The clock face on the southern side of the Martini Tower has completely stopped working. The south side of the tower had been having issues and running behind for a while.
Translation by Traci White
The Groninger Internet Courant reports that the municipality made the defect known on Twitter on Monday morning. “The clock face stood still for two weeks, but now the one facing south if completely broken. We will replace the components as soon as possible.” It is unclear how long the repairs will take.
Twee weken geleden stond ie al even stil, maar nu is de zuidelijke klok van de #Martinitoren helemaal kapot. We gaan onderdelen vervangen zodat straks ook dat uurwerk weer loopt als een zonnetje #ollegrieze pic.twitter.com/E5Jqxef1bR
— Gemeente Groningen (@gem_groningen) November 19, 2018
The Martini Tower was also in the spotlight more than usual on Monday due to a protest: a red square of fabric, the symbol of the national Research Education in Action campaign, was draped over one of the railings on the tower.
Red Square Everywhere! Een groot rood vierkant wappert aan de Martinitoren in #groningen voor @WOinActie. Sluit je aan bij de landelijke actie op 14 december tegen de bezuinigingen in het hoger onderwijs! pic.twitter.com/qWuAUUlGRz
— DAG (@demacagro) November 19, 2018
The campaign’s goal is to achieve results for instructors and students alike at research universities by holding public forms of protest.Dagblad van het Noordenreports that the fabric on the Martini Tower is part of a national Red Square Eerywhere campaign in response to plans to cut backs to higher education funding. Similar efforts are occurring across the Netherlands.
In September, a series of lectures were held in front of the tower on the Grote Markt to raise awareness of “overcrowded lecture halls, the lack of investment in education and the ever-increasing workload.”
