THE NETHERLANDS : GRONINGEN
Groningen is the name of the capital as well as of the province. The
city itself is a busy commercial centre
and a university town. The population amounts to around 170.000 people.
Groningen has a youthful population. Some 20.000 students live in the
town together with another 25.000 people under the age of thirty, making
the city the "Amsterdam of the North".
Groningen became more important in the 15th century when the city cut
itself loose from the influence of the Bishop of Utrecht and started to
exercise its power over the surrounding area. The "Groninger
Academie" (Academy of Groningen) was founded in 1614. This
predecessor of the Rijksuniversiteit (University of Groningen) turned
Groningen into a centre of science for the North of The Netherlands.
Tourism is not as developed as in the major Dutch cities like Delft,
Amsterdam, Rotterdam, etc..... but Groningen is certainly worth a visit.
The city has a rich history and....a
lively pub scene. Like other cities, the centre of Groningen is
encircled by a canal with further bisecting canals. One of the main
monuments is the Martinikerk
(Martini Church), the gothic construction that overlooks the main market
square. Of course, Groningen is home to many other interesting and
beautiful historical buildings. The main
museums are : the Noordelijk Scheepvaartmuseum (the
Navigation Museum) and the Groninger Museum, which has a fine display of
local paintings including works of the Groningen School of
Expressionism.
History of Groningen
The city of Groningen is very old.
No-one knows exactly how old, but it is certain that around the
beginning of the first millennium people lived on the site where the
city of Groningen now stands. Groningen was first referred to by name in
1040. Groningen, along with Utrecht, is the only province whose name is
derived from the name of the regional capital. The name first appeared
as ‘villa Cruoninga’ in the bestowal decree of 21st May 1040, in other
words, as the ‘district of Groningen’.
In the 11th cent., Groningen came under the temporal power of the
bishops of Utrecht. It soon rose to prominence and in the 12th cent.
supplied ships for the Crusades. In 1284 it joined the Hanseatic League
and later gained control over the central section of Friesland, which
now constitutes Groningen prov.
The city remained loyal to
the Habsburgs at the beginning of the revolt of the Netherlands against
Spain, but was captured by the Dutch under Maurice of Nassau in 1594.
The beginning of the seventeenth century seemed to herald a new
prosperity for the city after becoming part of the United Dutch Republic. Groningen was equipped with new
fortifications which practically doubled the area. The Groningen Academy
was founded in 1614, allowing the city to become a centre of science and
knowledge as well as a centre of trade and government.
The new walls and moats were severely tested in 1672. In this year of
affliction, the Bishop of Münster, Bernhard van Galen, advanced as far
as the city walls. The Groningers gave him the nickname of ‘Bommen
Berend’ (Bombing Berend) because of the amount of bombs he launched upon
the city. However, after an unsuccessful siege he finally retreated on
the 28th of August. This fact is recalled on Groningen’s own ‘national’
holiday, which is still referred to as ‘Bommen Berend’.
Housing construction, which had already begun outside the walls prior to
1874, increased dramatically, especially after the First World War. The
Second World War cost Groningen a part of its inner city as a result of
the battles for liberation. After the war, the city expansion continued
at an accelerated rate.
Groningenis is still growing. It is still by far the largest city
in the North of the Netherlands.
