Ems-Occidental

Groningen ( GROHN-ing-ən, also UK: GRON-, US: KHROHN-, Dutch: [ˈɣroːnɪŋə(n)] (listen); Gronings: Grunn or Grunnen) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. It is the largest city in the north of the Netherlands. As of December 2021, it had 235,287 inhabitants. It has a land area of 168.93 km2 (65.22 sq mi), and a total area, including water, of 180.21 km2 (69.58 sq mi). 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. Groningen is a university city, and students comprise an estimated 25% of its total population. Groningen was established more than 950 years ago. Historically, it was a semi-independent city-state, a member of the Hanseatic League, and the dominant regional power in the north of the Netherlands.

Eurosonic Noorderslag is an annual four-day music showcase festival and conference held in January in Groningen, Netherlands. The first three days of the festival (Eurosonic) feature artists from all over Europe, the last day of the festival (Noorderslag) features only Dutch artists. The conference is held during all four days of the event. Several awards are presented during Eurosonic Noorderslag: the Music Moves Europe Talent Awards, the European Festivals Awards, the Buma Cultuur Pop Award (Popprijs), the Pop Media Award (Pop Media Prijs), The Feather (De Veer), the "Iron Venue and Festival Animals" (Ijzeren Podiumdieren) and the Buma Music Meets Tech Award.

Groningen City Hall is the seat of government in Groningen, the Netherlands. The city council meets in a modern room downstairs, but upstairs in the former raadszaal the Gulden Boek is kept that lists the honored citizens of the town.

The Goudkantoor (English: Gold Office) is a building built in 1635 and located on Waagstraat near the Grote Markt (Main Square) in Groningen, Netherlands. Originally it was built as an office for the receiver of the province of Groningen when it was called Collectehuis. The text on the building, Date Caesari quae sunt Caesaris (Latin) (English: Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's) refers to the original function. The coat of arms of the city of Groningen is located on the building. The name Goudkantoor goes back to 1814-1887, when the Waarborgbureau voor Goud- en Zilverwerken was located in the building. Gold and silver could get a hallmark so people could prove it was real. Prior to World War II the Northern Ship Transport was located in the building. Just before the liberation of the city, in April 1945, the entire collection was transferred to a building on the north side of the Grote Markt, because the owners were afraid that the Goudkantoor would get damaged during the liberation, but in fact it was one of the few buildings that wasn't heavily damaged, because fire-fighters saved it from burning down.After the war, the museum was located in the building again for a short time and later it was used as an information centre (Het Stadjershuis) and as a tourist information centre. The Goudkantoor was restored during the construction of the Nieuwe Waagstraat and is currently a restaurant.

The Battle of Groningen took place during the penultimate month of Second World War in Europe, from April 13 to 16, 1945, in the city of Groningen between a mixture of German soldiers, Dutch and Belgian SS troops numbering 7,000 against the entire 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, though the whole division was never in combat at any given time. There were also substantial amounts of Luftwaffe units manning flak guns in the area. Groningen was also the site of the headquarters for the Sicherheitsdienst in the North of the Netherlands. The German command structure was poor and the defenders had never exercised together. The Canadian division, consisting of nine infantry battalions, a machine gun battalion, and a reconnaissance battalion, three combat engineer companies (Royal Canadian Engineers), was battle experienced with a proportion of partially trained reinforcements. Armour from the 10th Armoured Regiment (The Fort Garry Horse) and the 9th Armoured Regiment (The British Columbia Dragoons) was used in support.

The Siege of Groningen was a battle that took place in 1672 during the Franco-Dutch war. It was a Dutch victory that ended all hope of the Bishop of Münster to push deeper into the Netherlands. The Münster army was so weakened by the defeat that the Dutch army successfully reconquered much of the land that Münster had conquered just weeks earlier. Every year, the city of Groningen celebrates its victory as a local holiday on 28 August.

The Groninger Studenten Corps Vindicat atque Polit (Latin for Uphold and Refine (lit. vindicates-and-polishes)) is the oldest Dutch student association and was founded on February the 4th, 1815 as a reaction to attacks on students from local citizens. The first rector of the senate was B.J. Winter. With nearly 2500 members Vindicat is the second largest student organization in Groningen, a city in the north of The Netherlands. Vindicat's society building has a prominent place at the central square of Groningen and is called Mutua Fides (Mutual Trust or Confidence). Its current building is relatively new and was completed in 2014 as part of a large redevelopment in the city centre. The old building was demolished in the same year. In 2005, a copy of the old Mutua Fides has been built in the miniature city Madurodam.

The Martinitoren (Dutch pronunciation: [mɑrˈtinitoːrə(n)]; Martini or St. Martin's Tower) is the tallest church steeple in the city of Groningen, Netherlands, and the bell tower of the Martinikerk.The tower is located at the north-eastern corner of the Grote Markt (Main Market Square). It contains a brick spiral staircase consisting of 260 steps, and the carillon within the tower contains 62 bells. The tower is one of the main tourist attractions of Groningen and offers a view over the city and surrounding area. The front of the tower shows three pictures above the entrance: the blind poet Bernlef, Saint Martinus and Rudolf Agricola. All three are men are linked to the history of Groningen. The tower is tilting about 0.6 m, according to reports the tower has a foundation of only three metres deep. The citizens of Groningen call their tower d'Olle Grieze, meaning the old grey one in the local dialect.

The Martinikerk (Martin's church) is the oldest church in Groningen, Netherlands. The church and its associated tower (the Martinitoren) are named after Saint Martin of Tours (316–397), the patron saint of the Bishopric of Utrecht to which Groningen belonged. The church was a cathedral for a short period during the first bishopric of Groningen (1559–1594). The origins of the Martinikerk are a cruciform church built in the 13th century, which was extended in the 15th and 16th centuries. It contains several 16th-century tombs and Wessel Gansfort's 18th-century tomb. Much of the wall and roof paintwork has been preserved. Of particular note is a 16th-century depiction of the life of Jesus Christ. The tower was built from 1469 till 1482, with later additions. Citizens of Groningen often refer to the tower as d'Olle Grieze (the Old Grey One). The original 13th-century tower was destroyed by lightning, and a new tower was built in the 15th century, also destroyed by lightning. Its organ contains stops dating back to 1450, and was rebuilt and enlarged by Arp Schnitger among others. The church and organ are filmed extensively in the documentary Martinikerk Rondeau.

The west gallery organ of the Martinikerk in Groningen dates from the 15th century; it took its present form in the 18th century when it was expanded by Arp Schnitger, his son Franz Caspar Schnitger and his successor Albertus Antonius Hinsz. It has 52 speaking stops on three manuals and pedal, and is one of the largest and most famous baroque organs in Northern Europe.

The Aa-kerk (also: A-kerk) is a historic former parish church in the centre of Groningen, and a dominant feature in the skyline of the city together with the nearby Martinitoren.

The Korenbeurs (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈkoːrənˌbøːrs]; English: Grain Exchange) is a neoclassical building in Groningen in the Netherlands. It was originally used as an exchange for food grain trade. Its current tenant is Albert Heijn.The building is a rijksmonument (national heritage site) since 1971 and is one of the Top 100 Dutch heritage sites that was selected in 1990.