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Hof van Iddekinge

Court of Iddekinge

The Golden Age had a seamier side in the shapes of slave trade and slavery. That was also true for the city of Groningen, that established its own chamber of the West-Indische Compagnie with a ship yard at the Noorderhaven [North Harbor]. From here ships sailed to the coasts of Africa to buy enslaved Africans, ship them across the Atlantic and return with colonial wares. Prominent citizens of Groningen invested in this lucrative trade and in plantations in Suriname and the Antilles. After the abolishment of slavery in 1863 not the enslaved but their owners were compensated financially for their loss of ‘property’. This equally dramatic and profitable era did not remain limited to the Dutch overseas terrritories; it can be traced in Dutch society to the present day. Traces of the colonial past and of the slavery that accompanied it are linked to the locations you can find walking the city or taking one of the four bike tours in the province. In that respect you will be drawn into an as yet unfamiliar historical past. Afterwards you will never again experience Groningen and its surroundings areas in the same way.
Apart from the walking tour shown above, slavery heritage in the province of Groningen is also mapped in four cycling tours, found here. Curious about traces of this past in different Dutch regions? Take a look at our other maps.[:id]
Hof van Iddekinge

Court of Iddekinge

The Golden Age had a seamier side in the shapes of slave trade and slavery. That was also true for the city of Groningen, that established its own chamber of the West-Indische Compagnie with a ship yard at the Noorderhaven [North Harbor]. From here ships sailed to the coasts of Africa to buy enslaved Africans, ship them across the Atlantic and return with colonial wares. Prominent citizens of Groningen invested in this lucrative trade and in plantations in Suriname and the Antilles. After the abolishment of slavery in 1863 not the enslaved but their owners were compensated financially for their loss of ‘property’. This equally dramatic and profitable era did not remain limited to the Dutch overseas terrritories; it can be traced in Dutch society to the present day. Traces of the colonial past and of the slavery that accompanied it are linked to the locations you can find walking the city or taking one of the four bike tours in the province. In that respect you will be drawn into an as yet unfamiliar historical past. Afterwards you will never again experience Groningen and its surroundings areas in the same way.
Apart from the walking tour shown above, slavery heritage in the province of Groningen is also mapped in four cycling tours, found here. Curious about traces of this past in different Dutch regions? Take a look at our other maps.[:nl]
Hof van Iddekinge
Hof van Iddekinge

De Gouden Eeuw in Nederland had een keerzijde in de vorm van slavenhandel en slavernij. Dat gold ook voor Groningen, waar  een eigen Kamer van de West-Indische Compagnie werd opgericht met een scheepswerf aan de Noorderhaven. Van daaruit voeren schepen naar de Afrikaanse kusten om tot slaaf gemaakte Afrikanen op te kopen en naar de overzijde van de Atlantische Oceaan te verschepen en met koloniale waar terug te keren.

Vooraanstaande Groningers investeerden in deze lucratieve handel en in plantages in Suriname en de Antillen. Na het afschaffen van de slavernij werden niet de tot slaaf gemaakten, maar wel hun eigenaars in Nederland financieel gecompenseerd voor het verlies van hun ‘eigendom’.

Deze even dramatische als winstgevende geschiedenis bleef niet beperkt tot de overzeese gebieden; zij werkt door in de Nederlandse samenleving tot de dag van vandaag. Sporen van het koloniale verleden en de slavernij die daarmee gepaard ging, worden verbonden aan de locaties die u aandoet tijdens de stadswandeling of een van de vier fietsroutes door provincie Groningen. Zo wordt u meegesleept in een nog onbekende geschiedenis. Daarna kunt u Groninger Stad en Ommelanden nooit meer met dezelfde ogen zien.

Naast de hierboven weergegeven stadswandeling is er ook een kaart met slavernij erfgoed in de provincie Groningen. Benieuwd naar sporen van deze geschiedenis in andere Nederlandse regio’s? Bekijk onze overige kaarten.

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