Martinikerk (Groningen)

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 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 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 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.

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.

Forum Groningen is a cultural center in the city of Groningen in the northern Netherlands that houses a library, cinema, and parts of the Groninger Museum. Forum Groningen opened in November 2019, and is expected to receive 1.6 million visitors annually. The center is located next to the Great Market Square and the New Market and is part of larger reconstruction plans of the Great Market Square's eastern side.

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 Prinsentuin (English: Prince's garden) or, Prinsenhoftuin is a garden built in renaissance style that is located in Groningen, behind the Prinsenhof This Garden consists of a rose garden, a herb garden, a part with berceaus and a sundial on the wall above the entrance. The letters 'W' and 'A', the beginletters of stadtholder Willem Frederik of Nassau and his wife Countess Albertine Agnes of Nassau, are planted in the Prinsentuin to, using hedges. On the side of the Turfsingel the garden is fenced of by a high wall. On one side you can still see a bit of the blu wall, that once stood optop of this wall. The blue wall, That was attached in the French period, had to avoid that people threw drinks over the wall when the Prinsenhof was a militair hospital. Nowadays a tea house is settled in the building. The Prinsentuin is also known because of the annual event Dichters in de Prinsentuin (English: Poets in the Prinsentuin), where known and unknown poets read out their poems in the open air.

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.

Ems-Occidental ([ɛms ɔk.si.dɑ̃.tal], "Western Ems; Dutch: Wester Eems, German: West-Ems) was a department of the First French Empire in the present-day Netherlands and Germany. It was formed in 1810, when the Kingdom of Holland was annexed by France. Its territory corresponded more or less with the present Dutch provinces of Groningen and Drenthe. Its capital was Groningen. The department was subdivided into the following arrondissements and cantons (situation in 1812): Groningen, cantons: Groningen (2 cantons), Hoogezand, Leek and Zuidhorn. Appingedam, cantons: Appingedam, Loppersum, Middelstum and Winsum. Assen, cantons: Assen, Dalen, Hoogeveen and Meppel. Winschoten, cantons: Jemgum, Wedde, Weener and Winschoten.Its population in 1812 was 191,100.After Napoleon was defeated in 1814, the department became part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, except the canton of Jemgum and most of Weener, which became part of the Kingdom of Hanover (presently part of Lower Saxony, Germany).