Art route: Off the beaten Art.

If you go off the beaten track, you will also encounter dark places. A raw edge can be quite exciting. Take the Papengang. Situated in the middle of the nightlife area of the city, this alley had a somewhat bad image. The illustrious corridor has recently been given a new face. Literally. From dingy alley to attractive back street. With the graffiti art of local Roland Carter, the Papengang has been transformed into a colorful gateway to the Groningen nightlife.

The pigeon that sees all thieves. This meter-high mural can be found right next to the police station. This 'stadsdoeve' (local dialect for city pigeon) is ready to go. In doing so, he pulls a farmer forward with his milk cart. A reference to Farmer Bierling, the inhabitant of the last farm in the heart of the city, where the parking garage is now located. If you look closely, you will see pixels in the artwork. Artist Klaas Lageweg calls this real pixelism and thus provides a modern accent in his authentic street art.

The Tschumi Pavilion, designed by deconstructivist architect Bernard Tschumi, is part of an art event in the 1990s. Five artists were invited to design a pavilion for temporary use. This pavilion remained. A real eye-catcher in the city, this remarkable 'greenhouse'. Today it still houses exhibitions, often installations with an emphasis on modern media. And if you wonder how it is possible that everything does not slide into one pile while it is so skewed: if you look closely you will see that the space is divided into five parts with right-angled walls. That way everything stays in its place.

Many a 'Stadjer' (inhabitants of the city of Groningen are called Stadjers) will have hit his head in a hurry at this inverted snow globe in the bicycle cellar. In this 'underground' artwork you can see the familiar shapes of the main station. As the day progresses, a play of light and dark turns the station building into a fairytale shadow of itself. In this way, the dome creates a connection between the monumental station and the modern city balcony in a special way.

We can hear you think: "What's 'off the beaten track'about a station entrance hall that has been showing off for over a century?" In the rush of everyday life, we tend to run around and forget to see beauty in things you 'already know'. Look up. This beautiful ceiling is made almost entirely of papier-mâché. In addition, the hall is a so-called 'salle des pas perdus', literally a 'hall in which footsteps are lost'. The Groningen artist F.H. Bach (then a teacher at the Minerva art academy) not only refers to the acoustics, but also to the function of the hall. A waiting area in which people walk around to pass the time and move their feet more or less uselessly.

Welcome to the Folkingestraat. A street of award-winning quality. For example, in 2014, 'de Folkinge was awarded the best shopping street of the Netherlands. You have literally come to the right place here not only for fun, original shops, boutiques and eateries; also in the field of art things are going well here. No fewer than three of the artworks on the route are located in this street. So keep your eyes open.

Jewish history
It is clear that the Folkingestraat is a lively and colorful street. Yet this street also has a dark past. During the Second World War, the liveliness of the Folkingestraat, at the time the center of the Jewish neighborhood, came to an abrupt end. The residents were taken to concentration camps, their shops and crafts were lost. The (hidden) art in the Folkingestraat reminds us of this time. Not with 'in your face' memorial stones, but by means of subtle art.

Subtle art
Here you will find the Portal (hidden door) of Gert Sennema. Behind this closed door lies the history of the Folkingestraat that no one can retell.

Turn your gaze to your feet and you'll see Joseph Semah's Galgal Hamazalot lying in the pavers. From start to finish you walk along the different phases of the moon. If you put these together, you will see an eye in the moon rocks. The eye that saw everything.

Finally, The (pre-cut) Parade Horse of Marijke Gémessy in the wall between numbers 23 and 25. There used to be a horse butcher here and this horse is the only remnant. Behind it you can see the still authentic butcher tiles, of which only the color has changed.

If you have to go, you have to go. And where would you rather do that than on this unique urinal. In the public toilet you will see a photo collage depicting the 'battle of the sexes': ladies and gentlemen playfully fighting each other. Dressed in pearls and diamonds, brandishing rolling pins, swords and boxing gloves. The round toilet building, designed by Rem Koolhaas in 1996, is made of milk glass. With the photos of Erwin Olaf on it it is a nice pee. Extra cozy because of the two entrances. One for ladies and one for gentlemen, so that you 'can' at the same time.

The Vishoek used to be a hub for ships from the Zuiderhaven and Noorderhaven. And where there were ports, there was prostitution. Until a few years ago, a mainly red glow shone through the streets here. For centuries this neighborhood was home to the girls of pleasure. Now there is only one: the female bust, made by Anne Wenzel. Thanks to this bust, the ladies still determine the street scene of the A-quarter. Wenzel has thus created a monument to women as a person, with all her beauty, strength and vulnerability.

Farsi Largo / Making Space does not hide behind anything, is fully visible, but is rarely noticed by passers-by. This is because the work floats six meters above the ground. Farsi Largo stands for 'moving forward with caution' in Italian. While the work of art is almost a quarter of a century old, it may well be the work of art of our time: making space for the 1.5 meter society. This man and woman, who seem to float towards each other, show us connection without being close to each other.

The last work on the route can be found in the parking garage under the Forum, the impressive spaceship in the middle of the city. Is Wervel the hidden child? Certainly not! This 20 meter long LED sculpture is inspired by a tornado. Artist Nicky Assmann combines art, nature, science and cinematography in her work. The result is a whirlwind of composed video with fluid dynamic hyper colors. This creates a beautiful composition of light, movement and imagination that amazes and stimulates the senses.

Wervel in the Forum Garage is freely accessible between 9 am and 9 pm. The parking garage is accessible via the bicycle cellar / connecting door to the garage. Without a parking ticket, you can contact the control room via the button next to the door, which will then let you in. Or take the car entrance.