The ''Martinitoren'' (; Martini or
St. Martin's Tower) is the tallest church
steeple in the city of
Groningen
Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...
,
Netherlands, and the bell tower of the
Martinikerk.
The tower is located at the north-eastern corner of the ''Grote Markt'' (Main Market Square). It contains a brick spiral staircase consisting of 260 steps, and the
carillon
A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard and consists of at least 23 cast-bronze bells. The bells are hung in fixed suspension and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmoniou ...
within the tower contains 62 bells. The tower is one of the main tourist attractions of Groningen and offers a view over the city and surrounding area. The front of the tower shows three pictures above the entrance: the blind poet ,
Saint Martinus
Martin of Tours ( la, Sanctus Martinus Turonensis; 316/336 – 8 November 397), also known as Martin the Merciful, was the third bishop of Tours. He has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints in France, heralded as the ...
and
Rudolf Agricola
Rodolphus Agricola ( la, Rudolphus Agricola Phrisius; August 28, 1443, or February 17, 1444 – October 27, 1485) was a pre- Erasmian humanist of the Northern Low Countries, famous for his knowledge of Latin and Greek. He was an educator, music ...
. All three are men are linked to the history of Groningen. The tower is tilting about 0.6 m, according to reports the tower has a foundation of only three metres deep. The citizens of Groningen call their tower ''d'Olle Grieze'', meaning ''the old grey one'' in the local dialect.
History
Twice before a tower has stood on the site of the current Martinitoren. The first was built in the 13th century; this was approximately 30 metres high and built in the
Romanesque style. This tower was destroyed by
lightning. In the 15th century a second tower was built, approximately 45 metres high, but it also was devastated by lightning in a storm. The third and current tower was largely built between 1469 and 1482 from blocks of
Bentheimer
sandstone. The steeple was not finished until the mid-16th century. This tower was initially an estimated 102 metres high.
[E. O. van der Werff, ''Martini. Kerk en toren''. Assen, 2003, p. 53; F. Westra, ''Martinitoren''. Groningen, 2009, p. 29. According to an improbable myth, the tower would have been 127 m high] Its architecture was influenced by the
Dom Tower of Utrecht.
The lighting of celebratory fires on the third gallery, after the departure of Spanish and
Walloon troops in 1577, caused the tower to partially collapse. However, the remaining portion kept a height of 69 meters. In the 17th century the tower was repaired up to the current 97 metre height. Later the tower was damaged several times by natural violence and several wars. There is a bullet hole in one of the bells, a result of heavy fighting when the
Canadian Forces liberated Groningen at the end of
World War II.
Image:View from the Martini Tower.jpeg, The view from the Martinitoren
Image:Groningen Grote Markt 1945.jpg, Martinitoren in 1945
File:20100523 Grote Markt en Martinitoren Groningen NL.jpg, Martinitoren in 2010
Image:Martini bij nacht.jpg, Martinitoren by night
File:Klokkenmartinitoren.jpg, The bells in the Martinitoren
References
External links
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{{Authority control
Religious buildings and structures completed in 1482
Buildings and structures in Groningen (city)
Inclined towers
Rijksmonuments in Groningen (province)
Towers completed in the 15th century
Towers in Groningen (province)
Tourist attractions in Groningen (province)