During my first visit ever to the city of Groningen, and actually the entire province with the same name, I was blessed with the stark contrasts of a rain clouds filled sky and bright sunlight. It was back in 2004, and I was there to test two digital cameras for a magazine I was freelancing for at the time. The first four photos are from that year.
In 2024, I returned. This time as a tourist only. I walked alongside the same centre canal and beyond, taking only a few dozen photos this time. But Groningen was as lovely as I remembered from my first visit.
Small boat in the centre canal in 2024
Small boat in the centre canal in 2024
Small boat in the centre canal in 2024
The historic service shed of the bridge keeper
Groningen inner city
Although I just took a few photos of the inner city of Groningen, it is a joy to walk through it. During my visit the main square was taken by the yearly luna park, which obstructed the views but brought fun to many.
Classic Dutch architecture
Bicycles at the church
Cyclist and passenger in a centre street, passing a shop.
Love in an alley
Groninger Museum
Cursed by many when they constructed its new home, loved by many years later. The Groninger Museum has become a pearl of the town. The different parts designed by architects Philippe Starck, Alessandro Mendini and Coop Himmelb(l)au were joined together and completed in 1994. However, the museum has a much longer heritage, as it first opened in 1874.
As a modern art centre, the Groninger Museum brings together different kinds of expressions, from a much discussed peeing polar bear statue outside, to carton constructions made by children and grown-ups during my visit in the Summer of '24.
The peeing polar bear is certainly seen.
Located in a pond, the Groninger Museum is a contemporary castle of modern art
Window view from inside the museum, a walkway that connects two different pavillions
The theft and return (in a IKEA bag) of a painting of Zundert by Vincent van Gogh explained in cartoon style.
Carton constructions turned into futuristic cities by children and adults.
Reading and gaming room of the Groninger Museum.