. During the Dark Ages, the city of Groningen gradually gained more and more power. In the 13th century, a city wall was built, and Groningen joined the Hanseatic League (the most powerful trade organisation of that time). A large area surrounding Groningen was in direct control of the city. In the 15th century, Groningen arrived at the peak of its power. The famous “Martinitoren”, that still dominates Groningen’s skyline today, dates back from this period. The city of Groningen got its own university in 1614, in that time mainly meant for the education for preachers (we’ve come a long way). Also in the 17th century, Groningen expanded, and built a new city wall. Which brings us to the most famous date in Groningen’s history: 1672. In that year, the city was fruitlessly besieged by the bishop of Münster, Bernhard von Galen. But Groningen stood tall, and after one month, the bishop was obliged to cease his besiege. The people of Groningen are still so proud of this heroic day in their history, that they celebrate the relieve of the city (“Gronings ontzet”, also called “Bommend Berend”) each year on the 28th of August. That day, the people of Groningen will celebrate their freedom with festivities and fireworks. And you will get a day off to watch them.
Groningen TodayToday, Groningen is the capital of the province of Groningen, and the largest city in the north of the Netherlands (181.000 inhabitants, counting in the suburbs). Groningen is a kind of ‘civilised isle’ in the north of the Netherlands: you’ll have to drive for miles to find another place that deserves to be called city. But this isolation makes sure that everything you’ll ever need is available in Groningen. Groningen is widely known for two kinds of products: sugar and gas. If you take a stroll through town one of these days, and there’s a wind coming from the west, you might notice a funny, sweet smell. You’d better get used to it, as it will last all of autumn. It is one of Groningen’s sugar factories, transforming tons of sugar beets into granulated sugar and related products. If you take a walk towards the west of Groningen (walk from the Grote markt to the Vismarkt, on to the Astraat across the canal), you’ll see the large chimney of the “Suikerunie” plant emitting its plume of smoke. Another famous Groningen building is related to the other product. The Gasunie building is the administrative building of the Gasunie (the company that takes care of the transport and sale of Dutch gas). The modern building is located in the south-west of Groningen, close to the city park.
Things to See/Do So far for the theoretic part; on to the hands-on guide through Groningen. There are a few ‘must have seens’. When the weather is nice, a climb up the Martini tower is definitely worth it (those of you who want to start with a more modest climb, will enjoy the roof garden of the V&D chain store, which also offers a nice view of the city). Close to the Martini tower, there is the Prinsentuin, a renaissance garden (located at Turfsingel). When the weather is nice, you can have some tea at the Theeschenkerij. Next, there’s the Groninger Museum, a futuristic building on an artificial island across Groningen station. The museum has a varied collection of permanent works, and there are many temporary exhibitions. When the drawbridge leading to the station opens, you’ll see a work of art by Delvoye! After visiting the museum, cross the bridge and visit Groningen station. It is one of the nicest stations in Groningen, and has recently been restored. Enter into the main hall, and look up towards the ceiling, made of papier maché. Another famous phenomenon of Groningen architecture are its hofjes (almshouses). These are inner courtyards, discreetly located on various locations across the city. If you want to visit them, ask for the ‘hofjeswandeling’ at the tourist office (Grote Markt 25).
ShoppingAs mentioned before: Groningen is an isle in the wilderness of the province. But this makes sure that an extensive range of various shops is available. You’ll find your average chain stores in the Herestraat and Grote Markt. But Groningen has much more to offer. Make sure you visit the market at the Vismarkt, every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. The market vendors have a wide range of food products to offer, at cheap rates. The Folkingestraat is a cosy shopping street. De Druivelaar (nr. 47) has a great selection of wines. Le souk (nr. 21) is a small North-African supermarket. And Ariola (nr. 54) caters for Italian food. The olives are the best you can get in town! In Oude Kijk in ‘t Jatstraat, you’ll find some second hand clothing shops. Recessie (nr. 54) has clothes from the sixties and seventies. Kroy (nr. 35) is specialised in leather and suede. And finally, for some ultra-Dutch goodies: pay a visit to Droppie (Astraat 7), for a store full of Dutch candy (with a huge choice of typical Dutch liquorice), and cheese shop Van der Ley (Oosterstraat 61), offering over 400 cheeses.
EatingGroningen’s supply of restaurants is inexhaustible. In this guide, we stick to a few ‘tried and approved’ restaurant choices. In the category ‘cheap but good food’, there’s the Italian Napoli (Astraat 9). Another cheap choice is one of the many ‘eetcafes’, e.g. De markt (Vismarkt 10). And in the category ‘reasonably priced quality’, there’s the mexican restaurant Cantina Mexicana (Vismarkt 50, also with roof garden), the Italian Da Vinci (Turfsingel 33), and Thai Jasmine (Schuitendiep 78).
Going outWhich brings us to the last part of our tour through Groningen: where to spend your spare time. The possibilities are countless. If you’re looking for theatre, you might want to check out the websites of De Oosterpoort/ Stadsschouwburg (www.de-oosterpoort. nl) and Grand Theatre (www.grand-theatre.nl). A great way to practice your Dutch, for those of you still struggling with the language! De Oosterpoort also offers concerts (oriented towards mainstream). Another great place for concerts is Vera (Oosterstraat, www.vera-groningen. nl). Vera has gigs practically every night, focusing mainly on punk and rock. On Tuesday’s, there are movies showing. And on Saturday’s, there are parties (called swing-avond). Jongerencentrum Simplon (boterdiep) focuses on more modern music styles (dance, hiphop).
And finally, we’ll guide you through the vast amount of pubs that Groningen has to offer. A number of nice pubs is located around Kleine Kromme Elleboog, close to the Arts Faculty. De Pintelier has a huge collection of beers, Het Paard van Troje en Mulder offer a touch of Dutch ‘gezelligheid’. A number of pubs offer live music. Cafe De Spieghel (Peperstraat) has jazz performances every now and then, and Irish Pub O’Ceallaigh (Gedempte kattendiep 13) has traditional Irish folk sessions every Wednesday’s and Sunday’s.
There are also some nice pubs located outside the city center. A number of them (Tante Truus, De Koffer, Ray’s Pub) are located around the Blekerplein, in the west of Groningen. They are all cosy chat pubs. And then, there’s the Minnaar van de Rozenstraat (Kleine Rozenstraat 64), where our Grasp! drinks take place. You’re very welcome every last Tuesday of the month
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Living in Groningen 
