Groningen (province)

Introduction

Martinitoren, Groningen

© Herr Bert

Groningen is the northernmost province of the Netherlands. Its capital city is also called Groningen. This name comes from a town called, 'villa Cruoninga', which was founded as early as 1040. ^[1]. Groningen even has its own anthem: “Het Grönnens Laid”, which literally means 'the song of Groningen'. The text, in the dialect of the province, was written in 1919 by Geert Teis Pzn. of Stadskanaal and the music was composed by G.R. Jager of Slochteren. The song was arranged by Frieso Molenaar. The province has about 575,000 inhabitants, 181,000 of whom live in the capital city. ^[2].

For centuries, the city of Groningen has acted as a city-state, trying to dominate the surrounding agricultural areas. In the 16th century, the city and the surrounding areas (the Ommelanden) were merged to become one province in the Dutch republic. The official name of the province at that time, Stad en Lande (City and Countryside) shows how two separate areas were merged. Although in later centuries the animosity between the city and its surroundings has decreased, until today there is a clear division of the city on the one hand, and the remainder of the province on the other hand.

Apart from this division between city and Ommelanden, each of the regions in the countryside has its own story. The large presence of extremely exploitative landowners in the east of Groningen during the late 19th and early 20th century left a relatively strong communist movement. The area is therefore regarded as the last stronghold of the communist party in the country. In this region, the Oldambt, very large farmhouses of the wealthy landowners are ubiquitous. In the southeast, in the so-called 'Peat Colonies' (Veenkoloniën), peat was dug and used as fuel (mainly in the city), resulting in a characteristic landscape of canals (for drainage and transport) and linear villages. In other areas, such as the Hogeland region in the north, the landscape has been shaped by battling the water of the Wadden Sea, with traditional artificial dwelling mounds (wierden) and the sea dikes. On the other hand, the southwest of the province, in the Westerkwartier region, has a slightly higher elevation and its landscape resembles that of neighbouring Drenthe province.

The city of Groningen is the economic, political, and cultural capital of the province, and its large university, hospitals, and shopping facilities are important for the wider region. Traditionally, agriculture has been the mainstay of the economy in the remainder of the province. However, nowadays this is much more diverse. In 1959, one of the largest natural gas fields in Europe was discovered near the village of Slochteren (Midden-Groningen). Furthermore, there is a large industrial area in the port city of Delfzijl, and also the port of Eemshaven in the Hogeland region is important.

Geography

Groningen is situated in the northeast of the Netherlands. To the west is the province Friesland, to the south is the province Drenthe, to the east the German districts are Leer and Emsland in the state Lower Saxony, and to the north the North Sea, Ems, and Dollart. The northernmost point of the Netherlands is on Rottumerplaat; the easternmost point of the Netherlands is in Bad Nieuweschans. Groningen is the 7th largest province of the Netherlands. It has a total area of 2,960 km2, with 2,325 km2 of land and 635 km2 of water. About 80% of the land or 1,876 km2 is used for agriculture. The rest of the land is: 9% or 158 km2 of built-up or semi built-up area, 6% or 144 km2 of nature, 3% or 66 km2 of infrastructure, and 2% or 43 km2 of recreational area. The land in Groningen is flat. A large area of the province is below sea level. The Hasseberg near Sellingen of 14.6 m above sea level is the highest point. The Groningen gas field near Slochteren is the 8th largest natural gas field in the world. Since 1986, the exploitation of this gas field has caused earthquakes in the region with magnitudes up to 3.6. In the Wadden Sea of Groningen, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2009, are the sandbank Simonszand and the natural reserve Rottum consisting of the three uninhabited islands Rottumeroog, Rottumerplaat, and Zuiderduintjes. The national park Lauwersmeer is located on the border between Groningen and Friesland.

Cities

• Groningen, the capital of the province with the Martini tower as its main landmark.
• Delfzijl - Small city with busy port and industrial area.
• Appingedam - Very picturesque canals with the famous "hanging kitchens".

Sights and Activities

Apart from the provincial capital city Groningen, there is also a lot to see in the so-called 'Ommelanden' (the countryside surrounding the city, i.e. the remainder of the province). There are many picturesque villages, little fishing communities, little castles ('borgen'), churches, and windmills.

The most visited museum in Groningen province by far is the Groninger Museum in Groningen city, showcasing modern and contemporary art of local, national, and international artists. (> 200,000 visitors annually). Other popular museums include the open-air museum of star fort Bourtange, the Ter Apel monastery in Westerwolde, the heritage railway and railway museum STAR in Stadskanaal, and the Veenkoloniaal Museum on the history of the 'Peat District' in Veendam. In addition, many of the 'borgen' as listed below house a museum.

Some more intimate, less visited, museums that are well worth a visit include the Abel Tasman Museum in Lutjegast (Westerkwartier), on the famous Dutch 17th century seafarer and namesake of Tasmania that was born here, and the Kapiteinshuis (Captain's House) in Nieuwe Pekela (Veenkoloniën), on the maritime history of the Peat District region.

There are several churches in the province that are worth a visit. The 13th century Martinikerk, in the centre of Groningen city, is the largest church of the province. Its clock tower, the Martini Tower, is 97 metres high, and from the top of the tower you have a wide view over the city and surrounding regions. Other famous churches include the 12th century church of Midwolde (Westerkwartier), the Walfriduskerk in Bedum (Hogeland) with a tower leaning more than the tower of Pisa, and a few churches in 20th century Amsterdam School architecture style, e.g. the Oosterkerk in Groningen city and the Zaalkerk in Musselkanaal (Veenkoloniën).

With the Netherlands being famous as a country of windmills, also the province of Groningen has its fair share, with more than 80 traditional windmills surviving. Most of the windmills in the province are polder mills (for drainage of reclaimed land) or grist mills. Many of the windmills can be visited, although opening times are usually limited (e.g. only on Saturday afternoons, or only by appointment). A famous windmill is the Goliath polder mill in Eemshaven (Hogeland) because of its location among many modern wind turbines, offering great photo opportunities. The town of Winschoten in Oldambt is known as 'windmill city' because of its three windmills in one street in the centre.

Schiermonnikoog, is one of the Wadden Islands and reachable by boat.

Events and Festivals

Eurosonic & Noorderslag

In the second weekend on January, there is one of the biggest music conventions of Europe coming to Groningen. The days of the business people are filled with seminars at the Oosterpoort, but on thursday and friday evening there is music in a lot of cafés in the center of Groningen. If you want to watch a couple of the upcoming European bands before they become big, this is the place to be. On saturday there is Noorderslag an evening at the Oosterpoort with only dutch bands. Tickets for both events are limited.

Koningsdag (King's Day)

In 2013, the Dutch throne was passed on to King Willem-Alexander and what used to be Koninginnedag (Queen's Day) will from 2014 become Koningsdag (King's Day). The date will be changed to the 27th of April, which is the king's birthday. In 2014 however it will be on the 26th of April because the 27th falls on a Sunday. On this day the streets of almost every sizable town in the country come alive with activity.

Weather

Groningen and other parts of the north have a slightly cooler summer as well as a colder winter on average compared to more central parts of the country. That said, differences are only little and the coastal areas enjoy more sun than inland parts.

Getting There

By Plane

Groningen has international and domestic flights leaving from Groningen Airport Eelde, about 10 kilometres from the city centre. Destinations include Aberdeen, Antalya, Corfu, Dalaman, Faro, Heraklion, Kos, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Rhodes and Tenerife.

By Train

Although Groningen is the northern most city in the country, train connections are fast and frequent with travelling times about 2 hours from both Utrecht and Amsterdam. Check the National Railways website for details.

By Car

From Groningen the national highway A28 runs south to Utrecht. Also the A7 is an important highway running from Bremen in Germany all the way to Amsterdam through the northern provinces of the Netherlands, crossing the famous Afsluitdijk, built to prevent floodings from the sea. If is a short route from the province of Friesland to North Holland, passing by Groningen.

By Bus

Groningen is one of the places in the Netherlands that is a destination of Eurolines.

By Boat

There is a ferry connection between Eemshaven and the German island of Borkum.

Getting Around

By Train

Groningen does not have a lot of trainlines. There is one line going to the west connecting to Leeuwarden in Friesland, one going east, heading to Nieuweschans and from there into Germany, and two heading to the northeast with the destinations Roodeschool and Winschoten.

By Car

There are only two motorways in Groningen, one is coming from the south (A28) and connects the city of Groningen with places further south, like Assen, Amersfoort and Utrecht, and Apeldoorn and Arnhem (via A50). The second motorway runs from the west to the east through the province which is the A7, this one connects to the A28 in the city of Groningen, and crosses the German border at Nieuweschans. To the west the A7 connects to Sneek in Friesland and if you drive even further across the afsluitdijk to Noord-Holland. For the rest of the province you have to rely on N-road (National routes), and because apart from the city of Groningen itself there is not too much traffic this serve it's function.

By Bus

Regional buses connect the smaller villages to the bigger towns like Groningen and Veendam. There are different companies running different lines. There is a busstation at the ferry terminal in Lauwersoog for the the ferry to Schiermonnikoog, busroute 163 connects this terminal and the city of Groningen.

Public transport information and tools to plan your trips in Groningen (and the rest of the Netherlands) can be found on: www.9292.nl

By Boat

There are ferries from the mainland town of Lauwersoog to the island of Schiermonnikoog, one of the Wadden Islands and chosen in 2006 as the most beautiful place in the Netherlands. For details about schedules and fares of the ferry, check the Wagenborg website.

Eat

There is a wide variety of restaurants in the province of Groningen. Common cuisines that are available in most of the towns and villages throughout the province include Dutch/French, Italian, Turkish (mostly fastfood), and Chinese/Indonesian. The selection of restaurants in the provincial capital is much more diverse. Especially along the Wadden Sea coast, fresh fish and fish restaurants are available, for instance in Lauwersoog, Zoutkamp or Noordpolderzijl (in the Hogeland region) or Termunterzijl (Delfzijl). Or get yourself a Dutch Pancake (pannenkoek) in the 'pancake ship' that is docked in a Groningen city canal, or at the Nienoord estate in Leek (Westerkwartier region).

A typical dish from Groningen is poffert, a type of raisin cake that is eaten for lunch or dinner, or as a snack. This regional dish is served at Koffie- en Theehuis Tante Til in Enumatil (Westerkwartier). Other typical Groningen food products include Groninger mustard (whole-grain mustard), Groninger worst (dried pork sausage with cloves) and Groninger koek (spice cake with rye and syrup).

Drink

Groningen city is famous for its nightlife. Nowhere in the Netherlands will the pubs stay open longer. Especially at the area to the southeast of the Grote Markt (central square), like the Poelestraat, the Oosterstraat en the Peperstraat, there are a lot of pubs that stay open until early in the morning. Dutch pubs, student pubs, Irish pubs, bars, coffeeshops, you name it, Groningen has it. Try café Hooghoudt at the southside of the Grote Markt square Hooghoudt is a local liquor brand (it produces vodka and traditional Dutch liquors like 'Jenever', Dutch gin) and the café acts as a barrelhouse.

Most towns and villages in the province have limited nightlife, but usually there are a few cafés or pubs that are open until after midnight in weekends. There are popular nightclubs in Stadskanaal and Veendam (in the Veenkoloniën region).

Keep Connected

Internet

Internet cafés are not as widespread as you would expect, but you can easily find one in the popular cities. Most hostels, hotels and camp sites have several computers, so you can keep connected with folk at home. Here is a list of internet cafés that could come in handy for travellers. Otherwise, most libraries have lots of computers and prices are around the €2-3 per hour range, although sometimes it can be even more expensive.

Wireless internet access using wifi is becoming more popular and is usually available at most hotels and increasingly at train stations. Also in trains (at least in most first class wagons, but also more and more in second class) and some buses you can use wifi. Finally, places like McDonald's and Starbucks have free wifi, and smaller individual business like cafés and restaurants are on the rise too offering these services. More often than not, these service tend to be free of charge, though there might be a limited time you can use the internet.

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

The country code for the Netherlands is 31. The outbound international prefix is 00. The general emergency number is 112, like many other countries.
0800 numbers are toll-free and for 09xx numbers are charged at premium rates. Mobile phones have numbers in the 06 range, and calls to cell phones are also priced at higher rates.

From internet cafés, it is also usually possible to make long distance international calls. Like in other countries, telephone booths have almost disappeared, though some are still found around public transport stations, where you can use a few coins to make calls. It is only recommended for local calls.

The cellular phone network in the Netherlands is GSM 900/1800. The main providers of cell phone networks are KPN (Dutch only), T-mobile and Vodafone, who cover the whole country. Other operators, like Hollandsnieuwe, Simyo or Tele2, use one of these 3 networks basically.

It is best to buy a SIM card when in the Netherlands for use in your cellphone, as this usually works out cheaper than using the one from home. If you are planning to study or work in the country and stay for several months, buying a cellphone is the best option. A simple one, sometimes with €10 worth on it, can be bought from around €25. The simplest smartphones are around €75.

Post

The rate for sending a postcard or letter up to 20 grams within the Netherlands is €0.64 (2014). Since 2010 there are stamps available for domestic post which no longer include the value in €. Instead, there are stamps available with either a '1' or a '2' as a substitute for value. The '1' can be used for letters and postcards up to 20 grams, while 20-50 grams require you to use the '2'-valued stamps (or two '1'-valued stamps of course).

Sending items to other EU countries and the rest of the world (there is one price since 2014) will cost €1.05. Stamps are sold at post offices, supermarkets and smaller shops/kiosks; often the place where you buy your postcards can also supply you with stamps.

Sending parcels abroad is more costly. A standard-sized parcel between up to 2 kilograms will cost you €9 for destinations within the EU and €18 (both without Track & Trace) to the rest of the world. Prices with Track & Trace start at €13 and €24.30 respectively. Parcel service is available from major post offices only; standard-size boxes are on sale there as well. For sending parcels, it might be just as competitive and fast to use a company like TNT, UPS or DHL.

If you need to receive mail while moving around, you can have it sent poste restante (to be called for) to a post office of your choice, where it will be kept for a month. If you come to claim it, bring a valid ID, and make sure to have told the sender that the name on the envelope must be an exact match with that in your passport. For addresses of post offices, as well as more information, consult the TNT website.

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