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    Groningen

    Netherlands

    Groningen

    CityCulture

    Groningen is the capital of the eponymous province in the north of the Netherlands, about 75 kilometres west of Leer in East Frisia.

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    9. Groningen
    Groningen is the capital of the eponymous province in the north of the Netherlands, about 75 kilometres west of Leer in East Frisia. Come for a university city with a car-free centre around Grote Markt and Vismarkt, for the Martinikerk with its tower, and for the Groninger Museum, whose 1994 building was co-designed by several designers.
    Groningen, capital of its namesake northern Dutch province, has 244,807 inhabitants (as of Jan 1, 2025). The city is shaped by its Rijksuniversiteit (founded 1614), enrolling nearly 50,000 students. The center around Grote Markt and Vismarkt is car-free. On Grote Markt stands the Martinikerk and its 97m-high Martinitoren; 100m east, Nieuwe Markt features the Forum (opened 2019) with a rooftop terrace. The Korenbeurs, built 1862-1865, stands at the Vismarkt's head. The 15th-century Aa-kerk houses an Arp Schnitger organ from 1702.

    Sights in Groningen

    Discover the most important sights and attractions

    Martinitoren
    Church

    1Martinitoren

    The 97-meter-high tower of the Martinikerk on the Grote Markt was built from 1469 to 1482, after its predecessor collapsed in 1468. Via a steep spiral staircase with several hundred steps, you ascend all the way to the top.
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    Martinikerk
    Church

    2Martinikerk

    Historic church on the Grote Markt with a large baroque organ. It is used for cultural evenings and conferences and can be visited with guided tours.
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    Groninger Museum
    Museum

    3Groninger Museum

    Museum for modern and contemporary art, fashion, design, and local history. The building, opened in 1994, was designed by Alessandro Mendini together with Michele De Lucchi, Philippe Starck, and Coop Himmelb(l)au.
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    Forum Groningen
    Museum

    4Forum Groningen

    The 45-meter-high Cultural House on Nieuwe Markt, opened at the end of November 2019, houses on ten floors the city library, five cinemas, and the Storyworld museum for comics, animation, and computer games. From the rooftop terrace, you get a view over the entire city.
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    Restaurants in Groningen

    1

    Block & Barrels

    Steakhouse in Hoogstraatje downtown.
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    2

    Mandi Huis

    Lebanese Halal restaurant in the Nieuwe Ebbingestraat.
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    3

    Anne&Max Groningen

    Cafe with breakfast on Turfsingel.
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    Museum, Music and Festivals

    The Groninger Museum exhibits modern and contemporary art, fashion, and design in a 1994 building, co-designed by Alessandro Mendini, Michele De Lucchi, Philippe Starck, and Coop Himmelb(l)au. Forum Groningen unites a library, cinema, and the Storyworld Museum (comics, animation, video games).Two festivals are known beyond the city: Eurosonic Noorderslag, an annual pop festival with a music conference and showcase program for European music, and the theater festival Noorderzon.

    Nightlife

    1

    The Stockroom

    Cocktail bar in the Oosterstraat.
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    2

    Café de Koffer Beer Cafe

    Beer bar in the Nieuwe Blekerstraat.
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    3

    FIXY

    Club and bar with live music in Oosterstraat.
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    Getting Here & Around

    By car, you can reach Groningen via the A7 (E 22); from Leer in East Frisia, it's about 75 kilometers. Southbound, the railway line runs via Assen to Meppel, and towards Germany, the route to Leer – check before your trip whether direct trains operate there. The regional airport is Groningen Airport Eelde.In the city itself, the bicycle is the transport mode of choice: According to a 2013 study, about one-third of all journeys are made by bike. The attractions in the car-free center are close together.

    Accommodations in Groningen

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    Campgrounds in Groningen

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    Nearby

    Province Groningen

    Province Groningen

    The Province of Groningen is the northeasternmost of the Netherlands and borders the Wadden Sea to the north, and Ostfriesland and Emsland to the east. Its center is the university city of Groningen with its old town.The area surrounding the city, the Ommelande, is flat and expansive. Old villages are located there on *Warften*, artificially raised mounds.
    Friesland

    Friesland

    Friesland in the northern Netherlands, province of lakes, Wadden Sea, and its own language: West Frisian, official alongside Dutch. The Wadden Islands Vlieland, Terschelling, Ameland, Schiermonnikoog belong here.Leeuwarden is the capital. Visitors enjoy watersports on lakes, swimming at the coast and islands, and mudflat hiking. In summer, old sailing cargo ships race in the Skûtsjesilen regatta.
    Leeuwarden

    Leeuwarden

    Leeuwarden, Ljouwert in Frisian, is the administrative capital of Friesland province in the northern Netherlands and was European Capital of Culture in 2018. You come for the leaning tower Oldehove, the Fries Museum of Frisian art & history, and the Keramikmuseum Princessehof, birthplace of graphic artist M. C. Escher.
    Giethoorn

    Giethoorn

    Giethoorn ist ein Wasserdorf in der Provinz Overijssel im Nordosten der Niederlande, am Rand des Moorgebiets De Wieden. Du kommst für die Fahrt mit dem Boot: Das Dorf zieht sich rund acht Kilometer an einem Dorfkanal entlang, den zahlreiche Querkanäle und Holzbrücken kreuzen.
    Overijssel

    Overijssel

    Overijssel is located in the east of the Netherlands between the IJssel and the German border. In the northwest of the province lies the Weerribben-Wieden National Park, a landscape of fens, lakes, and canals.The capital is Zwolle; other major cities include Deventer, Enschede, Hengelo, and Almelo. The west of the province is called Salland, the east Twente.