The city of Groningen has a long history. Founded almost 1 thousand years ago, it is among the oldest cities in the Netherlands. Groningen, as the capital of the municipality, boasts an impressive number of inhabitants - over 230 thousand. But actually, around 60 thousand of the population live in Groningen temporarily, while studying at one of the two major universities in town University of Groningen and Hanze University of Applied Sciences. The economy of Groningen is gradually moving away from industrial productions. Groningen used to have two major sugar refineries, but with the city’s expansion, one of them was completely “swallowed” and closed down. The only remaining sugar factory is CSM Vierverlaten in Hoogkerk, which produces 235,000 tonnes of beet sugar, with 283 employees. The local economy is also supported by companies working in publishing, tobacco production and distribution, private insurance, natural gas providers, etc. Recent years have brought business services to the top of the city’s priority. Companies working in IT, digital tech, life sciences, tourism and hospitality are performing the best and appear continuously on the local market.
