Grou ( nl, Grouw) is a town in the province

Friesland Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...

of the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and had around 5655 citizens in January 2017. Since 2014 Grou is part of the municipality of

Leeuwarden Leeuwarden (; fy, Ljouwert, longname=yes /; Town Frisian: ''Liwwadden''; Leeuwarder dialect: ''Leewarden'') is a city and municipality in Friesland, Netherlands, with a population of 123,107 (2019). It is the provincial capital and seat of the ...

. The town is located on the lake and the .

Heineken Heineken Lager Beer ( nl, Heineken Pilsener), or simply Heineken () is a pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star. History On 15 Febr ...

operated a distribution centre for Friesland in Grou for 25 years until 2004. It used to be the capital of the municipality of before the reorganization of municipalities in 1984, and capital of the municipality of

Boarnsterhim Boarnsterhim (; nl, Boornsterhem ) was a municipality in the northern Netherlands. On 1 January 2014, the municipality was dissolved and its territory was split between four other municipalities: De Friese Meren, which was established that day, L ...

until 2014. While the rest of the Netherlands celebrates

Sinterklaas Sinterklaas () or Sint-Nicolaas () is a legendary figure based on Saint Nicholas, patron saint of children. Other Dutch names for the figure include ''De Sint'' ("The Saint"), ''De Goede Sint'' ("The Good Saint") and ''De Goedheiligman'' ("The ...

(Saint Nicholas) on December 5, Grou instead celebrates a unique local variation of this children's holiday known as on February 21. In local lore Sint Piter is a distinct character separate from Saint Nicholas, and was historically known as the patron saint for local fishermen. A nickname for the town is Tsiisferdûnsers, meaning cheese dancers, from a story where a fiddler was paid with cheese at a village dance.

Transport

The town is located at an exit on the A32 motorway. There is a ferry across the canal called Veerpont de Burd that connects the de Burd island. The

Grou-Jirnsum railway station Grou-Jirnsum is a railway station located between Grou and Jirnsum, Netherlands. Opened on 1 September 1868, it is located on the Arnhem–Leeuwarden railway. Service are operated by Nederlandse Spoorwegen. Originally named Grouw-Irnsum, it was ...

is on the

Staatslijn A A ''staatslijn'' (; English: state line) is a railway that was established as a result of the railway law passed on 18 August 1860 by the State in the Netherlands. 10 of these lines were built and utilized by the Maatschappij tot Exploitatie van St ...

(

Arnhem Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both banks of ...

) line.

Population

Notable births

* (ca. 1542-1618), clergyman *

Brothers Halbertsma The Brothers Halbertsma were three brothers born in the Frisian village of Grou towards the end of the 18th century, who played a role of crucial importance for the development of a written literature in the Western Frisian language.Breuker, ...

Eeltsje Hiddes Halbertsma Eeltsje Hiddes Halbertsma ( Frisian form: Eeltsje Hiddes Halbertsma, pron. �eːlʧǝ ˈhɪdəs ˈhɔlbǝtsma(the r is silent); Dutch form: Eeltje Hiddes Halbertsma, pron. �eːlcǝ ˈhɪdəs ˈhalbǝrtsma (Grou, 8 October 1797 – there, 22 March ...

(1797-1858), physician, poet and writer **

Joast Hiddes Halbertsma Justus Hiddes Halbertsma, West Frisian form: Joast Hiddes Halbertsma, pron. o.ǝst ˈhɪdəs ˈhɔlbǝtsma(the r is silent); Dutch form: Joost Hiddes Halbertsma, pron. oːst ˈhɪdəs ˈhalbǝrtsma(23 October 1789 in Grou – 27 February 1869 in ...

(1789-1869), Mennonite minister, writer and poet **

Tsjalling Hiddes Halbertsma Tsjalling Hiddes Halbertsma ( West Frisian form: Tsjalling Hiddes Halbertsma, pron. �ʧɔlɪŋ ˈhɪdəs ˈhɔlbǝtsma(the r is silent); Dutch form: Tjalling Hiddes Halbertsma, pron. �calɪŋ ˈɦɪdəs ˈɦalbǝrtsma (Grou, 21 January 1792 – ...

(1792–1852), merchant and poet * Atje Keulen-Deelstra (1938-2013), speed skater * Haitske Pijlman (born 1954), speed skater

Sport

An artificial ice rink (

Glice Synthetic ice is a solid polymer material designed for skating using normal metal-bladed ice skates. Rinks are constructed by interlocking panels. Synthetic ice is sometimes called artificial ice, but that term is ambiguous, as it is also used t ...

) invented by Eric Sinnema was opened for public use in 2007.

Gallery

File:Grou1.jpg, Houses near the harbour with St. Peter's church in the background File:Grouw - Haven.jpg, Grou harbour File:Oud schilderij Grou.jpg, New quai 1850

Notable buildings

* St. Peter's church * Three restored windmills survive in Grou, ''De Bird'', ''De Borgmolen'' and ''De Haensmolen''.

References

External links

*
Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia entry for Grouwde Grouster - local news
{{Authority control Leeuwarden Populated places in Friesland