Stadsmarkering S09/ Architektron Urania

In 1990, the city of Groningen celebrated its 950th anniversary. In honour of this, a contemporary city gate was placed along each of the city's main access roads. Architect Daniel Libeskind developed these city gates. On the Kooiweg along the railway tracks, there is an eighteen-metre-long spiral staircase designed by artist Leonhard Lapin. At the top of the stairs, you look into an angled mirror in which you can see yourself and the starry sky. The idea behind the art object is a confrontation with the cosmos, a momentary escape from the earth that brings a kind of enlightenment. The staircase cannot be climbed because it is close to the railway track and could therefore be dangerous. This leaves it as an imaginary confrontation with the infinite.