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 Origins
The city of Groningen is pretty ancient. No-one knows exactly how old, but
it is certain that around the beginning of the first millennium people
lived on the site where the city of Groningen now stands. Groningen was
first referred to by name in 1040. Groningen, along with Utrecht, is the
only province whose name is derived from the name of the regional capital.
The name first appeared as ‘villa Cruoninga’ in the bestowal
decree of 21st May 1040, in other words, as the ‘district of
Groningen’.
New era
The beginning of the seventeenth century seemed to herald a new prosperity
for the city after becoming part of the United Dutch Republic in the 1594
treaty of surrender. Groningen was equipped with new fortifications which
practically doubled the area. The Groningen Academy was founded in 1614,
allowing the city to become a centre of science and knowledge as well as a
centre of trade and government.
Bommen
Berend
The new walls and moats were severely tested in 1672. In this year of
affliction, the Bishop of Münster, Bernhard van Galen, advanced as far as
the city walls. The Groningers gave him the nickname of ‘Bommen
Berend’ (Bombing Berend) because of the amount of bombs he launched
upon the city. However, after an unsuccessful siege he finally retreated
on the 28th of August. This fact is recalled on Groningen’s own
‘national’ holiday, which is still referred to as
‘Bommen Berend’.
Expansion
Housing construction, which had already begun outside the walls prior to
1874, increased dramatically, especially after the First World War. The
Second World War cost Groningen a part of its inner city as a result of
the battles for liberation. After the war, the city expansion continued at
an accelerated rate.
Groningen, in
1998, is still in the process of growing. It is still by far the largest
city in the North of the Netherlands. After 958 years, Groningen is
younger and more dynamic than it has ever been!
The
Groningen Anthem
The residents of the Province of Groningen have their own anthem:
‘het Grönnens Laid’ (local dialect for ‘Groningen
hymn’). The words to this song were written by Geert Teis Peterzoon
from Stadskanaal in 1919. G.R. Jager from Slochteren composed the music
and the entire hymn was arranged by Frieso Molenaar.
The text is as follows:
Grönnens Laid
From Lauwerzee to the Dollard sand,
From Drenthe to the shore,
There flourishes a wonderland,
Around a wonderful core.
A treasured gem in a golden band
Is Groningen, town and surrounding land;
A treasured gem in a golden band
Is the town and surrounding land!
There sweeps
the sea, there howls the gale,
The dike and shore are wildly blown
But the people work, strong and hale
The people from the land and town
A treasured gem in a golden band
Groningen, town and surrounding land;
A treasured gem in a golden band
The town and surrounding land!
There lives
the bare solidity
With will as fixed as steel
Where the heart beats, the tongue speaks
In speech direct and real
A treasured gem in a golden band
Groningen, town and surrounding land;
A treasured gem in a golden band
The town and surrounding land!
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