Netherlands Trip - Groningen      23rd June:

    The effect of the drug on Rex was to delay his time of waking to 07:30. It would remain to be seen whether the spasms would decrease.
    Over breakfast he Googled Frank Havik, and found he had participated in several World Flying Dutchman Championships around the world, also winning in Florida in 2006.
    We needed to spread our net further to stop us going insane. Rex was already babbling incoherently as his guilt complexes bubbled to the surface; he was still unduly concerned about our extended stay in Harlingen due to his back. Thus, we caught a train to Leeuwarden, and then caught another train across to Groningen, a charming place we had visited in 2013.
    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 Toren was built, which loomed over the city at (then) 127m 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 28th August (as "Gronings 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 Martini Toren, its church, the Goudkantoor, and the city hall were not damaged. The battle there lasted several days.

Peerd van Ome Loeks (Uncle Loek's Horse)

    We ambled out of the grand old station in Groningen, an historic, Dutch-Flemish Gothic building with Renaissance details designed by I. Gosschalk (1895). The impressive hall is a marvellous example of Jugendstil. The ornaments on the ceiling are papier-mache and the pictures portray Labour, Time, Post, Telegraphy and the patroness of Groningen. In front of the station is the city balcony where the "Peerd van Ome Loeks" (uncle Loek's horse) grazes. A bicycle cellar for over 5000 bikes was hidden below.
    Speaking of bikes, on the Stationsweg next to the Verbindinskanaal a long line of bikes was parked in standard bike racks. We paused for a while on the bridge over the canal to watch a floating pontoon with a small crane on it which was moored directly in front of this shore based bike park. Its crane would drop into the canal, and pull up bike after bike. Now whether the bikes had accidently fallen from the bike park into the canal, or they had been thrown in, I'll never know.

Korenbeurs (Corn Exchange)

    We headed straight up Folkingestraat, and as we passed Huis de Beurs, the city's oldest pub, we entered the Vismarkt. At this end of the Vismarkt (Fishmarket but , now a flower market), the Korenbeurs (Corn Exchange) stood. This Neoclassic exchange from 1865 had a facade adorned with three sculptures: Mercury (god of traders and thieves), Neptune (god of the sea and seafaring) and Ceres (the earth goddess). The particular cast iron roof construction with innumerable windows ensured perfect light incidence, essential for sampling grain. Today the exchange had a new lease of life as a supermarket, but corn is still sold every Tuesday. We strolled along the Vismarkt among the many market stalls lined up selling fish, meat, fruit, cheeses etc., and passed by the Goudkantoor (Gold Office). This building dated from 1635, and once functioned as the tax-collection office of the city and its environs, which becomes evident from the sign on the facade: "Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor's".

Goudkantoor

    We crossed to the Waagplein with its bustling shops and outside restaurants and cafes. It was absolutely heaving today. At the northern end of the Waagplein stood the Stadhuis (City Hall), a neoclassic building dating from 1810. On the right-hand side of the building a bust of Rabenhaupt stood, the general who successfully defended Groningen against the bishop of Munster and his army in 1672. At the back of the Stadhuis lay bullet holes bearing witness to the struggles in the Second World War.

Stadhuis

Rabenhaupt

    Just past the Stadhuis stood the Grote Markt with a group of impressive 17th/18th century facades on its southern side. The other sides of the market were destroyed during the liberation in April 1945.

17th/18th Century Facades in the Grote Markt

    Taking a northerly route, we marched off to the Spilsluizen, passing on the way a cafe that specialised in housing lots of cats, some walking around the customers, some in their baskets, all inside the cafe. Horror of horrors! Quickly passing cat world, we soon reached the mediaeval canal and former harbour, which had an open connection to the sea until 1876. Here tidal quays stood, and it was also the location of the large Spilsluizen (locks). We strolled along the canal, lined with old merchant's houses, gazing at the numerous houseboats moored along the canal quays. It was easy to imagine the scene here a couple of centuries back when barges must have been rafted up as they loaded and unloaded their cargoes along this stretch of canal.

Old Renaissance Court, Now a University Faculty

Academiegebouw (Academy Building)

    A short departure from the canal brought us to the Academiegebouw (Academy Building). In 1614, the second university in the Netherlands, the University of Groningen, was established in former monastery buildings. Designed by government architect J. A. Vrijman, the current Academiegebouw in Neo-renaissance style was put into use in 1909. The top facades show various allegoric images. Centre facade between the Dutch lion and the university coat of arms is the goddess of science, with Minerva, Scientia and Historia beneath. The top left facade depicts Prudentia and the right one Mathematica. Opposite the Academigebouw stood the university library, a modern complex dating back to 1986 - a good place to visit if caught short.
    Passing by the Harmoniecomplex, which included two university faculties, we meandered down Turftorenstraat and arrived by a canal at Hoge der A. Here, numerous red-brick warehouses around the old Aa harbour were reminiscent of the fact that Groningen was an important commercial and Hansa town in the Middle Ages. This was also the location of various breweries that produced kluinbier (Groningen beer), an important export. Most buildings have been converted into dwellings or offices. In winter, it functions as the mooring for ships of the "bruine vloot" (brown fleet). The canal here was part of the standing-mast route which ran through the city. We watched a yacht pass through a swing bridge, then stood in awe as hundreds of cyclists, who had been detained by the barriers, hurtled across the bridge, together with cars, trucks, buses and pedestrians. It was a miracle no one was injured.

Old Warehouses at Hoge der A

    On Brugstraat we took time out to look at the Noordelijk Scheepvaart Museum (Northern Nautical Museum); we had not managed to visit it on our previous visit. The museum, located in two 14th century buildings, outlines the history of Groningen and the North Dutch shipping and shipbuilding history from the Middle Ages to the present. The museum also gives an overview of the fifteen centuries of maritime history in chronological order. The development is portrayed by models, paintings and objects from ships.
    In addition, an animation film of medieval Groningen "Groningen in 1470" continuously looped in one of the rooms. It offered a unique, virtual reconstruction of the late Middle Ages city of Groningen. All buildings (over 1100 in total) were digitally reconstructed using the latest techniques and based on the latest scientific insights. The animated characters and the use of shadows and background sounds make a realistic image of the medieval city, enabling the 20-minute film to give us a tour of Groningen in 1470.

    As an added bonus, on the ground floor, an exhibition covered old steam engines up to modern counterparts, truly fascinating.

Der Aa-Kerk

Martini Toren

    Heading back to the city centre, we passed by the impressive Der Aa-Kerk. Located in the old harbour area, the church was dedicated to Mary and St. Nicholas, patron saint of sailors, and was exalted to a parish church in 1247. The current building dates back to the 15th century.
    We were soon back in the Vismarkt where we each had a portion of Warme Kibling, basically chunky hunks of fish deep fried in batter, served with a small pot of garlic sauce, piccalilli or mayonnaise to dunk them into. It was a delicious snack, as can be attested by the many gulls which snapped up any morsels that fell to the ground.
    To wind the day up Rex sipped an English breakfast tea while I slurped Verse Munt Tee (fresh mint tea) with honey in the Waagplein. Rex of course always asked for cold milk with his tea, and always received half a pint worth. As usual, it was thought provoking sipping a drink and watching the world pass by along a busy thoroughfare.
    Gazing through to the Grote Markt, we could see the Martini Toren at the far end. The 15th century 97m high Martini Tower is Groningen's pride. Groningen inhabitants lovingly refer to it as the "d'Oile Grieze" (Old Grey) due to the colour of the weather-beaten Bentheimer sandstone. Both the tower and the church are named after Saint Martin, the city's patron saint.
    As our train took us back to Leeuwarden, and then onto Harlingen, I had chance to ponder on Groningen. The large city had a different feel to Leeuwarden and Harlingen. It reminded me very much of standard European cities with its large squares and huge expanses of roads and buildings. Unlike Leeuwarden and Harlingen, canals in Groningen only circumnavigated the city and did not enter. The three locations were all different, the variety adding to their interest.