Groningen
—  Province  —
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Grunnens Laid
Location of Groningen in the Netherlands
Country	Netherlands
Capital	Groningen
Government
• Queen's Commissioner	Max van den Berg
Area
• Land	2,329 km2 (899 sq mi)
• Water	576 km2 (222 sq mi)
Area rank	8th
Population (2006)
• Land	574,042
• Rank	9th
• Density	250/km2 (640/sq mi)
• Density rank	9th
ISO 3166 code	NL-GR
Religion (2005)	Protestant 18.0% Catholic 4.6% Muslim 2.5%
Website	provinciegroningen.nl

Groningen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɣroʊ̯.nɪ.ŋə(n)], locally [ˈxroː.nɪ.ŋən] ( listen); Gronings: Grönnen; West Frisian: Grinslân) is the northeasternmost province of the Netherlands. In the east it borders the German state of Niedersachsen (districts of Leer and Emsland), in the south Drenthe, in the west Friesland and in the north the Wadden Sea. The capital of the province is the city of Groningen.

Geography[link]

This section requires expansion.

Land use in Groningen is mainly agricultural; it has a large natural gas field near Slochteren. but, Groningen has many historical monuments and many old buildings in almost every villages

History[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

Originally a part of Frisia, Groningen became a part of the Frankish Empire around 785. Charlemagne assigned the Christianization of this new possession to Ludger. In the 11th century, the city of Groningen was a village in Drenthe that belonged to the Bishopric of Utrecht, while most of the province was in the diocese of Münster. During the Middle Ages, central control was remote, and the city of Groningen acted as a city state, exerting a dominating influence on the surrounding Ommelanden. Around 1500, Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor gave Groningen and Friesland to Albert, Duke of Saxony, who could however not establish permanent control. In 1514/15 Groningen came to the Duchy of Guelders, and in 1536 to the Habsburg Netherlands. In 1594, Groningen was conquered by the United Netherlands, to which it belonged henceforth.

Political history[link]

East Groningen was the scene of a particularly fierce class struggle in the 19th and 20th centuries. Perhaps not coincidentally, Groningen boasts the only municipality (Beerta) where the Communist Party of the Netherlands has ever had a mayor (Hanneke Jagersma).

Culture[link]

• 

  The Martinitoren, Icon of the provincial capital of Groningen

• 

  The Groninger Museum

• 

  The Fraeylemaborg nearby Slochteren

• 

  The hanging kitchens of Appingedam

Map of Groningen Province

Map of the Netherlands, linking to the province articles; red dots mark provincial capitals and black dots other notable cities or towns.

Dialect[link]

Groningen is home to a typical Low Saxon dialect called Gronings (Grönnegs / Grunnegs in Gronings regional language), with local nuances. Nowadays, many inhabitants of the province do not speak the dialect, especially in the city of Groningen where many outsiders have moved.

Municipalities[link]

• Appingedam
• Bedum
• Bellingwedde
• De Marne
• Delfzijl
• Eemsmond
• Groningen
• Grootegast
• Haren
• Hoogezand-Sappemeer
• Leek
• Loppersum
• Marum
• Menterwolde
• Oldambt
• Pekela
• Slochteren
• Stadskanaal
• Ten Boer
• Veendam
• Vlagtwedde
• Winsum
• Zuidhorn

People from Groningen Province[link]

• Abel Tasman, Explorer
• Cornelis Dopper, conductor and composer
• Albert Eckhout, painter
• Ede Staal, singer-songwriter
• Wiebbe Hayes, a Dutch soldier and national hero in the 17th century
• Lenie 't Hart, animal rights activist
• Jozef Israëls, painter
• Aletta Jacobs, first woman to study medicine in the Netherlands
• Freek de Jonge, cabaret artist
• Jurrie Koolhof, former football striker. Played 106 matches for PSV Eindhoven
• Gerrit Krol, writer
• Jan Mulder, former football player. Played for Ajax Amsterdam
• Arjen Robben, footballer
• Autumn, Band
• Noisia, Band

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Groningen (province)

Wikisource has the text of a 1905 New International Encyclopedia article about Groningen.

• Website of the Province (Dutch)
• Flag
• Website of the Capital City
• Alternative Website of the Capital City (Local Shops and Small Businesses) (Dutch)
• Map of Groningen (Dutch)
• Website of the University
• Website of the Polytechnic (Dutch)
• Map of Province (Dutch)
• Edmondo De Amicis, Holland and its People, translated from the Italian by Caroline Tilton, Chapter XVI, 1890.

v t e    Provinces of the Netherlands Provinces Drenthe Flevoland Friesland Gelderland Groningen Limburg North Brabant North Holland Overijssel South Holland Utrecht Zeeland Public bodies Bonaire Sint Eustatius Saba

v t e Burgundian Circle (1512–1806) of the Holy Roman Empire Seventeen Provinces of Habsburg Netherlands Seceded 1581 Drenthe · Friesland · Groningen · Holland · Overijssel · Utrecht · Zeeland · Zutphen Remained Artois2 · Brabant · Flanders · Guelders · Hainaut · Limburg · Luxembourg · Mechelen · Namur County Burgundy3 Imperial City Besançon3 Dependent territories Antwerp · Breda1 1 until 1648;    2 until 1659;   3 until 1678.

Coordinates: 53°15′29″N 6°44′16″E / 53.25806°N 6.73778°E / 53.25806; 6.73778

Groningen
—  Municipality / City  —
Flag Coat of arms
Coordinates: 53°13′N 6°33′E / 53.217°N 6.55°E / 53.217; 6.55Coordinates: 53°13′N 6°33′E / 53.217°N 6.55°E / 53.217; 6.55
Country	Netherlands
Province	Groningen
Municipality	Groningen
Government
• Mayor	Peter Rehwinkel (PvdA)
Area(2006)
• Total	83.69 km2 (32.31 sq mi)
• Land	79.59 km2 (30.73 sq mi)
• Water	4.10 km2 (1.58 sq mi)
Population (1 February 2012)
• Total	192,735
• Density	2,469/km2 (6,390/sq mi)
	Source: CBS, Statline.
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal codes	9711–9747
Area code(s)	050

Groningen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɣroʊ̯.nɪ.ŋə(n)], locally [ˈxroː.nɪ.ŋən] ( listen); Gronings: Grunnen; West Frisian: Grins) is the main municipality as well as the capital city of the eponymous province in the Netherlands. With a population of around 190,000, it is the largest city in the north of the Netherlands. Groningen is a university city, inhabited on average by about 37,000 students.

History[link]

Map of Groningen, 1925.

Boroughs of Groningen

Groninger Museum (2004)

Main building of the University of Groningen (2004)

The Martini Tower

The Aa Church (2004)

The Aa Church by night (2009)

The Herestraat, the main shopping street (2004)

Gronigen has many Amsterdam School architecture buildings

The city was founded on 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 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 Martini Tower was built, which loomed over the city at (then) 127 metres tall, making it the highest building in Europe at the time. The city's independence came to an end when it chose to join forces with the Spanish during the Eighty Years' War in 1594. It later switched sides, joining the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands.

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 which is celebrated with music and fireworks on 28 August (as "Groningens Ontzet" or "Bommen Berend").

The city did not escape the devastation of World War II. In particular, the main square, Grote Markt, was largely destroyed in April 1945, at the Battle of Groningen. However, the Martinitoren, its church, the Goudkantoor, and the city hall were not damaged. The battle there lasted several days.

University of Groningen[link]

The University of Groningen (in Dutch: Rijksuniversiteit Groningen) has a rich academic tradition which dates back to 1614. After the University of Leiden, it is the oldest university located in the Netherlands. The university educated the first female student and the first Dutch national astronaut in the history of the country, the first president of the European Central Bank and a Nobel prize winner. They share their academic roots with around 200,000 people, who were either students, teachers or researchers at the university. Groningen has the highest percentage of students by total population, approximately 25 percent.

Art, culture and nightlife[link]

The city is nationally known as the "Metropolis of the North" and as "Martinistad" referring to the Martini Tower.

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.

Museums[link]

The most important and most famous museum in Groningen is the Groninger Museum. With the construction of its current building, designed by Alessandro Mendini, the museum has been transformed into one of the most modern and innovative of its kind in the Netherlands. In addition, the city also has a maritime museum, a university museum, a comics museum, a graphical museum and a tobacco museum. Groningen is also home of Noorderlicht, an international photographic platform that runs a photo gallery and organizes an international photo festival.

Theatre and music[link]

Groningen has its own city theatre (Stadsschouwburg), 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, Grand Theatre on the Grote Markt, and Simplon on the Boterdiep. Several cafes feature live music, a few of which specialize in jazz music, including Jazzcafe De Spiegel on the Peperstraat. The jazz music students from the Prins Claus Conservatorium have been known to hold regular jam sessions in cafes 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 the Eurosonic Festival, an annual music showcase event for over a hundred bands from all over Europe.

Nightlife[link]

Groningen's nightlife depends largely on its student population. Its cultural scene is vibrant and remarkable for a city of its size. In particular, the Grote Markt, the Vismarkt, and the Poelestraat and Peperstraat are crowded every night of the week, and most bars do not close until 7 in the morning. Between 2005 and 2007, Groningen was elected "de beste binnenstad" (the best city centre) of the Netherlands.^[1] There are also two red-light districts, one in Nieuwstad (a street) and one in the A-kwartier (an area). Both of them are in or near the city centre.

International relations[link]

Twin towns – Sister cities[link]

Groningen is twinned with the following cities:^[2]

and in addition has a sister city relationship with the American state of Michigan, with the city of Holland, Michigan

Politics[link]

The city council has 39 members. The left-wing parties PvdA and GroenLinks are the largest. After the elections in 2002, they formed a coalition with CDA and VVD. Peter Rehwinkel has been the mayor since 2009. As a result of the elections of 2006, three left-wing parties (PvdA, GroenLinks and SP), decided to form a new coalition, which was appointed on 26 April 2006.

Industry[link]

Until recently, there were two large sugar factories inside the city boundaries. The factory of the Suiker Unie was originally outside of 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, the sugar production amounted to 250,000 tonnes of beet sugar, with 250 employees (2005 figures). The only remaining sugar factory is CSM Vierverlaten in Hoogkerk, which produces 235,000 tonnes of beet sugar, with 283 employees.

Other well known companies from Groningen are Hooghoudt (a producer of alcoholic beverages, genever and beerenburg, amongst others), publishing house Wolters-Noordhoff and Theodorus Niemeyer (a coffee, tea and tobacco company).

Topography[link]

Topographic map image of Groningen, 2010-2011.

Transport[link]