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Reunion in Groningen, 10 - 11 september 2004
The fifth annual reunion of the Dutch chapter was held the weekend of 11 September 2004 in Groningen. Many of the 35 participants arrived the preceding afternoon and took a head start in celebrating their reunion with old friends and colleagues. Excellent weather conditions and the pleasant hotel, a rejuvenated country resort of old fame, contributed to the festive mood. The next morning the full party met and enjoyed the animated ambience which has become the hallmark of “1818 Dutch” reunions. After an informal luncheon a touring car took us to Groningen city. Several went to the museum of art or to the nautical museum. Most opted for the guided city walk. Groningen has an illustrious but turbulent history marked by tribal, feudal and religious strife. The city is situated on the northern tip of a ridge well above sea level where many “hunebedden” (dolmen) still stand as witness to prehistoric beliefs and funeral rites. Dolmen are burial tombs constructed some six thousand years ago from huge granite boulders deposited during the ice age and weighing up to 20 tons. Groningen’s location on high ground in the midst of alluvial plains with rich soils became the foundation for a powerful and independent city. The fact that it was a Saxon enclave in Frisian territory caused tribal strife and frequent armed conflict in the early middle ages. But ultimately the relationship between town and country became symbiotic; despite recurring quarrels over privileges and rights between city burgomasters and the class of wealthy freehold farmers. These squires built some three hundred fortified mansions (“borgen”) throughout the province, guarded against intruders by private armies and against the rising sea by dykes and weirs. During roman times the Pax Romana never got established in the region and in later times Groningen owed merely nominal fealty to the powers of feudal and clerical hegemonies. Each year, on August 28, Groningen celebrates the repulsion in 1672 of a siege by Bernard van Galen (alias “Bomber Bernard”) the Bishop of Munster. The first battle of the Dutch revolt against Philips II of Habsburg Spain took place in 1568 on Groningen territory. Easy access to sea and inland waterways helped make the town a major port during the era of the Hanseatic League. Trade with London and the Baltic states was especially important, more so than with other parts of The Netherlands. During the sixteenth century the town became a major player on Europe’s energy market when the more accessible forests had been burned as fuel, and when coal, oil and natural gas were as yet unknown. The town controlled the development of and access to the transport infrastructure (canals, docks, sluices) which enabled exploitation and export of the enormous peat deposits in the vast Easter Moors. Today Groningen city is headquarters to the Gasunie NV (Shell/ExxonMobil/Netherlands State), one of Europe’s largest suppliers of natural gas, including the proceeds of huge deposits in Groningen province. Having accumulated wealth and power, the town also became one of the Northern European centers of learning, culture and spiritual life. At the monastery of Aduard the Groninger school of humanism evolved in the fifteenth century. The movement had ties with the universities at Leuven, Paris and Heidelberg. The University of Groningen was founded in 1614 and till today maintains its ranking among Europe’s best. Menno Simons (1496-1561), the founder of Mennonism, pastured and lectured in Groningen untill Emperor Charles V put a 100 guilders bounty on his head. He then fled to Germany to escape religious and/or mercenary prosecution. During the walking tour participants were able to read much of Groningen’s interesting history from the town’s layout and architecture thanks to an excellent guide. Many of the old Worldbankers took special interest in one of the remaining thirty “hofjes” we visited. Hofjes are self contained guest quarters built by wealthy individuals, religious orders or by Groningen’s city fathers to provide shelter and care to the sick and “the deserving poor”. By the end of the afternoon we boarded a canal boat which took us to the Paterswolde Lake at which the hotel is located. We enjoyed refreshments and snacks on board. Later in the evening we met at the lakeside pavilion where we wined and dined extensively and joyously. Afterwards we sat and swapped stories under the linden trees in the mild night. The following morning we held our annual meeting in informal yet effective manner. Next we visited “Borg Verhildersum” which retains its stately splendor, still well protected against incursions behind its moat. Of particular interest were the farming operations and the extensive gardens and lawns with bronze sculptures. A vast variety of plants bears witness to traditional Dutch preoccupation with flowers and horticulture. While at Verhildersum we enjoyed an excellent luncheon in the restaurant located in one of the carriage houses of the borg. The common verdict was that although the Michelin star issued to the restaurant was well deserved, it was most of all the company of old acquainted that made it to a memorable meal.
Eilert de Jong
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