| Groningen
At Executive Traveller, we only write about
places we have seen and welcome readers’ experiences
as well.
| 48-hours
in Groningen – Holland |
The
people of Groningen say that Groningen is Holland
because it is the most Dutch of all the Dutch regions.
It is neither loud nor calm but friendly enough for
you to want to get to know it better. This is the
city where almost everyone rides a bicycle. Cycling
is so important in Groningen that it is cars and pedestrians
who have to watch themselves when crossing the road.
Bicycle parks have been provided for in the almost
every part of the city and there is a very large one
at the train station. The whole province is full of
culture. |
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The
Martini Tower (Martinitoren)
The most popular tower in Groningen is the Martini
Tower but do not fooled by its name or just looking
at it and think it is a simply church. The Martinitoren
as the Dutch call it is the highest church tower in
the city of Groningen. It takes a lot of courage to
get to the top. The tower is located at the north-western
corner of the Grote Markt (Main Square), is part of
the Martinikerk (Martini Church )and is 97 metres
high. It is the most important Groningen monument
and has overlooked the city for over five hundred
years. |
This fourth highest tower of the Netherlands
can be climbed until the third gallery. The citizens of
Groningen call their tower d'Olle Grieze, meaning the old
grey one in the local dialect. It is considered one of the
main tourist attractions of Groningen and offers a great
view over the city and surrounding area. The front of the
tower shows three pictures above the entrance: the blind
man Bernlef, Saint Martinus and Rudolf Agricola. All three
are men are linked to the history of Groningen. According
to reports the tower has a foundation only three meters
deep.
Next stop was the main railway station, a destination everyone
else was cycling to, but I opted to have a special relationship
with Dutch coffee and pastries at the International food
market in the city centre – called La Place and catch
up with them later. I also enjoyed a walk along the canals,
well worth it.
Main
railway station
The Groningen main railway station has more on offer
besides getting on or off a train. It is the “cathedral
of the winged wheel”’, the entrance gate
for the city as well as an extremely important monument.
When standing in the main hall, imagine yourself a
traveller from the 19th century: admire shelters for
various classes, leaded windows, beautifully decorated
ceilings, and a very particular six metre-high wrought
iron streetlight in the centre. |
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The
Groningen Museum
Even if you do not like art, you will enjoy the Groningen
Museum. It sits beautifully in the centre of the city
not far from the main railway station. The 26.1 million
euro building was designed by Alessandro Mendini,
Italian designer/architect whose work also appears
in the museum. Mendini `believes in the use of decoration.
The most impressive of the master pieces on display
were the Russian collection of legends, folk tales
and fairy tales. The impact Russian fairy tales and
legends had on painting in the 19th and early 20th
Century is clearly revealed in this exhibition.
The museum which has a shop and café opens
from Tuesday to Sunday and on public holidays from
10am to 5pm and on Fridays it stays open until 10pm.
It is closed on Christmas day and on New Year’s
Day.
Admission: Adults 10 euros, Senior citizens 9 euros,
Youth 12-18 years 5 euros
School groups, pass holders and Friends 2 euros, Children
up to 12 years free
From now until 23rd November 2008, China will be the
theme with the treasures of the Terracotta Army on
show until 31st August. |
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The
Wall House #2
Groningen classifies the Wall House #2 as some of the ‘must
see’ cultural activities in its region. This unique
building has been hosting a few artists-in-residence since
2005. The artist-in-residence idea is based on the primary
function of the building: residence where artists who have
a special relationship with designed space are invited to
occupy the house for a period of time. The term ‘artists’
is used in the broadest sense possible; it includes and
is not limited to writers, architects, academics, all artists
who display work of international quality. Artist who have
stayed at the Wall House include Javier Marchan from Spain
in 2005, Akiko Yanagimoto from Japan in 2006 and America’s
Richard Saxton in 2007. This year, the Wall House will be
hosting Bianca Casady from 7th April until 6th July.
The National Carriage Museum
This is a very exciting place to visit. The Nienoord Groningen
estate house that we see today in Leek dates from 1887 and
was rebuilt on the spot where the original Groningen estate
house was located until 1850. The old estate house sadly
burned down. The National Carriage Museum is located in
the estate grounds and includes a large collection of coaches,
carriages, and horse-sleighs. You will find the largest
national collection of carriages in the world: 250 coaches
and sleighs and the accompanying paraphernalia. A greater
part of the collection is housed in the national carriage
depot and a different selection of these is on exhibition
each year. Carriages are also given on loan to museums both
at home and abroad.
The Nienoord Groningen estate house also has a fine dining
restaurant in its grounds for exclusive private dining.
Opening hours: 1 April until 31 October. Closed on Mondays,
and open from Tuesday until Friday from 10 am until 5 pm,
Saturdays and Sundays from 1-5 pm, Easter Monday and Whit
Monday from 1-5 pm.
De TheeFabriek (Tea Factory
and Museum)
The tea factory and tea museum are housed in an old church
and parsonage. This is where you learn all there is to know
about the production and different uses of tea. The tearoom
has the most extensive tea menu in the world, and there
are different kinds of tea available in the tea shop.
Opening hours: 1 April until 31 October on Tuesday until
Sunday from 10 am until 5 pm; 1 November until 31 March
on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am until 5 pm. Closed in
January.
Eating in Groningen
If you do not eat anything at all in Groningen, try their
mustard soup; it is absolutely delicious. Every other food
appears to be in the form of some gourmet style sandwich,
or like any other food in Europe. The best mustard soup
I tasted was at the Abrahams Mustard Maker’s Museum.
You may not be wrong to think that every destination in
Groningen is some sort of museum. Mustard plays an important
part in Dutch cuisine and at Abraham’s soup is served
in Dutch style a deep roll so do not be embarrassed to eat
it all up. At Abrahams you can learn a lot about mustard
making, buy some fresh mustard before sitting down to a
decent meal.
Other places of interest include the Seal
Sanctuary which is covered separately here, and the world’s
smallest hotel.
How to travel to Groningen
VLM Airlines flies regularly from London City to Groningen.
There is also a bmi flight from Aberdeen to Groningen. Groningen
airport Eelde is the primary airport for the North Netherlands.
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