Bed and Breakfast Pakhuis Emden

Carla van Veen en Ferry Giebels
Tuinstraat 11
9711 VA Groningen

Groningen

Groningen is the capital city of the province of Groningen in the Netherlands. With a population of 185,000 it is by far the largest city in the north of the Netherlands.

Although Groningen is not a large city, it does have an important role as the main urban center 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.

The most important and most famous museum in Groningen is the Groninger Museum. With the construction of its current building, designed by 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 science museum, a comics museum and a tobacco museum.

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." Then there is "Vera", 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 Spieghel" 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.

Groningen's nightlife depends largely on its student population. Its cultural scene is vibrant and remarkable for a city of such a small size. In particular, the Grote Markt, the Vismarkt, and the Poelestraat and Peperstraat are crowded at night, especially on Thursdays and Fridays when some bars do not close until 7 in the morning. In 2006 Groningen was elected "de beste binnenstad" (the best city center) of the Netherlands.

Source: Wikipedia