MARTINI TOWERS

The Martinitoren, located at the Grote Markt, is the most famous and with its 96.8 meters also the tallest tower in the city of Groningen. The tower is part of the Martinikerk. For the locals, the residents of the city, the tower has the nickname d' Olle Grieze.

The Martinitoren has a peal consisting of twelve bells, the largest in the Netherlands after that of the Domtoren in Utrecht.

Three large bells were cast in 1577 and 1578 by Hendrick van Trier. The largest, weighing 7850 kg and with a diameter of 2.23 meters, is called the Salvator, Latin for 'Savior'. The other two, the large and small Borgerklok ('burgerklok'), weigh 4200 and 3400 kg respectively.

Due to the (without the knowledge of the city magistrates) lighting of burning pitch barrels on the third trans, in joy after the departure of the Spanish and especially the hated Walloon troops in 1577 (in the context of the Pacification of Ghent), the building caught fire and the tower partially collapsed. According to Abel Eppens, the 17 carillon bells thunderously fell down during this. A height of 69 meters was preserved. The damaged tower is depicted on a map of the city of Groningen by Nicolaes van Geelkercken from 1616. Restoration was already decided upon in 1577, but due to the upheaval of the Eighty Years' War, it was not until 1627 that the tower could be restored. The new tower reached a height of 96.8 meters. The ground level is at 6.80 m above sea level. The first and second trans reach a total of 40 meters, the third to 55 meters and the fourth to 68 meters. Above, an open crown with a cross and weather vane was placed. This renovation to the current appearance was likely overseen by the Groningen city architect Garwer Peters. Van der Werff considers the aforementioned reconstruction by Ter Kuile to be the most likely and also suspects that the new tower crowning was inspired by that of the old tower as conceived by Ter Kuile. The crowning of the tower seems to be inspired by 17th-century Dutch architecture, as was also commonly applied in Amsterdam and Haarlem.

For centuries, these bells have announced joy and sorrow, war and peace. After a malaria epidemic in 1826, the daily ringing of the bells was abolished. Since November 11, 1982, the Groningen Bell Ringers Guild (GKG) has hand-rung the bells every Sunday and on special days.

On September 9, 2016, the Martinitoren rang the alarm bell together with 17 other churches in the city during a demonstration regarding the issues related to gas extraction.

Wandeloverzicht