Fancy a read, but not just at home on the sofa? Groningen has a few lovely spots where you can bring your own book or choose one whilst you’re there. From bookshops with their own coffee bars to cosy reading cafés.
Literary café de Graanrepubliek
Gedempte Kattendiep 11 – De Graanrepubliek – is Groningen’s premier reading café. The building has two floors and is filled with books from floor to ceiling, creating a cosy, living-room atmosphere. As well as being a place to read, it’s also a cultural hotspot. They regularly organise poetry evenings, book launches and other literary events. It’s generally quieter during the day than in the evenings, so if you’re looking for a quiet moment to read, it’s best to pop in early. You can pop in for a cup of coffee or tea, but they also have a range of cocktails, liqueurs, whiskies, beers and snacks on the menu.
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Koffiestation
Oude Kijk in ’t Jatstraat 21 – The coffee bar on the corner of Broerplein was created in collaboration with Boekhandel Riemer. This makes it an ideal spot to relax with a book and a cup of local coffee. Inside, it’s warm and cosy, with dark furniture, walls lined with books and a striking ceiling mural. The house-roasted coffee and pastries make it all the more tempting to linger here for a while with a book in your hands.
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Riemer bookshop
Nieuwe Ebbingestraat 1 – Well-stocked bookshelves, a reading table with the newspaper laid out, and a brasserie where you can grab a drink. In this large bookshop, you can browse endlessly amongst the bookshelves, games and puzzles. Choose something you like and take a seat at the reading table or in one of the spots in the brasserie. Grab a treat from the coffee bar and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere where you can happily linger and read.
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Forum Groningen
Nieuwe Markt 1 – In this modern library right in the city centre, the book collections are spread across several floors, each with its own atmosphere. Wander around here and let yourself be surprised by a book cover that catches your eye. And with a library card, you can borrow whatever you like. If you fancy sitting back with your book, there are two cosy spots to choose from right in the building. By the central entrance hall, you’ll find STACH: a café with plenty of indoor seating and, weather permitting, seats on the terrace overlooking the Nieuwe Markt. Prefer to enjoy the view from up high? On the tenth and top floor, you’ll find Bar Bistro NOKa cosy café with a panoramic view over the rooftops of Groningen and the surrounding countryside. Find a spot by the window, order a cup of coffee, tea or a soft drink, and open your book whilst the city stretches out below you.
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Godert Walter Bookshop
Oude Ebbingestraat 53 – This independent bookshop has been in business for 80 years and specialises in literature, poetry, history, philosophy and more, in Dutch, English, German and French. Behind the shop lies a hidden reading garden where you can read in peace with a cold drink, a cup of coffee or tea. Here, you can take your time choosing a book from the well-stocked shelves and then retreat to the garden, where you can read in peace (or whilst enjoying a chat) with your drink by your side.
Walter’s Bookshop (Oude Kijk in ’t Jatstraat 10) is also worth keeping an eye on: an extension is in the pipeline, meaning you’ll soon be able to sit in the back room of the shop with a cup of coffee.
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Community and neighbourhood centres
Neighbourhood and community centres can also be lovely, accessible places to settle down with a book.
Bij van Houten Community Centre, Oliemuldersweg 47 – You can pop into this community centre for a cup of coffee or tea and meet other local residents in the community room or reading room. The centre also has its own library where you can borrow a book and sit and read in peace.
The Floreshuis, Floresplein 19 - You’ll find the Floreshuis in the Korrewegwijk neighbourhood. You can pop in here for something to eat or drink. It isn’t a reading café like the other places on this list, but it does have a relaxed, neighbourhood-oriented atmosphere, which certainly makes it worth a visit for anyone who likes to sit with a book somewhere close to home.
Van der Velde Bookshop
A-Kerkhof – Van der Velde has two branches in the city centre. At the branch on A-Kerkhof, you’ll find several reading corners scattered throughout the shop, and on the first floor, plenty of shelves of second-hand books, sorted by genre. This branch also has its own small café area where you can sit down with a drink. Here, in particular, you can browse for a book in the reading corners and then sit in the café area with a cup of coffee or tea.
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For enthusiasts: literary evenings out
In Groningen, there are plenty of opportunities for a literary evening out. Buurtcafé Kroeg van Klaas organises ‘De Dichtclub’ every month, where poets from Groningen recite their own work. A cosy, relaxed evening for literature lovers, in an atmospheric traditional pub in ‘ de Oosterpoort ’. In addition, Café Wolthoorn & Co is renowned for its art and poetry, with all manner of paintings and poems adorning the walls.
Sociëteit De Harmonie also organises literary readings and book launches, often in collaboration with Boekhandel Godert Walter. This is a members’ club, so you cannot simply walk in. Non-members are welcome to drop in a few times without obligation, but membership is required for more frequent visits.
Would you like to organise something yourself, such as a book launch or a talk? Godert Walter bookshop and Walter’s Bookshop rent out the space at the back of their shops for this sort of event. And at the Literary Café ‘ De Graanrepubliek ’, you can also host your own literary evening.
