Welcome to Groningen a city in the most northern part of the Netherlands. They have this cheeky slogan “Nothing goes over Groningen”. In Dutch this has two meanings: Nothing is as good as Groningen or there is nothing north of Groningen; referring to the fact that the country ends there in the sea.
Coming out of the main train station you see the Groninger Museum right in front of you on a small island in the “Verbindingskanaal” (Connecting canal). There is a blue gate to a bridge.
This group is responsible for the “treehouses” clinging on to the corners of the “ship”. Inside the “Treehouses” are even more fantastic. At the moment the large space on the top floor of the museum is completely empty.
Of course a controversial design like this, in an old city, means years of discussions and debates before you can even start building. Finally in 1994 is opened its doors to the public.
Coming out of the main train station you see the Groninger Museum right in front of you on a small island in the “Verbindingskanaal” (Connecting canal). There is a blue gate to a bridge.
What you see is a cluster of “buildings”. From some angles it looks like a ship, from others an Egyptian temple,or a round Roman tomb.
Not surprisingly this cluster was build by a cluster of different architects:
Philip Starck The round building made me think of the tomb of Caecilia Metella on the Via Appia in Rome.
This group is responsible for the “treehouses” clinging on to the corners of the “ship”. Inside the “Treehouses” are even more fantastic. At the moment the large space on the top floor of the museum is completely empty.
Of course a controversial design like this, in an old city, means years of discussions and debates before you can even start building. Finally in 1994 is opened its doors to the public. 
After the long trip by train “up north” the best thing is to go straight to the restaurant. The surprising furniture – look at the beautiful red lamps and the high chair for children - is by the Dutch designer Maarten Baas.
The museum was “revitalized” (as they call it) in 2010. They completely replaced the tiles on the outside. Compare the earlier picture (1996) of the tiles.
The museum was “revitalized” (as they call it) in 2010. They completely replaced the tiles on the outside. Compare the earlier picture (1996) of the tiles.
I didn’t notice it at first, but they are indeed different. The top one is the old design, the bottom one the new
And yes, the information centre designed by the Spanish designer Jaime Hayon is gorgeous. It is an upside down mirror world where the porcelain watermelons of Ai Wei Wei shine in their cupboards.
Information about the Groningen Museum building
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