Groningen is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest city as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of the country; as of January 2025, it had 244,807 inhabitants,AlleCijfers - Groningen population data making it the sixth largest city/municipality in the Netherlands and the second largest outside the Randstad. As of 2025, the Groningen metro area had a population of 557,369 inhabitants.
Groningen was established more than 980 years ago and gained city rights de facto in 1245, making it one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands, although no written records of a formal grant of city rights remain. Due to its relatively isolated location from the successive Dutch centres of power (Utrecht, The Hague, Brussels), Groningen was historically reliant on itself and nearby regions. As a Hanseatic city, it was part of the North German trade network, but later it mainly became a regional market centre. At the height of its power in the 15th century, Groningen could be considered an independent city-state and it remained autonomous until the late 18th century, when it was incorporated into the Napoleonic Batavian Republic.
Today Groningen is a university city, home to some of the country's leading higher education institutes; University of Groningen (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen), which is the Netherlands's second oldest university, and Hanze University of Applied Sciences (Hanzehogeschool Groningen). Students comprise an estimated 25% of its total population, making it the country's demographically youngest city (although Urk is the youngest municipality overall).
Etymology The origin and meaning of 'Groningen' and its older variant, 'Groeningen', are uncertain. A folk origin story relates the idea that, in 453 BC, exiles from Troy who were guided by a mythical figure called Gruno (or Grunius, Gryns or Grunus), along with a group of Phrygians from Germany, founded a settlement in what is now Groningen, and built a castle on the bank of the Hunze, which they called 'Grunoburg', and which was later destroyed by the Vikings.
One modern theory is that 'Groningen' meant 'among the people of Groni' ('Groningi' and 'Groninga' in the 11th century), derived from Gronesbeke, which was the old name for a small lake near the Hunze (on the northern border of Zuidlaarderveen). As the name Grone (variant Groene) is an old Frisian personal name, the origin may very well be in a settlement originally founded by the family of Grone and their followers, which in Frisian would be called Groninga. Another theory is that the name was derived from the word groenighe, meaning 'green fields'.
In Frisian, it is called Grins."Grins (II)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011 In Groningen province, it is called . Regionally, it is often simply referred to as Stad (the "city"), and its inhabitants are referred to as Stadjers or Stadjeder. The Dutch sometimes refer to it as "the Metropolis of the North", or Martinistad (after the Martinitoren tower).
History
The city was founded at the northernmost point of the Hondsrug area. While the oldest document referring to Groningen's existence dates from 1040, the area was occupied by Saxons centuries prior. The oldest archaeological evidence of a settlement in the region stems from around 3950–3650 BC, and the first major settlement in Groningen trace back to the year 3 AD.
In the 13th century Groningen was an important trade centre and its inhabitants built a city wall to underline its authority. The city had a strong influence on its surrounding lands and the Gronings dialect became common. The city's most influential period was at the end of the 15th century, when the nearby province of Friesland was administered from Groningen. During these years the Martinitoren was built, which is considered to be the city's most significant landmark.E.O. van der Werff, Martini. Kerk en toren. Assen, 2003, p. 53; F. Westra, Martinitoren. Groningen, 2009, p. 29. According to an improbable myth, the tower would have been 127 m high
In 1536, Groningen accepted Emperor Charles V, the King of Spain and the Habsburg ruler of the other Netherlands as its ruler, thus ending the region's autonomy. The city was captured in the Siege of Groningen (1594) by the Dutch and English forces led by Maurice of Nassau. After the siege, the city and the province joined the Dutch Republic.
During the 17th century, Groningen served as a crucial hub for the Dutch West India Company (WIC). This powerful trading company was responsible for maritime trade, colonization, and the transportation of goods and people.
The WIC transported over 300,000 slaves from the African coast to the Dutch colonies between 1621 and 1792. Warships like the Groeningen sailed from Groningen's shipyards to Africa's west coast, carrying enslaved Africans to plantations in Brazil, Suriname, and the Antilles. These same ships returned to Europe laden with valuable commodities such as sugar, coffee, and tobacco.
The University of Groningen was founded in 1614 with initial course offerings in law, medicine, theology and philosophy. During this period the city expanded rapidly and a new city wall was built.
The Siege of Groningen (1672) led by the bishop of Münster, Bernhard von Galen, during the Third Anglo-Dutch War failed and the city walls resisted; an event that is celebrated annually with music and fireworks on 28 August as "" or "Bommen Berend" ("Bombing Bernard").Groningen tourism site In the early 19th century when the kingdom of Holland under king Jerôme Bonaparte was founded, Groningen was integrated into the French system of administration, and then annexed in 1811 into the French Empire under emperor Napoleon I (until 1813). During the French administration of the area, Groningen was called Groningue.
During World War II, the main square and the Grote Markt were largely destroyed in the Battle of Groningen in April 1945. However, the church Martinitoren, the Goudkantoor, and the city hall were undamaged.
Geography There is a town named after Groningen in Saramacca District, Suriname, a former Dutch colony. It was named after the hometown of Dutch governor-general of Suriname Jan Wichers, who established the town as a fort in 1790.
Canals Numerous canals () surround the city, locally called .
The major canals that travel from the city are the Van Starkenborgh Canal, Eems Canal, and Winschoterdiep. Groningen's canals, no longer used for commercial goods transport, were once vital hubs in trade and transport. The rivers crossing close to the Binnenstad have been used for trade for at least a . The Dutch West India Company and foreign investors established their Groningen headquarters in Reitemakersrijge. Additional warehouses were strategically built along the canals at Noorderhaven to store colonial produce. These warehouses often held goods obtained from plantations in the Dutch colonies.
Climate Groningen has an oceanic temperate climate, like all of the Netherlands, although slightly colder in winter than other major cities in the Netherlands due to its northeasterly position. Weather is influenced by the North Sea to the north-west and its prevailing north-western winds and gales.
Summers are somewhat warm and humid. Temperatures of or higher occur sporadically; the average daytime high is around . Very rainy periods are common, especially in spring and summer. Average annual precipitation is about . Annual sunshine hours vary, but are usually below 1600 hours, giving much cloud cover similar to most of the Netherlands. Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Cfb". (Marine West Coast Climate/Oceanic climate).
Winters are cool; on average above freezing, although frosts are common during spells of easterly winds. Night-time temperatures of or lower are not uncommon during cold winter periods. The lowest temperature ever recorded is on 16 February 1956. Snow often falls, but rarely stays long due to warmer daytime temperatures, although white snowy days happen every winter.
Economy Hotel and catering industries constitute a significant part of the economy in Groningen. Focus on business services has increased over time and areas such as IT, life sciences, tourism, energy, and environment have developed.
Until 2008 there were two major beet sugar factories within the city. The Suiker Unie plant was constructed in the outskirts of Groningen, but became a part of the city due to expansion. The factory had 98 employees before it was closed in 2008 due to a reduction in demand. As of 2017, Vierverlaten sugar factory in Hoogkerk remains the only beet sugar production plant in the city. Other notable companies from Groningen include publishing company Noordhoff Uitgevers, tobacco company Niemeyer, cooperative health insurance company , distillery Hooghoudt, and natural gas companies GasUnie and GasTerra.
Demographics
Immigration + City of Groningen population by country of origin (2020) Country/territory Population Netherlands 175,249 Germany 6,427 Indonesia 5,847 Dutch Caribbean 3,959 Suriname 3,401 Former Soviet Union 2,321 China 2,172 Turkey 1,774 United Kingdom 1,768 Italy 1,401 Yugoslavia 1,391 Morocco 1,266 Iran 1,157 Iraq 1,050Other 11,992 As of 2020, Groningen had a total population of 232,874 people. 2020Numbers%Dutch natives175,24975.2%Western migration background29,36512.6%Non-Western migration background28,26012.1%Indonesia5,8472.51%Netherlands Antilles and Aruba3,9591.7%Suriname3,4011.46%Turkey1,7740.76%Morocco1,2660.54%Total232,874100% The Netherlands has attracted immigrants for centuries, in part due to the reputation of its society for tolerance. This included, in the 17th Century French Huguenots fleeing persecution in France; Belgians during WWI; and in the 1930s and 40s, Jews fleeing Germany and Austria.
In 1945 Indonesia, then a Dutch territory, declared independence, and in 1950 the Moluccan (now Malaku) islands declared independence from Indonesia, though this was ultimately unsuccessful. Subsequently a large contingent of Moluccan Soldiers found themselves unwelcome in Indonesia, and by agreement with the Dutch government, were accepted in the Netherlands. 3,500 Moluccan soldiers and their families arrived in the Netherlands in 1951. 250 of these were housed at Camp Nuis, a former labour camp close to Groningen. The camp was closed in 1961.
Religion The majority of people in Groningen, slightly more than 70%, are non-religious. With 25.1%, the largest religion in Groningen is Christianity.
Population growth
The municipality of Groningen has grown rapidly. In 1968 it expanded by mergers with Hoogkerk and Noorddijk, and in 2019 it merged with Haren and Ten Boer. All historical data are for the original city limits, excluding Hoogkerk, Noorddijk, Haren and Ten Boer.
It has a land area of , and a total area, including water, of . Its population density is 1,367 residents per km2 (3,540 per square mile). On 1 January 2019, it was merged with the municipalities of Ten Boer and Haren. The Groningen-Assen metropolitan area has about half a million inhabitants.
Culture Groningen is nationally known as the "Metropolis of the North". The city is regarded as the main urban centre of the Northern part of the country, particularly in the fields of education, business, music and other arts. It is also known as "Martinistad", referring to the tower of the Martinitoren, which is named after Groningen's patron saint Martin of Tours. The large student population also contributes to the very diverse cultural scene for a city of its size.