Discover Benelux | North of the Netherlands | Best of Groningen & Friesland
Science for everyone TEXT: XANDRA BOERSMA | PHOTOS: UNIVERSITEITSMUSEUM GRONINGEN
If you think a museum dedicated to science might be inaccessible, think again. Science is about so much more than just complicated research. If you have ever visited the Universiteitsmuseum in Groningen, then you will already know this. “Science is part of daily life,” explains curator Rolf ter Sluis. “It’s about curiosity and wanting to know things.” You need to be rather curious to find the museum too, as it is a hidden gem in city centre of Groningen. This gives it a true ‘wow’ factor. “People often tell us that they wish they had known about us sooner.” As you probably guessed, the Universiteitsmuseum Groningen is part of the University. “Groningen’s University is old, but very open to innovation. Therefore, we have all sorts of exhibitions, focused on subjects ranging from education to anatomy, ethnology, zoology and Aletta Jacobs, the first woman in the Netherlands to get a PhD in medicine and a fighter
for women’s suffrage. 2017 will mark 100 years since male universal suffrage was introduced in the Netherlands.” A wide range of subjects are explored here, which makes this museum so accessible for a diverse crowd. “We want to show everybody that although the science world might seem inaccessible, it is definitely not. That doesn’t mean it’s easy though, we have exhibitions that need you to think thoroughly. You need to use that brain. But that’s what makes it fun,” enthuses the curator. Feeling inspired to visit this
fascinating museum? Here is some more good news: entrance is free. www.rug.nl/society-business/universitymuseum
Come taste bitters in the Beerenburger Museum TEXT: MICHIEL STOL | PHOTOS: BOOMSMA
The bitters of Boomsma Beerenburger is inseparably connected to Leeuwarden, the Frisian capital in the north of the Netherlands. So, if you are in Leeuwarden, the Beerenburger Museum of Boomsma in the centre of town is a must-see. Here, you will travel back in time to the distillery of the 1930s, where you can see every step of how this traditional bitters is made. Of course, you can taste it in the tasting room together with all the other Boomsma liqueurs. Unlike most distilleries, Boomsma is still an independent family company. Saskia and Chantoine Boomsma are the fifth generation of Boomsma that run the company and they have big plans for the distillery. Saskia Boomsma: “With the modesty that comes with a traditional family company, we want to expand and develop the distillery. For instance, with our recently introduced Boomsma Dry Gin.” The square bottle of the gin, with its quirky logo, is a nod
to the 1920s and symbolises the rich history of the company, and yet still fits in with the interior of the hippest bars around town. Even though design is important these days, what is most important for Saskia and Chantoine Boomsma is still the taste, especially in an era where some bars have more gins on the menu than wines. In the Dry Gin, there are 12 herbs that are also used in the bitters. Among these herbs are angelica, gentian, liquorice, centaury and laurel. Saskia Boomsma:
“You are more than welcome to taste the gin when you are in the museum.” www.boomsma.frl
Saskia and Chantoine Boomsma.
Issue 36 | December 2016 | 29