Groningen, against the background of the rest of the cities of Niderandov, looks a bit boring and even offended lack of bright historical events that would play an important role in the history of the Netherlands, and this is despite the fact that the first mention of it dates back to 1040. The most striking event in the history of the city can be considered the opening of the University in 1614, and this discovery was exactly the event that determines the fate of the city and to this day. Groningen, this is a city of students. Lie joke, with a population in 190 thousand people, about 50 thousand are students. This fact makes Groningen by the youngest city in the world, with all the consequences of this. And the consequences are very pleasant and slightly amazing. It's nice that Groningen is a city of festivals. Every year, two festivals of Dutch pop music and one festival dedicated to the amateur street theater are held in the city, during which the city turns into a theatrical scene with a bunch of futuristic scenery of the casual look. It also passes one of the most famous photography festivals in the world - NoorDerlicht. As for the surprise, so many tourists are surprised by the fact that despite the fact that the population of the city is very young, life here flows measured and calmly.
Everyone who first comes to Groningen is striking not only the number of young people, but also the abundance of bicycles! Almost everyone goes on them! And it's not just that the historic center of the city is closed to enter cars and motorcycles, and that this city is not cool at all! Cool, it is moving around the bike. Bicycles are parked by University, City Hall, Police and other public services. Moreover, they are not even caught by chains, because Groningen is from the safest cities in Europe. The theft here is so rare that even small cases become events before the press.
Thanks to its long history, the city has a certain number of attractions, albeit not grappling on the whole world as the Eiffel Tower or the Moscow Kremlin, but still a sign.
Church of St. Martin. The oldest temple of the city, whose patron saint is St. Martin Turovsky. Located in Market Square, which is in the very center of the city. According to historians, it was built on the spot of his two or even three predecessors who were destroyed by unclear reasons. The construction of the church, which lived to this day began in the 13th century. It is a classic sample of early gothic. The main thing is that attracts attention inside the temple are frescoes written in the middle of the 13th century and the two operating authorities, the oldest one of which is more than 400 years.
Church of St. Martin with a Martini tower attached to it (and the photo) is a business card of the city.
The arrivals will be interested to look at two more temples built in the Middle Ages: AA-KERK dated by the 13th century and Nywe-Kerk - 17th century. And also to visit the Groningen Museum known to the whole of Europe with a rich exposition telling about the history of Holland and the Unique Tobacco Museum. There is also a comic museum in the city, but this is already an amateur.
After sightseeing, you can safely walk along the Central Park, which attracts not only tourists, but also the locals, where you can sit on in small cafes, and ride children on attractions.
Summing up, we can say that to visit Groningen for 1-2 days, as part of the tour in the Netherlands, it is very worth it. But go here on vacation, for a longer time it is unlikely. Boring.