It was the 6th of June 2018. The weather was beautiful, clear blue skies and unobstructed sunrays graced us with their presence. It was time to walk around the city of Groningen; as one does not have to go far to find the most precious of treasures. Our treasure on this day was the invisible heritage, or rather, the unspoken one: traces of slavery in Groningen.
Surely, I would enjoy this tour, I said to myself as I met my fellow students in front of the Groninger museum. But something about hot days in Groningen strikes me: the temperature was not the highest I’ve ever experienced, nor was the walk lengthy; but an ever-so-growing thirst walked alongside me. Perhaps the fact that high temperatures were so unusual around here made it so. However, I stayed quiet and listened to our tour guide to the best of my abilities, while trying to ignore my body’s firm requests for water.
After meeting our tour guide and guest lecturer at the Groninger Museum, she gave us a short introduction on the history of slavery in Groningen. There apparently are still quite some buildings remaining in the city which were tied to slavery hundreds of years ago: a fact that I was blissfully unaware of. And so on our walk through Groningen we went. Our tour guide took us the Sint Anthonygasthuis. The Sint Anthonygasthuis is currently a housing complex, but it has had many different uses throughout the past. It was built in 1517, when it was located at the very edge of the city, right outside of the city walls. At this point, it has become part of Groningen’s inner city as the city has increasingly expanded. The reason for the original location being outside of the city walls was because in the past it was used as a quarantine house for people that were affected by the plague. By placing ill citizens outisde of the hustle and bustle of the binnenstad, the risk of it spreading was miminalized. A bit later it became a “dolhuis”, a mental asylum, which it remained up until 1844. Part of the asylum’s income came from inhabitants of the city coming there on sundays to look at the “crazy” people, like a human zoo.
After this, we continued our city tour into the center. I felt like a hypocrite complaining about my uncomfort and thirst to my friends. I had spent the past winter months complaining about the cold and rain, and what do I do when the weather was finally nice? Complain some more. I decided to stay quiet and convince myself that I wasn’t feeling greatly dehydrated. The birds were singing, and joyful Groningers had occupied every terrace of every bar that we walked past. I could not help but to envy them.
Our guest lecturer who taught us about the Cigar factory and a warehouse, amongst other buildings. The cigar factory was located in the inner area between Oosteraat and Gelkingestraat, near to the most popular nightlife district, yet hidden from the public eye. We were lectured about the origins and history of the landmark. It was a facility where the tobacco leaves were dried and stored. The building appeared to be built in an eclectic style with reddish-brown bricks. Between the third and fourth floor it was written: Tabaks-Factory-Cigars, and between the first and second floor was written: ’de NIJVERHEID and H.LIEFTINCK’. Near the side of the entrance, ‘ANNO’ and ‘1893’ is written in a particular gothic style font. There was a sandstone panel above the door decorated with the coat of arms of Groningen, comprising two eagles, flowers and a griffin’s head. I found this striking, because the trademark coat of arms of Drenthe used by Lieftnick was not used. The building was aesthetically pleasing, but simultaneously ambiguous: to the common observes it would be nothing but a pretty building.
It is interesting to see how the use of the ancient Tobacco factory has changed over time. The former factory was renovated into an apartment from 2007 after a very long period of vacancy. The sandstone ornaments above the main entrance were carefully cleaned and restored. The entrance was reconstructed with the original colour scheme with yellow window frames with extra fencing and glass panels. As I was observing prehistoric building, I noticed a severe burning sensation of my skin. Standing in the sun too long had nearly burned me. I was desperate to hide in the shade but so was everyone else; I had no choice but to stand quietly as I struggled to listen to our lecturer. The heat was truly getting at me now and all I could think of was how dehydrated and worn out I felt in that moment.
The rest of the tour was a blur, as my mind refused to bear any sort of concentration to the topic of our tour. All I could think of was how badly I wanted to rest my legs and quench my thirst. I looked over to my classmates, who were seemingly unbothered: Was I the only one suffering here? Clapping ensues. I realize, much to my relief, that the tour has come to an end. The silence breaks down as my friends start chattering around.
“Are you going to the drinks?” she asks.
“Drinks? Where?” I respond in surprise.
“Sjoerd said in the e-mail that he would buy us drinks. At Mr. Mofongos” she says.
I am instantly filled with a glimpse of hope. We crossed the street in an unorganized way, as half of the class left while the other was eager to enjoy a cold beverage on the terrace. I ordered a sweet, cold cider and relaxed. The day had ended in the best way possible. A few sips into my liquid relief I was surprised yet again with a bowl of nachos: our teacher was really feeling generous today! They truly were the best nachos I had had in Groningen. The tour had ended in the best way possible, I thought to myself. Pity, that my physical discomfort prevented me from grasping all the knowledge our tour guide tried to provide, but who cares, when there was free nachos at the end?
Written by: Jesse, Saru and Sandra
