Luxury travel magazine Monocle has made the list
Groningen has been included in a list of the twenty “Best Small Cities in the World” by the magazine Monocle. Groningen is 19th in a list of 25, with first place taken by Porto (Portugal), second by Leuven (Belgium) and third by Itoshima in Japan.
“Groningen is developing as one of the most vibrant and livable cities in Northern Europe,” says Monocle, reports the GIC.
The Monocle list is full of ‘second-tier centers with a first class quality of life’. And Groningen scores very well as a newcomer. The magazine says: “The recent opening of the Groningen cultural center Forum comes at the right time for the city.”
“Groningen is a bicycle city par excellence: 60 percent of all trips are made on two wheels. It is also home to the country’s youngest population – half of its residents are under the age of 35. With the decision to remove cars from the center, Groningen will become one of the most vibrant and livable cities in Northern Europe.”
Besides Porto, Leuven and Itoshima, Lucerne (Switzerland, 4th) and Victoria (Canada, 5th) are also in the top-5. Eindhoven is eleventh in the list, last year they were still 18th.
Monocle magazine is a global business and lifestyle magazine, a 24-hour radio station, website, retailer and media brand.
Image via the Forum Groningen