Why go
The Martinitoren, its church, the Goudkantoor and the city hall survived the fighting that devastated much of the Grote Markt in April 1945. Together with the university, founded in 1614, they connect Groningen’s present cityscape with its earlier roles as a trading power and regional centre.
What to look for
- The Martinitoren survived the Battle of Groningen in April 1945.
- The Goudkantoor and city hall are other survivors around the heavily damaged Grote Markt.
The full story
Groningen developed at the northern end of the Hondsrug. A document records it in 1040, although settlement there is much older. By the thirteenth century, trade had helped the city build its influence over the surrounding countryside. Its walls expressed that authority, while its later membership of the Hanseatic League connected it with a wider trading world. The Martinitoren belongs to the city’s influential late medieval period. Groningen accepted Charles V as overlord in 1536 and later joined the Dutch Republic. The university followed in 1614, during another period of urban expansion. In 1672, the city resisted an attack by the bishop of Münster. The event became known as Gronings Ontzet, or the relief of Groningen. The city faced a different kind of destruction in April 1945, when fighting damaged much of its main square while leaving several prominent historic buildings standing.