Groningen (Netherlands Groningen)

Groningen is the capital city of the Netherlands' Groningen province. By population (around 220,000, metro over 360,00) the city is ranked Northern Holland's largest. The Groningen-Assen metropolis has population over 0,5 million. Groningen is famous as a university city with around 60,000 students. The province's principal seaports (at North Sea/Baltic Sea) are Delfzijl and Eemshaven.

The settlement was founded in the 3rd-century and first mentioned as town in the early-11th-century. By late--13th-century it developed as a major shipping trade hub and was heavily fortified (with a surrounding stone-made city wall). The city's heydays were in the 15th-century when Groningen became Friesland's capital. The Groningen University was opened in 1614. During the Battle of Groningen (April 1945, at the end of WW2) the Old Town was heavily bombed and largely destroyed.

City's largest companies are Noordhoff Uitgevers (publishing), Royal Theodorus Niemeyer (tobacco), Menzis (health insurance), Hooghoudt (distillery) and the gas companies GasTerra and GasUnie. The economy is also dependent on business services, especially life sciences, energy, environment and tourism. Hospitality (hotel and catering) Industries also form a considerable part of city's current-day economy. The best-known museums are Groninger Museum (themed on arts, design, art history), university museum, comics museum, graphics museum, maritime museum.

As cruise port, Groningen is included in the schedules of some of Europe's largest river cruise companies - like CroisiEurope, Phoenix Reisen, Nicko (fleet).

Groningen cruise terminal