Chilling in secret
From bean bag lounge to green oasis
Door Tim van de Vendel
By Tim van de Vendel
Tim van de Vendel
The bean bag lounge at the Energy Academy
All tuckered out after a long exam? Do you need a nap in between classes? When they built the Energy Academy, the newest addition to the Zernike campus, they took all that in mind. Take a left after you enter the building and you’ll find the winter garden.
It’s like a big sunroom where the temperature is always nice and steady. There are picnic tables and plants galore, which make this a great place to study in and of itself. But up the stairs, you’ll find an actual lounge with bean bags where you can relax to your heart’s content.
One tip, though: the offices on this side of the building have a view of the lounge, so be careful what you get up to up there…
A secret oasis at social sciences
Most people know that the university used to have a Hortus Botanicus: a large garden that was used for research and education, filled with unusual and exotic plants. This garden was moved to Haren in 1966. It’s still there and open to visitors, but no longer a part of the UG.
But what most people don’t know, is that the remnants of the old seventeenth-century garden still exist in Groningen’s city centre. Take a look behind the psychology department’s Heymans building at the Grote Kruisstraat, or slip in via the gate at the Grote Rozenstraat. Here, you’ll find a secret oasis, which is still being maintained.
To help you navigate the garden, the UG even set up a short walking route.
The roof at the Duisenberg building
The Duisenberg is one of the oldest buildings at the Zernike campus, as well as the tallest one. Take the elevator (or the stairs, if you’re looking for a workout) to the eighth floor and enjoy the great view of Zernike, Groningen, and the surrounding landscape.
If you feel like stalking people at the Foodcourt, the university has provided binoculars in the stairwell. You can even spot the particle accelerator on the north side of the campus. When you’re done enjoying the view, spend some time relaxing on the nice swings in the courtyard behind the building.
Studying at the
theology department
If the UB is full again, don’t panic. You don’t have to go far, so leave your bike where it is and go around the corner to the Faculty of Theology and Religious Sciences. It might be one of the smallest faculties at the university, but it does have a beautiful old building at the Oude Boteringestraat. All the way in the back, to the left, you’ll find the faculty’s unexpectedly modern library. Here, you can quietly study surrounded by stacks of ancient tomes.
If you need a break, you can check out all the artefacts in the library and read about the academics and religious figures they’re related to. If you need to extend your break, next to the study room is a garden perfect for relaxing. Don’t forget to laugh at your friends the next time they’re fighting for a table at the UB.
Honours tower
Who says the UG is nothing like Hogwarts? At the Academy building, beautiful in and of itself, there’s a tower which will make you feel like you ended up in the world of magic. Take the left hallway all the way to the end and climb the stone spiral staircase. Go straight at the end and you’ll find a magical wood-panelled room with stained-glass and a bay window to sit in and study.
Technically, the tower is only for Honours College students, but spook them with your best ‘Avada Kedavra’, and they’ll let you in, too.