Grou

Grou
Town
Flag Coat of arms
Country	Netherlands
Province	Friesland
Municipality	Leeuwarden
Population
• Total	c. 5,700

Grou (Dutch: Grouw) is a town in the province Fryslân of the Netherlands and has around 7000 citizens (2016). Since 2014 Grouw is part of the municipality of Leeuwarden.

The town is located on the Pikmeer lake and the Prinses Margrietkanaal. Heineken operated a distribution centre for Fryslân in Grou for 25 years until 2004.^[1]

It used to be the capital of the municipality of Idaarderadeel before the reorganization of municipalities in 1984, and capital of the municipality of Boarnsterhim until 2014. Grou celebrates Sint Piter as a holiday on February 21, which differs from most of the Netherlands.

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

A32 underpass of the Prinses Margriet Kanaal

The town is located at an exit on the A32. There is a ferry across the canal called Veerpont de Burd that connects the de Burd island. The Grou-Jirnsum railway station is on the Staatslijn A (Arnhem - Leeuwarden) line.

Population

map of Grou

Houses near the harbour with St. Peter's church in the background

Notable births

• Eeltsje Halbertsma (1797-1858), doctor and writer
• Joast Halbertsma, poet
• Atje Keulen-Deelstra (1938-2013), speed skater
• Pibo Ovittius van Abbema (ca. 1542-1618), clergyman
• Haitske Pijlman (born 1954), speed skater
• Catherinus Smeding, painter

Sport

Grou harbour

An artificial ice rink (Glice) invented by Eric Sinnema was opened for public use in 2007.^[2]

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 Grouw
• de Grouster - local news

Coordinates: 53°06′N 5°50′E / 53.10°N 5.83°E / 53.10; 5.83

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Grouw.