1.3 University Hospital Groningen (UMCG)

4.3 Insurance

5.1 Supermarket

5.2 Bags

5.3 Eating habits in the Netherlands

6.1 Tourist information office

6.2 Foreign newspapers

6.3 Communication with people

6.4 Tipping

6.5 Time

6.6 Public toilets

6.7 Electricity and television

6.8 Public holidays

6.9 Information on internet

7.2 How to reach Groningen

7.3 Travel guides

Where on earth are the Netherlands???

The Netherlands is the flattest country of Northwest Europe with average altitude of 10 meters above sea level. Reclaimed from the sea and protected by 2,400 kilometres of dunes and dikes; 40% of its land lies under sea level. Drainage canals cross the country, and and main rivers are interconnected with artificial waterways, to prevent the land from flooding. Despite being a very densely populated country (481 people per square kilometre), the Netherlands still maintain a high standard of living.

The name ‘Netherlands’ arose originally from ‘Nederduits’, which means lower Germany, which in time converted to ‘Nederland’, meaning Lowland. Holland, as the Netherlands are being known to many, is actually the name of the two most western provinces.

Settled in Roman times by Germanic tribes, the low countries passed successively to the Franks between the 4^th and 8^th century, the Holy Roman Empire in the 10^th century, and the dukes of Burgundy between the 14^th and 15^th century. After 1477 the country came under the rule of the Spanish house of Habsburg. Between 1568 and 1573 there were national uprisings against the Spanish rule, which King Philip II attempted to oppress. In 1579 the Dutch provinces, led by Prince William of Oranje-Nassau, established the Union of Utrecht, and independence was declared in 1581.

The 17^th century was Holland’s ‘golden age’, a time of commercial prosperity, colonial expansion, religious tolerance and cultural achievement. Most of the country’s prosperity was owed to two trading enterprises; Dutch East India Company and Dutch West India Company. The East India Company was granted a monopoly on Dutch trade east of the Cape of Good Hope and west of the Strait of Magellan. The company subdued local rulers; drove the British and Portuguese from Indonesia, Malaya and Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and dominated trade with the Moluccas. The Dutch West India Company was organised in 1623; it was given jurisdiction over a wide range of coast in Africa and the Western Hemisphere, and battled Portugal unsuccessfully for control over North-East Brazil (1624 -1654). The company founded Fort Amsterdam (1626), which grew to be called New Amsterdam and which was later traded with the US in return of Surinam. Nowadays, New Amsterdam is known as New York City.

In the 18^th century the United Provinces, conquered by the French during the French Revolutionary Wars, were reconstituted (1795) as the Batavian Republic. In 1806 they were transformed by Napoleon Bonaparte into the Kingdom of Holland under Louis Bonaparte; and finally, at the Congress of Vienna in 1815, the Kingdom of the Netherlands was created, including Belgian territory. In 1830, Belgium seceded from the Dutch Kingdom as a separate kingdom.

In the 20^th century Holland kept her neutrality at World War I. During World War II, between 1940 and 1945, the country fell under German occupation and suffered severely under brutal rule. On May 5^th 1945, the Allied Forces liberated the country. The Netherlands had yet another war at Dutch East Indies, which ended in 1949 with the independence of Indonesia.
Post war recovery was rapid, despite the loss of the eastern empire and disastrous local floods in 1953. Under a series of coalition governments, the Dutch economy expanded greatly and the country took a leading role in Western European integration.

With her population of 179,329 inhabitants (of which 36,636 are students), the city of Groningen is the seventh biggest city in the Netherlands. It is known as the cultural, regional, and business capital of the North of the Netherlands, situated some 250 kilometres (a two-and-a-half-hour train ride) form Amsterdam. Its landscape is mainly dominated by agriculture, although many lakes to the west and the ‘Wadden sea and islands’ (nature reserve) to the north are within easy reach.

The city was founded some 950 years ago, and its cultural inheritance can still be admired in its many historical buildings. Examples are the ‘Grote Markt’ (market place) and the ‘Martini Toren’ (church tower) in the centre of town, the main entrance of the Central Train Station and the ‘Academie’ building, which is the heart of the University. The city is also known for its more modern architecture, like the ‘Groninger Museum’ opposite the Central Train Station, the University Hospital Groningen (UMCG) with its 1,339 beds, and the ‘Gasunie’ building, which determines the skyline of Groningen.

The ‘University Medical Center Groningen’ (UMCG) was founded in 1796 as the ‘Nosocomium Academium’ (house for the fallen), consisting of eight beds. Some fifteen years ago the construction (in phases) of a new modern hospital began, incorporating the newest medical and technical developments. The new hospital was officially opened in 1997. It now consists of more than a thousands beds, divided over nine ‘bed houses’ (departments), treating more than 28,779 people as inpatients and nearly 538,273 people as outpatients, on an annual basis.

The UMCG offers a wide range of specialist patient care, such as open-heart surgery, neurosurgery, kidney, liver, and lung transplantations, neonatology, specialised intensive care and advanced oncology care. Besides the standard diagnostic facilities, there are some very specialised diagnostic techniques available in the UMCG like Computer Tomography, Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Positron Emission Tomography. It needs no explanation that the UMCG performs a leading referral role in the field of health care for the entire northern part of the Netherlands. It is also the centre of trauma care of the North of the Netherlands by providing a trauma helicopter of its own and by creating the possibility for trauma helicopters to land on the roof and bring their patients directly to the operating centre. Apart from its role as a hospital, the UMCG also has many facilities for educational-, research- and recreational purposes. Examples are a medical library, the education centre, congress or lecture halls, shops and restaurants. Pleasant is the non-hospital-like ambiencecreated by an interior with large palm trees and a relaxing fountain. Over 1,961 of medical students make use of the educational facilities.

Being a very densely populated country, the Netherlands has an extensive network of public transport which enables travellers to reach virtually any place in the country in a relatively short time.

An intercity network of fast trains connects the major cities. Fast trains don’t stop at all stations they come across, while slow trains do. Information and reservations for international journeys are available from NS International counters at 30 of the larger stations (including Groningen).

Every station also has ticket machines. It’s quicker buying a ticket from the machine then at the window, therfor most people buy their ticket’s here. There are two kinds of ticket machines:

All train stations have yellow-coloured ticket machines (see picture). They are easy to use (however, you need coins or a debit card). Some stations also work with newer, smaller machines. They have an option for English in the left corner of their screen. The only way to pay here is by debit card.

To operate the ticket machines, follow these steps:

First, look for your destination, listed on the left, and enter the code stated behind the name of your destination. For example, the code of Groningen is 9700, Amsterdam Central Station is 1000, etc.. After entering the code the name  of your destination will appear on the screen. The ticket you get, valid between the station you purchase it and the chosen arrival point, which are both printed on the ticket. (If you want a ticket leaving from a different place, than where you purchase it, you can buy this from the ticket window).

You must now choose between several pairs of buttons, which will flash in the following order:

Second pair of buttons: vol tarief (full price) or korting (discount, for this you will need a special discount card).

Third pair of buttons: alleen vandaag geldig (only valid today) or zonder datum (open ticket).

Tickets valid for today only are most commonly used. If you buy an opendate ticket, make sure that you stamp it before stepping into a train, by using the yellow stamping machines, otherwise it is not valid!

Fourth pair of buttons: enkele reis (one-way) or retour (the same day return).

On the screen you will see the price you will have to pay. Two green arrows will flash at the same time to highlight the different ways to pay. You can pay by inserting coins or a debit card. Your ticket will appear in the ticket-dispensing slot on the left side of the machine.

On the day of travel, you can take any train (for some international trains one might ask for an additional fee), embark and disembark on the route, provided that you complete your trip on the same day and you follow the shortest route to your destination.

In many cities in the Netherlands, including Groningen, it is possible to use the train taxi (treintaxi)in addition to your journey by train, allowing a passenger to go anywhere within the municipal boundaries for 4,20 euro. The traveller has to share his taxi with other passengers. Train taxis are found in front of the station next to the sign. Tickets can be bought at the counter of from the ticket machine. Please note that you should buy this special ticket at the station before you travel and that you need a valid train ticket for that day, starting at your intended destination, or leading to the destination you want to start your taxi journey from.

The Netherlands are divided into a large number of travel zones. Bus tickets are valid for a number of such travel zones and for a specific period of time, based on the number of zones crossed. On most buses the bus driver stamps your ticket. Trams and sometimes also buses have devices, where you have to stamp the ticket yourself. Before you stamp your ticket you need to know how many zones you will be travelling in. Information about the zones is given on the information panels at bus and tram stops. The ticket is called a ‘strippenkaart’ and is divided into a number of horizontal strips. A ‘strippenkaart’ can be used on any bus, tram or metro in the country. ‘Strippenkaarten’ can be bought at post offices, stations and most tobacco/book shops. It is also possible t buy them in the bus, the tram or at the metro station, but they are smaller entities and higher fee will be charged. It is considerably cheaper to buy a strippenkaart with 15 or 45 ‘strippen’ (zones) from places mentioned above.

In the city of Groningen the city buses ensure fairly good connections to the outskirts. They run frequently varying from 10 to 30 minutes an hour. The journey almost always starts or ends at the bus station next to Groningen Central Station. On Sundays, in the evenings and on public holidays, city and regional buses run less frequently.

Most people in the Netherlands ride bicycles. Cycle paths run all over the country through scenic areas and villages as well as through towns and city centres. Sometimes these cycle paths are separate tracks and at other times just the extreme right-hand side of the road. It is probably the most practical way of getting around. There are many places where you can hire a bike like at the central station. Don’t forget to lock your bike when you leave your bike on the street or there won’t be a bike when you come back!!

In the Netherlands, generally all traffic coming from the right has right-of-way, unless the signs or road markings indicate otherwise. If an accident takes place between a car and a bicycle, moped or pedestrian, the driver is responsible. If a car makes a right turn, on-going bicycles, mopeds and pedestrians have right-of-way. At roundabouts, unless indicated otherwise, all traffic at the roundabout has right-of-way. The speed limit is indicated along the road or when not indicated in residential areas 30 km an hour, in urban areas 50, 80 on non-motorway roads outside city limits and 120 on motorways.

In case of accidents or emergencies, any hospital will provide first aid. Look for the entrance marked EHBO or Spoedeisende hulp (first aid by accidents).

Groningen has two hospitals:

University Hospital Groningen (UMCG)

Hanzeplein 1

P.O. Box 30001

9700  RB Groningen

Tel.: (050) 361 6161

Fax: (050) 361 4351

Martini Ziekenhuis – this hospital is located in partly at

-    Van Ketwich Verschuurlaan 82

P.O. Box  30033,

9721 SW Groningen, and partly at

-    Van Swietenlaan 4

9728 NZ Groningen

P.O. Box  30033

9700 RM Groningen

Telephone for both locations: (050) 524 5245

Fax: (050) 5245044

There is also a general Emergency Phone Number: 112

You can call this number in case of medical emergency, accidents, fire and burglary. Do not call it unless the situation is critical! For less critical situations, you can reach the police at: 0900-8844.

Medicine can be obtained from the pharmacy (apotheek) or chemist/drugstore (drogist). There is a big difference between the two in the Netherlands. Doctors’ prescriptions for medicine can only be handed in at the pharmacy. Each area of the city has at least one pharmacy.

The opening hours of pharmacies are: Monday-Friday 8.30 a.m. – 5.30 p.m. At night, during the weekend and on public holidays most pharmacies are closed, but there will be a notice on the door or window stating the address of the pharmacy which is on duty. The chemist/drugstore sells lighter drugs without prescription for common complaints such as headaches, toothaches, and diarrhoea. They also sell toiletries. The opening hours of pharmacies, chemists and shops are the same, usually 9.00 a.m.- 6.00 p.m.

To many foreigners the Netherlands has the reputation of being a tolerant country where much is allowed and little is forbidden. This is largely true. Nevertheless, we would like to issue a warning about a few facts of life.

The use and possession of soft drugs (hash and marijuana) is always illegal, but the possession or using of small amounts is ‘allowed’ in private surroundings. In the Netherlands this is called the ‘gedoogbeleid’, which means as much as: It is illegal, but you don’t get prosecuted for it. Dealing of softdrugs is absolutely prohibited. Users are allowed to posses softdrugs till a maximum of 30 g. Sending drugs to an address in your country of origin means considerable risks for both the sender and the recipient. The use of and dealing in hard-drugs (such as heroin and cocaine) can lead to imprisonment.

4 Money matters, insurance and postal service

The Netherlands is not a credit-card users’ heaven. Although many tourist shops accept all major credit cards, not all shops and restaurants accept them, due to high commissions to be paid to the banks. With international credit cards like VISA, MasterCard or American Express, it is possible to make use of the Cash-in-Advance service through bank offices and ATM-machines. However, you must first learn your personal ATM identity code from your credit card issuer, in order to benefit from this service.

Traveller cheques are widely accepted, and are usually paid slightly above the current exchange rates for cash. Personal cheques, however, are usually not accepted, unless drawn from a Dutch Bank affiliate.

VISA Lost Card Service: 0800-022-3110

Master Card Global Service: 0800-022-5821

American Express Internat. Service Centre: 3120-504-8000

We strongly recommend that you arrange at least a health and a travel insurance. You should inform whether your health insurance also covers travel in a foreign country. Furthermore, it is normal to have a third-party insurance.

At the post office you can buy stamps and bus tickets (strippenkaarten) and send letters and parcels. Red mailboxes are located outside the post office and throughout the city. The right side is for local mail and the left for the rest of the world. Mailboxes are emptied regularly once a day. Airmail postage rates applying to letters (less than 20 grams) and postcards for selected destinations are as follows:

When making a telephone call from outside the area in which you want to contact someone, you must first dial the area code, which in the Netherlands begins with zero (0). After dialling this code, you can dial the subscriber’s number. Please note that all Dutch telephone numbers consist of 10 digits.

To call abroad from the Netherlands, dial 00 followed by the international country code. Public phone boxes require telephone cards of 4,54 or 11,34 euro. These are available at train stations, postoffices, newsagents and bookshops. A small number of public phones is still coin-operated, while several accept credit cards.

Post offices in the Netherlands are open daily between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. in weekdays, from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. on Saturdays, and are closed on Sundays. You can drop your postage in any of the red-coloured post boxes, well scattered through the city.

There are supermarkets of a lot of different companies in the Netherlands, some examples are Albert Heijn, Edah, Konmar, C1000, Aldi and Super de Boer. They sell many different kinds of food, magazines, toiletries and some household goods (usually no clothing). You can find at least one supermarket in every district.

In supermarkets you can get good plastic bags to carry your groceries, but usually you have to buy them. In most other stores you get a bag for free. So it will save you money if you take a bag with you when you go to the supermarket.

The general meals of the Dutch:

Breakfast: sandwiches or something like cornflakes or Weetabix

Lunch: again sandwiches. Unlike other countries, it’s very unregular to have a hot meal at lunchtime.

Diner: potatoes, vegetables and some meat and for dessert (fruit-)yoghurt or (home-made) porridge. Typically Dutch is to put the potatoes and the vegetables together and make a ‘hotchpotch’ of it.

But, as you will see when you come into a supermarket or a restaurant, there is a lot more then the Dutch diner as described above. Holland is multi-cultural country and there are therefore multi-cultural food-products for sale. So if you don’t like potatoes you still have a lot to choose from: pasta, pizza, rice, taco, bami, noodles, tortilla and so on.

Dutch Tourist Information Offices (VVV) are recognised by a blue VVV-sign on a white triangle, placed on a red square. VVV can help you with general tourist information, hotels, trips, theatre tickets and maps you will need. Almost all city maps will have the major sites of interest, Post Offices (PTT), location of mailboxes, public transport routes, zone indications, and police stations marked on them.

You can buy all major American, British, French, German, Israeli, Spanish, Turkish, Moroccan and Italian newspapers and magazines at news-stands. You can also find them at the bookshops through out the town and at train stations.

Due to their merchandising past, the Dutch community is very internationally oriented. Almost everyone in the Netherlands speaks English. Some are also able to speak German and/or French.

In the Netherlands it is customary to tip waiters at the restaurants. Usually a tip is 5-10 % of the bill. When there is a wardrobe clerk, you can tip him/her separately for some euro-cents, but this is not always common.

Tipping at the pubs and cafes is less common. However, it is not uncommon to tell the taxi drivers to keep the change, when it is around 1 euro, and the same goes for porters.

Dutch local time is Middle European Time (MET), which is one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. (When 12:00 in Amsterdam, it is 11:00 in London.)

Most train stations have public toilets. Throughout the city they are very scarce. Usually public toilets cost 20 cents. You can use the toilets of cafe’s and pubs throughout the city, and for some you also have to pay. To avoid embarrassing situations, ‘Dames’ stands for ladies, and ‘Heren’ stands for men.

The electric current throughout the Netherlands is 220 Volts, altering current at 50 cycles per minute. Mainly all plugs are grounded.

For appliances of 110 Volts, a special transformer is needed.

All the bigger Dutch towns have cable TV, usually with 24 channels. Among those are Dutch, Belgian, English, French, Turkish, Italian and German channels.

The Queen’s Birthday The Queen’s birthday (January 31^th) is celebrated annually on 30^th of April, the birthday of the queen mother. Festivities are held all over the country, including fairs and public markets.

Remembrance Day Every year on May 4^th at eight o’clock in the evening, the nation stops for two minutes in silence remembering the victims of all wars since the beginning of the Second World War. Remembrance services are held around the country. Flags are flown at half-mast.

Liberation Day May 5^th marks the liberation of the Netherlands from German occupation in 1945. Liberation day is a public holiday once every five years.

Saint Nicholas’ Day December 5^th is Saint Nicholas’ Day. St. Nicholas is the legendary children’s friend with a white beard and a bishop’s habit. On his saint’s day, children are given presents and sweets.

New Year Contrary to practice in most countries, the Dutch celebrate the New Year with an abundance of fireworks. The fist of January is a public holiday.

Other days In the predominantly Catholic southern provinces, public life grinds to a halt for Carnival (February, March). Celebration of April Fool’s Day (April 1^st) remains popular, while Labour Day (May 1^th) has mostly lost its significance in the Netherlands.

Internet sites containing information about the Netherlands, in English:

The nationalities of the following countries do not require a visa to enter and stay in the Dutch territories for a period no longer than 3 months:

Nationalities of all other countries must have a passport, a return ticket and a visa. The passport has to be valid for at least 3 months after the last day of stay in the Netherlands. A visa can be obtained from the applicant’s country of residence. Visas are not obtainable at border crossings.

The air travel companies are legally obliged to refuse those passengers without a valid visa, or may otherwise be confronted with heavy penalties. At the borders, your return ticket may also be necessary for granting an entrance to the Netherlands.

For more information about visa look at our booklet ‘Applying for a visitor’s visa’ or on our site www.summer-schools-groningen.nl

You can import the following items duty-free only in their respective quantities to the European Community:

a. personal items, including one laptop PC, one radio, one shaving machine, etc.

b. 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars, or 100 cigarillos, or 250 grams of smoking tobacco

c. 1 litre of strong spirit (more than 22% alcohol), or two litres of weaker spirit (less than 22% alcohol), or 2 litres of sparkling wine

d. 2 litres of non-sparkling wine

e. 50 g of perfume

f. 250 ml of eau de toilette.

 

Items exceeding the above mentioned quantities should be reported at the Dutch custom crossings and are subject to import duties. Please proceed to the ‘goods to declare’ gate (red) at the custom crossing. If you do not have any goods to be reported at the customs, please proceed through the ‘nothing to declare’ gate (green).

By the European Community agreements, the custom controls will be held only at the first country where passengers from non-EC countries arrive. Therefore, the custom control is carried out only if you are entering the Dutch territories coming from outside the European Community.

Heavy financial penalties apply for goods identified to be unreported, although subject to custom declaration.

Import of the following items are strictly prohibited into the Netherlands, or any other European Community country:

a. Narcotics and drugs (prescription drugs for personal use could be imported only when a written certificate from a physician is available)

b. Assault weapons, fire weapons and ammunition

c. Imitation products with brand names protected under international law

d. Animals, with the exception of cats and dogs which have international vaccination papers

e. Meat and meat products

f. Plants, flowers and fruits; with the exception of quantities for personal use

g. Protected species of animals and plants, protected under the local, Dutch or international law.

Best way to reach Groningen from Schiphol International Airport or Amsterdam is by train. Dutch National Railway operates very good and frequent train services between Schiphol or Amsterdam Central Station to Groningen. First you have to take the train with direction Amersfoort. Every 23 minutes after each whole hour this train goes directly from Schiphol to Groningen. Every 53 minutes after each whole hour you have to change train in Amersfoort and then take the train to Groningen, which stands on the other side of the platform. It is always mentioned when the train stops in Amersfoort.

You can buy your ticket at a ticket-window at Schiphol airport or at the ticket machines as spoken of in 2.2 (page 8). A one-way ticket Schiphol-Groningen (2^nd class) will cost you € 23,80.

Everywhere at Schiphol train station are yellow bill-boards, which will give you the time of departures from trains with a certain direction (like Amersfoort). Here you can also see from which platform the trains will depart.

You must be careful when you take a train to Groningen. Usually the train will stop at Zwolle. Half-way to Groningen, it will then be split into two trains: one going to Groningen and the other to Leeuwarden. On each wagon, on the outside next to the doors, there is an indication telling you which wagon goes to which destination. The wagon ‘Groningen’ is the one for you. Usually, Groningen wagons are at the front of the train. Still, you can always ask the conductor if you are not sure.

NRC Handelsblad Bijlage Profiel, Rotterdam, 2 July 1998

Academisch Ziekenhuis Groningen, Kerngetallen Academisch Ziekenhuis Groningen, 2002

Welcome to Groningen, Office for internal corporation, University of Groningen, the Netherlands, January 1998

A practical guide to living in Holland, R. Boonstra, M. Warman, Nuffic, The Hague, 1997

Students:

Stijn Bodde

Maaike Begeman

Jardi Huzen

Janwillem Kocks

Els Nijk

Mehrnoush Rahmani

Lisanne de Ruiter

Elisabeth Schrijvers

Ottilien Westenberg

Nick Zwartjes

Ms H.F. Dragt

Faculty of Medical Sciences

Institute for Medical Education

P.O. Box 196

9700 AD Groningen

Telephone: + 31 50 363 6121

Telefax: + 31 50 363 7390

E-mail : info@summer-schools-groningen.nl

Internet: www.summer-schools-groningen.nl

Drs Cresje S.M. Wachters-Kaufmann

Lobke Snoeks, student-assistant

Groningen, The Netherlands, May 2002

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