Yep, completely exactly identical to Florence
The municipality of Groningen wants to give the Grote Markt its old allure back. Alderman Glimina Chakor (GroenLinks) hosted a discussion in the Forum Groningen on Friday about the Grote Markt’s future, saying: “The Grote Markt in Groningen is a ‘sleeping beauty’. We have to make it a beautiful square, which evokes romantic feelings. Just as people went to Florence or Venice to see their beautiful piazzas until recently, in the future they could simply go to Groningen to enjoy the atmosphere and the beautiful Grote Markt.” As reported by the GIC.
The discussion took place under the name “Let’s Grote Markt“. Alderman Chakor was joined by various specialists on Friday evening to discuss the future of the square. Now that the Forum is ready, and the east wall has been completely renovated, the thinking goes, the municipality should renovate the Grote Markt itself, and ensure that it will again fulfill its central function.
In any case, Alderman Chakor believes that Groningen should pull out all the stops to make it a really pleasant and vibrant square, with greenery, trees and water. “And also a square where you can stroll and meet other people, with room for romance. So that you can later say: “We met on the Grote Markt in Groningen”, just as they say now of cities like Florence or Venice.”
According to Roelof van der Schaaf (PvdA), Alderman for spatial planning, there are currently entire parts of the Grote Markt that do not really function properly, such as at the Bakker Bart and on the north side. “We want cohesion of all functions again. The Grote Markt will soon have to offer the whole city life in a nutshell “. He estimates that the refurbishment will cost 15 million euros. “We don’t have that money yet, although we already have some savings, so we have to look for money. But you can always find money for a good plan”.
