Groningen


Groningen is the main municipality as well as the capital city of the eponymous province in the Netherlands. It is the largest city in the north of the Netherlands and has 231,037 inhabitants on a total area of, and land area of with a population density of 1,367 per km2. It merged with Ten Boer and Haren municipalities in 1 January 2019. The Groningen-Assen metropolitan area has about half a million inhabitants. Groningen is an old city and was the regional power of the north of the Netherlands, a semi-independent city-state and member of the German Hanseatic League. Groningen is a university city, with an estimated 32,700 students at the University of Groningen, and an estimated 28,432 at the Hanze University of Applied Sciences.

History

The city was founded at the northernmost point of the Hondsrug area. The oldest document referring to Groningen's existence dates from 1040. However, the city already existed long before then: the oldest archaeological traces found are believed to stem from the years 3950–3720 BC, although the first major settlement in Groningen has been traced back to the 3rd century AD.
In the 13th century, when Groningen was an important trade centre, its inhabitants built a city wall to underline its authority. The city had a strong influence on the surrounding lands and made its Gronings dialect a common tongue. The most influential period of the city was the end of the 15th century, when the nearby province of Friesland was administered from Groningen. During these years, the Martinitoren, then tall, was built; it loomed over the city. The city's independence ended in 1536, when it chose to accept Emperor Charles V, the Habsburg ruler of the other Netherlands, as its overlord.
In 1594, Groningen, until then held by Spain, was captured by a Dutch and English force led by Maurice of Nassau. Soon afterwards the city and the province joined the Republic of the Seven United Provinces.
In 1614, the University of Groningen was founded, initially only for religious education. In the same period the city expanded rapidly and a new city wall was built. That same city wall was tested during the Third Anglo-Dutch War in 1672, when the city was attacked fiercely by the bishop of Münster, Bernhard von Galen. The city walls resisted, an event that is still celebrated with music and fireworks on 28 August.
The city did not escape the devastation of World War II. In particular, the main square, the Grote Markt, was largely destroyed in April 1945 in the Battle of Groningen. However, the Martinitoren, its church, the Goudkantoor, and the city hall were not damaged. The battle lasted several days.

Geography

Climate

Groningen has an oceanic temperate climate, like all of the Netherlands, although slightly colder in winter than other major cities in the Netherlands due to its northeasterly position. Weather is influenced by the North Sea to the north-west and its prevailing north-western winds and gales.
Summers are somewhat warm and humid. Temperatures of or higher occur sporadically; the average daytime high is around. Very rainy periods are common, especially in spring and summer. Average annual precipitation is about. Annual sunshine hours vary, but are usually below 1600 hours, giving much cloud cover similar to most of the Netherlands. Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is ""..
Winters are cool: on average above freezing, although frosts are common during spells of easterly wind from Germany, Russia and even Siberia. Night-time temperatures of or lower are not uncommon during cold winter periods. The lowest temperature ever recorded is on 16 February 1956. Snow often falls, but rarely stays long due to warmer daytime temperatures, although white snowy days happen every winter.

Population growth

The municipality of Groningen has grown rapidly. In 1968 it expanded by mergers with Hoogkerk and Noorddijk, and in 2019 it merged with Haren and Ten Boer.
All historical data are for the original city limits, excluding Hoogkerk, Noorddijk, Haren and Ten Boer.

Colors=
id:a value:gray
id:b value:gray
id:c value:rgb
id:d value:rgb
id:e value:rgb
ImageSize = width:800 height:373
PlotArea = left:50 bottom:30 top:30 right:30
DateFormat = x.y
Period = from:0 till:240000
TimeAxis = orientation:vertical
AlignBars = justify
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:b increment:20000 start:0
ScaleMinor = gridcolor:a increment:10000 start:0
BackgroundColors = canvas:c
BarData=
bar:1795 text:1795
bar:1830 text:1830
bar:1840 text:1840
bar:1849 text:1849
bar:1859 text:1859
bar:1869 text:1869
bar:1879 text:1879
bar:1889 text:1889
bar:1899 text:1899
bar:1909 text:1909
bar:1919 text:1919
bar:1920 text:1920
bar:1930 text:1930
bar:1947 text:1947
bar:1956 text:1956
bar:1971 text:1971
bar:1980 text:1980
bar:1990 text:1990
bar:2000 text:2000
bar:2010 text:2010
bar:2019 text:2019
PlotData=
color:d width:20 align:left
bar:1795 from:0 till: 23770
bar:1830 from:0 till: 30260
bar:1840 from:0 till: 33484
bar:1849 from:0 till: 33694
bar:1859 from:0 till: 35502
bar:1869 from:0 till: 37984
bar:1879 from:0 till: 46058
bar:1889 from:0 till: 56018
bar:1899 from:0 till: 66537
bar:1909 from:0 till: 74613
bar:1919 from:0 till: 87594
bar:1920 from:0 till: 90778
bar:1930 from:0 till: 105146
bar:1947 from:0 till: 132021
bar:1956 from:0 till: 142561
bar:1971 from:0 till: 169385
bar:1980 from:0 till: 162952
bar:1990 from:0 till: 168702
bar:2000 from:0 till: 174250
bar:2010 from:0 till: 187298
bar:2019 from:0 till: 231618
PlotData=
bar:1795 at: 23770 fontsize:s text: 23,770 shift:
bar:1830 at: 30260 fontsize:S text: 30,260 shift:
bar:1840 at: 33484 fontsize:S text: 33,484 shift:
bar:1849 at: 33694 fontsize:S text: 33,694 shift:
bar:1859 at: 35502 fontsize:S text: 35,502 shift:
bar:1869 at: 37984 fontsize:S text: 37,984 shift:
bar:1879 at: 46058 fontsize:S text: 46,058 shift:
bar:1889 at: 56018 fontsize:S text: 56,018 shift:
bar:1899 at: 66537 fontsize:S text: 66,537 shift:
bar:1909 at: 74613 fontsize:S text: 74,613 shift:
bar:1919 at: 87594 fontsize:S text: 87,594 shift:
bar:1920 at: 90778 fontsize:S text: 90,778 shift:
bar:1930 at: 105146 fontsize:S text: 105,146 shift:
bar:1947 at: 132021 fontsize:S text: 132,021 shift:
bar:1956 at: 142561 fontsize:S text: 142,561 shift:
bar:1971 at: 169385 fontsize:S text: 169,385 shift:
bar:1980 at: 162952 fontsize:S text: 162,952 shift:
bar:1990 at: 168702 fontsize:S text: 168,702 shift:
bar:2000 at: 174250 fontsize:S text: 174,250 shift:
bar:2010 at: 187298 fontsize:S text: 187,298 shift:
bar:2019 at: 231618 fontsize:S text: 231,618 shift:

Economy

Until recently, there were two large sugar refineries within the city boundaries. The Suiker Unie plant was originally outside Groningen, but it was completely swallowed by the expansion of the city. After a campaign to close the factory, it was finally shut down in 2008/2009. Before closing down, its sugar production amounted to 250,000 tonnes of beet sugar, with 250 employees. The only remaining sugar factory is CSM Vierverlaten in Hoogkerk, which produces 235,000 tonnes of beet sugar, with 283 employees.
Well known companies from Groningen are publishing company Noordhoff Uitgevers, tobacco company Royal Theodorus Niemeyer, health insurance company Menzis, distillery Hooghoudt, and natural gas companies GasUnie and GasTerra. There is an increased focus on business services; specifically IT, life sciences, tourism, energy, and environment. In addition, the hotel and catering industry forms a significant part of the economy of Groningen.

Culture

The city is nationally known as the "Metropolis of the North" and as "Martinistad" referring to the tower of the Martinitoren, named after its patron saint Martin of Tours.
Although Groningen is not a very large city, it does have an important role as the main urban centre of this part of the country, particularly in the fields of music and other arts, education, and business. The large number of students living in Groningen also contributes to a diverse cultural scene for a city of its size.
Since 2016 Groningen is host of the International Cycling Film Festival, an annual film festival for bicycle related films. It takes place in the art house cinema of the old Roman Catholic Hospital.

Museums

The most famous museum in Groningen is the Groninger Museum. Its new building, designed by Alessandro Mendini, has transformed the museum into one of the most modern and innovative of its kind in the Netherlands. In addition, the city has a maritime museum, a university museum, a comics museum and a graphics museum. Groningen is also the home of Noorderlicht, an international photographic platform that runs a photo gallery and organizes an international photo festival.In 2019, the Forum Groningen opened. This cultural centrum consists of a museum, art cinema, library, bars, rooftop terrace and tourist information office.

Theatre and music

Groningen has a city theatre, located on the Turfsingel; a big theatre and concert venue called Martini Plaza; and another major cultural venue on the Trompsingel, called the Oosterpoort. Vera is located on the Oosterstraat, the Grand Theatre on the Grote Markt, and Simplon on the Boterdiep. Several cafés feature live music, a few of which specialize in jazz music, including Jazzcafe De Spieghel on the Peperstraat. The jazz music students from the Prince Claus Conservatoire have been known to hold regular jam sessions in cafés such as Peter Pan on the Voor Het Voormalige Klein Poortje and café De Smederij on the Tuinstraat 2–4. Groningen is also the host city for Eurosonic Noorderslag, an annual music showcase event for over a hundred bands from all over Europe.

Nightlife

Groningen's nightlife depends largely on its student population. Its cultural scene is vibrant and remarkable for a city its size. In particular, the Grote Markt, the Vismarkt, the Poelestraat and Peperstraat are crowded every night of the week, and most bars do not close until 5 in the morning. Between 2005 and 2007, Groningen was elected "best city centre" of the Netherlands. Groningen has a red-light district, called Nieuwstad. A second one in the A-kwartier has been closed as of late 2015. Both areas are in or near the city centre.

Sports

The local football club is FC Groningen, founded in 1971. As at the 2018–19 season they play in the Dutch top football league, the Eredivisie. Winners of the KNVB cup in 2014/15, their best league result was in the Eredivisie in the 1990–91 season, when they finished third. Their current stadium, which opened in January 2006, is the Hitachi Capital Mobility Stadion which has 22,550 seats.
American sports are fairly popular in Groningen; it has American football, baseball, and basketball clubs. Groningen's professional basketball club, Donar, play in the highest professional league, the Dutch Basketball League, and have won the national championship seven times. The Groningen Giants are the American Football Team of Groningen. They play in the Dutch Eredivisie and are considered the "Kings of the North".
One of the biggest running events of the country, the 4 Miles of Groningen, takes place in Groningen every year on the second Sunday in October.
The 2002 Giro d'Italia started in Groningen, including the prologue and the start of the 1st stage. The city also hosted the start and finish of the 5th stage of the 2013 Energiewacht Tour.

Education

The University of Groningen has a rich academic tradition that dates back to 1614. After the University of Leiden, it is the second oldest Dutch university. The university educated the first female student, Aletta Jacobs, the first Dutch national astronaut, Wubbo Ockels, the first president of the European Central Bank, Wim Duisenberg and two Nobel prize winners, Heike Kamerlingh Onnes and Ben Feringa. 200,000 people were either students, teachers or researchers at the university. Groningen University hosts about 31,000 students of whom about 22% are international.
The Hanze university of applied sciences was founded in 1986 and is more focused on the practical application of knowledge, offering bachelor and master courses in subjects like Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Communication & Multimedia Design, Renewable Energy and more. While only 8,1% of students are international, Hanze hosts more than 28,000 students and is one of the biggest University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands.
Having about 59,000 students total and about 200,000 inhabitants, the city of Groningen has one of the highest density of students in the nation, approximately 25%.

Politics

As at January 2019, the Groningen municipality council has 45 members. GroenLinks is the largest party on the council with 11 seats. The PvdA holds 6 seats. Both D66 and the Socialist Party have 5 seats. The VVD has 4 seats, while ChristenUnie and the Party for the Animals each have 3 seats. Christian Democratic Appeal, :nl:100% Groningen|100% Groningen and Stadspartij have 2 seats each; the 2 remaining seats are divided between Student en Stad and the right party Party for Freedom.

International relations

Groningen is twinned with the following:

Transport

Cycling and walking

Groningen has been called the "World Cycling City" because 57% of journeys within the city are made by bicycle. Like most Dutch cities, Groningen is well adapted to the large number of cyclists. A large network of bike paths makes it convenient to cycle to various destinations. In 2000, Groningen was chosen as Fietsstad 2002 — top BikeCity of the Netherlands for 2002.
The city is very much adapted to the wishes of those who want to get around without a car, as it has an extensive network of segregated cycle-paths, good public transport, and a large pedestrianised zone in the city centre. The transformation of the historic centre into a pedestrian priority zone enables and invites walking and biking. This is achieved by applying the principle of "filtered permeability". It means that the network configuration favours active transportation and selectively "filters out" the car by reducing the number of streets that run through the centre. While certain streets are discontinuous for cars, they connect to a network of pedestrian and bike paths which permeate the entire centre. In addition, these paths go through public squares and open spaces, increasing the enjoyment of the trip. The logic of filtering a mode of transport is fully expressed in a comprehensive model for laying out neighbourhoods and districts – the fused grid.

Public transport

Trainshttps://nieuws.ns.nl/spoorkaart-2020-hier-te-downloaden/

The Station of Groningen or Hoofdstation as the locals call it, has regular services to most of the major cities in the Netherlands. The city's remaining two railway stations are Europapark and Noord.
Groningen has six railway routes:
On those six routes, ten lines stop at:
Groningen has many bus lines and Q-Link, a network of busses similar to a tram / metro network. The bus company Qbuzz has created a similar system, U-Link in Utrecht.
City & Q-Link Lines:
Q-Liner Lines:
Night Lines:
Regional lines:
Other Lines:
Direct bus routes Groningen and Bremen, Hamburg, Berlin, and Munich are also available.

Car

The A28 motorway connects the city of Groningen to Utrecht. The A7 motorway connects Groningen to Friesland and Zaandam and Winschoten and Leer.

Airporthttps://www.groningenairport.nl/bestemmingen-overzicht

is located south of the centre of Groningen, with scheduled services to Guernsey, Gran Canaria, Antalya, Crete, Mallorca & Bodrum.

Ferry

A ferry service is being proposed between The Eemshaven and Rosyth, Scotland.

Notable people