Uncle Loek’s horse
Take a look
Visitors entering the city of Groningen via the main railway station immediately make their acquaintance with a typical Groningen work of art: the Peerd van Ome Loeks (Uncle Loek’s horse), created in 1959 by artist Jan de Baat and located in the centre of the station square. Rumour has it that the sculpture was created in memory of the racehorse of a Lucas (Loeks) van Hemmen, a riding-master and owner of De Slingerij pub and livery stable in Groningen. His horse died in 1910 and when the horse butcher came to collect it, some boys were singing: ‘Uncle Loek’s horse is dead’. This became a well-known Groningen folk song. Other sources, however, state that the song is based on a German student song.
Nearby
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Station hall
Station hall
Monument
We can already hear you saying, ‘How is a centuries-old station hall off the beaten path?’. Yet in the hustle and bustle of modern life, we’re all compelled to just hurry from one appointment to the next, taking the beauty around us for granted.
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Second Thought
Second Thought
Monument
Many a townie in a rush to catch their train has bumped their head on this inverted snowglobe in the bike parking garage. This ‘underground’ work of art features the familiar silhouette of the Central Station.
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Rabenhauptstraat monument
Rabenhauptstraat monument
Monument
Groningen has its very own hol…
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Tschumi pavilion
Tschumi pavilion
Monument
The Tschumi pavilion was designed by the deconstructivist architect Bernard Tschumi and was part of an art exhibition in the ‘90s in Groningen. Five architects were invited to the city to design temporary pavilions, but this one remained standing.
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Portal
Portal
Monument
Artist Gert Sennema placed a door and a bluestone step in front of it in a blank wall, which is not very unusual in itself, but the door does not have a door handle and therefore cannot be opened.
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Galgal Hamazalot
Galgal Hamazalot
Monument
It’s too easy to miss this work by Joseph Semah because it can be seen only when you look at the paving bricks. The artist created eleven bronze moon shapes in the Folkingestraat paving: a lunar cycle from full moon to new moon.
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The pre-cut parade horse
The pre-cut parade horse
Monument
This artwork in the Folkingestraat is the (pre-cut) parade horse by Marijke Gémessy, located in wall between Folkingestraat 23 and 25.
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Public lavatory by Erwin Olaf
Public lavatory by Erwin Olaf
Monument
When you’ve gotta go, you’ve gotta go. And what better place to answer nature’s call than in this unique urinal.
