Groningen is nationally known as the "Metropolis of the North". The city is regarded as the main urban centre of the Northern part of the country, particularly in the fields of education, business, music and other arts. It is also known as "
Martinistad", referring to the tower of the
Martinitoren, The large student population also contributes to the very diverse cultural scene for a city of its size. The first major international chess tournament after World War II was held in Groningen in 1946. The tournament, won by
Mikhail Botvinnik of the USSR, was the first time the Soviet Union had sent a team to a foreign event. An international chess "Schaakfestival Groningen tournament" has been held in the city in most years since 1946.
Museums (2006) Groningen is home to the
Groninger Museum. Its new building designed by
Alessandro Mendini in 1994 echoes the Italian post-modern concepts and is notable for its futuristic and colourful style. Groningen is also the home of
Noorderlicht, an international photographic platform that runs a photo gallery and organizes an international photo festival. The
Forum Groningen that opened in 2019 is a cultural center consisting of a museum, art cinema, library, bars, rooftop terrace and tourist information office.
Theatre and music Groningen has a city theatre called the Stadsschouwburg, located on the Turfsingel, a theatre and concert venue called Martini Plaza, and a cultural venue on the Trompsingel, called the Oosterpoort. Vera is located on the Oosterstraat, the Grand Theatre on the Grote Markt, and Simplon on the
Boterdiep. Several cafés feature live music, a few of which specialize in jazz music, including the
Jazzcafe De Spieghel on the Peperstraat. Groningen is the host city for
Eurosonic Noorderslag, an annual music showcase event for bands from across Europe.
Nightlife Groningen's active nightlife depends largely on its student population, with the Grote Markt, Vismarkt, Poelestraat and Peperstraat crowded nightly, most bars not closing until five in the morning. Groningen has a
red-light district, called
Nieuwstad.
Sports football stadium basketball game in
MartiniPlaza FC Groningen, founded in 1971, is the local
football club, as of 2026 they play in the
Eredivisie, the highest football league of the Netherlands. Winners of the
KNVB Cup in the
2014–15 season, their best Eredivisie result was in the 1990–91 season when they finished third. Their current stadium which opened in January 2006 has 22,525 seats. It is called the
Hitachi Capital Mobility Stadion; it was known as the "Euroborg stadium" before 2016, and "Noordlease Stadion" from 2016 to 2018. American sports are fairly popular in Groningen; it has
American football,
baseball, and
basketball clubs. Groningen's professional basketball club
Donar play in the highest professional league, the
Dutch Basketball League, and have won the national championship seven times. The
Groningen Giants are the American football team of the city who play in the premier league of the
AFBN and are nicknamed as the "Kings of the North". The running event called
4 Miles of Groningen takes place in the city on the second Sunday of October every year with over 23,000 participants. The
2002 Giro d'Italia began in Groningen, including the prologue and the start of the first stage. The city hosted the start and finish of the fifth stage of the
2013 Energiewacht Tour. ==Education==