Under the spell of growth

After more than ten years of research, university historian Klaas van Berkel has finished his project on the history of the University of Groningen. The University Museum has composed a small exhibition to accompany the publication of the third part of Universiteit van het Noorden in which Klaas van Berkel describes the period after 1945 which is - amongst other things - characterized by growth.

After the war, the Groningen university grew faster than its Dutch sister universities. While Groningen used to be the smallest university, it is now the second largest. This growth started after 1955, thanks to population growth, an increase in prosperity and an expansion of subsidies for studying (through grants and higher taxes). In the exhibition three things are highlighted that were accelerated by the university's growth: democratization, expansion and changes in education and research.