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Academic art route through the city center of Groningen.

Walking route, 1km

Groningen, science and art are inextricably linked. This connection becomes even more visible on this art route through the academic heart of Groningen. Over a distance of 1 kilometer you will come across no fewer than 18 works of art that have a link with the university.

You start on Harmonieplein and end in the courtyard of the Faculty of Philosophy. Along the way you will become acquainted with more than a century and a half of art history: from the bust of professor Theodorus van Swinderen from 1861, to the murals of scientists Aletta Jacobs and Jacobus Kapteyn, which were painted in 2022.

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This is what you will see.

Non scholae, sed vitae

Marte Röling

Oude Kijk in 't Jatstraat 26 (binnenplein Harmoniegebouw)

Marthe Röling designed a pennant for the square near the Harmoniecomplex, which houses the Faculty of Arts of the University of Groningen, among other things, the shape of which, according to the artist, is 'in the process of being created, is in motion, elevates itself'.

The pennant bears the Latin words 'non scholae, sed vitae'. The proverb originates from the Roman philosopher Seneca, who noted to his regret: 'Non vitae, sed scholae discimus': 'we do not learn for life, but for school'. Röling turned it around: 'not for school, but for life'.

The twelve golden owls of Pallas Athena (De twaalf gouden uilen van Pallas Athena)

Wia van Dijk

Oude Kijk in 't Jatstraat 26 (timpaan Harmoniecomplex)

The twelve golden owls in the tympanum of the Harmonie building are a tribute to the Greek goddess Pallas Athena. Here she symbolizes the Faculty of Arts. Pallas Athena was in fact ascribed the qualities of intellect, courage, beauty and loyalty. She was therefore revered as the goddess of wisdom, of war and peace and of the fine arts. To emphasize her wisdom, the goddess is often depicted with an owl.

The owls are cast in polyurethane and then treated with gold leaf. Their bodies are identical, but their eyes are each a different color. With this Van Dijk wanted to symbolize individual wisdom. With the six owls sitting on the left and the six sitting owls on the right, the artist also refers to the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Law respectively, both of which are housed in the Harmonie Building. 

Versus

Yland/ Metz (Lilian van Opdorp en Jos Dijkstra)

Oude Kijk in 't Jatstraat 26 (plafond onderdoorgang Harmoniegebouw)

Another work of art for which you have to look up is the painting that the artist duo Yland/Metz (Lilian van Opdorp/Jos Dijkstra) has applied to the ceiling of the underpass to the Harmonie building. This includes part of the Faculty of Law, which is central to the artwork.

The painting is applied to fifteen panels and depicts the tense relationship between public law (which regulates the relationship between government and citizens) and private law (which concerns the relationships between citizens themselves). The floor stands for private law. The actual columns and wall surfaces of this underpass merge into the illusionistic painting on the ceiling. Against the background of the blue sky that symbolizes public law, copper and gold-coloured gears with inscriptions lie on beams. The gears are made by digital editing of photos. They refer to the interaction and conflict between the two legal forms.

Aletta Jacobs

Theresia van der Pant

Oude Kijk in 't Jatstraat 26 (Harmoniecomplex)

This statue of Aletta Jacobs, the first female doctor to graduate and the first PhD student in the Netherlands, is the only Groningen monument dedicated to a woman. Sculptress Theresia van der Pant has struck the robust appearance of Jacobs well: the portrait clearly shows determination.

And Jacobs was determined. She was born in Sappemeer in 1854 as the daughter of a general practitioner, and at the age of 17 (in 1871) she started her medical studies at the University of Groningen, where she obtained her doctorate in 1879. She established her practice as a doctor in Amsterdam and did important work there for many years in the field of women's health care and birth control. In addition, Jacobs was active in the struggle for women's suffrage and world peace.

Jacobs inspired many, including her older sister Charlotte: she became the second woman to graduate in the Netherlands, and subsequently the first female pharmacist in the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies.

The Catwalk

Architectuurstudio SKETS

Oude Kijk in 't Jatstraat 7 (entree Universiteitsmuseum)

The Catwalk starts in the Oude Kijk in 't Jatstraat (between numbers 7 and 9) and takes the visitor through an alley to the newly built pavilion of the university museum. The artwork is made of polyester material with illuminated transparent surfaces. It thus points passers-by to the existence of the museum.

The work was created by Architecture Studio SKETS, a group of architects based in Groningen who work on innovative ideas about urban design, architecture and interior architecture.

Mural Jacobus Kapteyn

Fynn van der Ziel

Oude Kijk in 't Jatstraat 9

You will not miss another work of art from The Catwalk: it is the enormous painting dedicated to Jacobus Kapteyn (1851-1922), the first professor of astronomy and theoretical mechanics at the University of Groningen.

According to the creator of the work, Fynn van der Ziel, the whole is a kind of puzzle, in which all elements have to do with Kapteyn. For example, on the left of the fairground image, a chip shop can be seen; a reference to Snackbar De Kapteyn, which can be found in Groningen in the J.C. Kapteynlaan. The fair itself is primarily a symbol of everyday life, to which Kapteyn found it difficult to relate. Rather he ascended to the world of science.

Kapteyn can be seen sitting on a stump in his office; a reference to his research on tree rings. In his hands he holds glass plate negatives, which he used to study stars in the Southern Hemisphere sky. Behind him two posters: one with a star map, the other shows his house and the observatory he never had. The rabbit and the bird-shaped stars refer to the fact that Kapteyn was a great animal lover.

Prof. T.H. van Swinderen

Johannes Egenberger

Oude Kijk in 't Jatstraat (binnenplein Universiteitsmuseum)

The cast iron bust of Theodorus van Swinderen (1784-1853) stands on a brick plinth. He was professor of Natural History at the University of Groningen, but mainly gained fame as a school overseer and zealot for improving primary education. Four memorial stones with words of praise for the person portrayed are included in the paving of clinker bricks around the pedestal.

The image has something caricatured, because the features of Van Swinderen's face are so heavily accentuated. His head of hair appears to be modeled after Roman fashion, giving the portrayed something of an old senator.

The memorial to Van Swinderen, made in 1861, is the second oldest monument in the city of Groningen (the oldest is the Guyot memorial from 1829, located on Guyotplein).

Mural Aletta Jacobs on Broerstraat

VAAF (Lotte Masker, Jonna Bo Lammers)

Broerstraat

Not only on the square in front of the Harmonie, but also here on the wall between the Starbucks and the RUG store, Aletta Jacobs (the first female doctor graduate and the first PhD student in the Netherlands) has been given a stage. It is an enormous painting, measuring no less than 14 by 8 meters, made by Lotte Masker en Jonna Bo Lammers, who work together as VAAF (local dialect for 'paint').

Jacobs is depicted twice, young and old. In the first portrait, she is the only woman to be seen in the midst of a group of men. Unlike Jacobs, the men have no faces. This expresses that we only remember Jacobs; we have forgotten about the men.

In the second portrait, of a younger Jacobs, she wears a t-shirt that reads 'Studying is for ugly girls'. This text originates from an article that appeared in the Studenten Weekblad in 1871 (the year in which Jacobs enrolled at the RUG). In it, the author states that studying is something for ugly women. If the combative Jacobs had lived today, she might well have responded to such a statement in a playful way by wearing a t-shirt of it.

Hygieia

Emilius Bourgonjon

Broerstraat 9 (boven toegangsdeur)

Above the main entrance of the former Hygienic-Pharmacological Laboratory is a sandstone relief by Hygieia. She is one of the daughters of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine and healing. Hygieia is the goddess of health, while her sister Panakeia is the goddess of medicines.

Hygieia is leaning against a pile of books and surrounded by jars, bottles and – perhaps medicinal – plants. In her left hand she holds a staff with a snake coiling around it: the asclepius staff or esculape. This staff has been a symbol for doctors and pharmacies for centuries, just like the mortar that can be seen in the relief on the right. The symbolism of the bird at her feet is not clear.

Ubbo Emmius Monument

Herbert Janse

Broerstraat 5 (Academiegebouw)

In front of the Academy Building is a work of art by theater designer Herbert Janse, which is dedicated to Ubbo Emmius, the first Rector Magnificus of the University of Groningen. It consists of a concrete 'planter' in which a beech tree – a symbol for the university with all its branches of science – has been planted. The tree stands at the bottom of an archaeological pit, rooted in the past. The crown protrudes into the sky, referring to the future. The concrete bench, made up of six elements, contains propositions by the historian/literature scholar Ubbo Emmius. The hewn goose feathers in the seat of the sofa refer to his writing implements. The ascending shape of the bench represents the running direction of a clock.

In this direction, twenty deep blue stones have been laid in the ground, bearing the dates 1994 to 2014. The first stone, dating from 1994, contains information about the artwork. Other works of art are mentioned in the other nineteen stones.

Academiegebouw

Broerstraat 5

Groningen has had a university since 1614, which has been home from the start on the north side of Broerstraat. The current building was inaugurated on June 27, 1909, after the previous one went up in flames in 1906.

The building was built in the style of the Northern Netherlands Renaissance at the beginning of the seventeenth century. The clients referred to the period in which the university was founded. Sculptor Petrus Ackermans designed five allegorical statues, all of which can be found in the facade of the Academiegbouw.

Minerva

Petrus Ackermans

Broerstraat 5 (Academiegebouw)

Minerva, goddess of wisdom, war en the arts, stands in full armor atop the Academiegebouw; helmet on head and spear and coat of arms in hand. She is dressed in a classic robe that falls in folds around her body and accentuates the feminine shapes.

Scientia

Petrus Ackermans

Broerstraat 9 (boven toegangsdeur)

At the bottom left of Minerva is Scientia. She represents science, holding a book and torch.

Historia

Petrus Ackermans

Broerstraat 5 (Academiegebouw)

To the right of Scentia is Historia. She represents history, and is holding a scroll

Prudentia

Petrus Ackermans

Broerstraat 5 (Academiegebouw)

On the far left of the Academy Building, in the top, is Prudentia. She stands for wise policy, and holds a mirror. In addition, a snake is visible.

Mathematica

Petrus Ackermans

Broerstraat 5 (Academiegebouw)

Finally, on the far right of the Academiegebouw, also at the top, Mathematica. She represents mathematics, and is holding a globe.

Lady Justice (Vrouwe Justitia)

Petrus Ackermans

Oude Boteringestraat 38 (boven de ingang)

Lady Justice, the personification of the law, is not just here: once the courthouse of Groningen was located here. This statue by Peter Ackermans still reminds us of this.

The image is full of symbolism. The closed eyes stand for judgment without regard to persons; not the people themselves are heard and condemned, but only the facts and deeds. The scales represent the weighing of the evidence and testimonies, and the sword represents the verdict that is pronounced.

SHA_RE

Peter Musschenga

Broerstraat 4 Universiteitsbibliotheek (binnen)

A light object by artist and designer Peter Musschenga hangs in the stairwell of the University Library. SHA_RE is an installation that makes scientific research in Groningen visible in the public space. 

The House (Het Huis)

Tiddo Nieboer

Oude Boteringestraat 52 (patio Rijksuniversiteit, ingang via steeg)

The last work on this route can be reached via the alley that runs between Oude Boteringestraat 54 and 58. Via this road you reach the courtyard of the Faculty of Philosophy, where you will find Het Huis of Tiddo Nieboer.

Het Huis ('The House') seems to represent the current role of philosophy in relation to the other sciences. However, unlike before, philosophy is no longer the foundation of science, but just a floor somewhere in the house of science. Her role in this is critical: she lights the light exactly where people thought that everything was self-evident. But the philosophy is also constructive; it makes connections and thus ensures coherence and discussion in the house of science.

Het Huis is the last realized design by the artist Tiddo Nieboer, who died in 2002. Colleague Harm van Weerden took care of the performance in close consultation with the widow of the deceased artist, Jacoba Wijk.