Colourful Characters

On 23 August 1614, the University of Groningen was founded. On 9 December 2025, it will have been 400 years since Ubbo Emmius, the founder of the University, passed away. In his tracks, various people who worked and studied there through the centuries made the UG a brighter place. Some of them have been exceptionally important, due to their remarkable achievements, ideas, and activities. This series sheds a light on a number of these ‘Colourful Characters’. The overview page below will be continuously updated over the coming months.

Ubbo Emmius

In 1612, the States of the Groningen region decided to found a university. They asked Ubbo Emmius to set up the Academy. The Academy officialy opened its doors on 23 August 1614, using a former monastery as the Academy Building. Ubbo Emmius became the first Rector Magnificus and Professor of Greek and History. Thanks to his international network, he attracted students and professors, causing the university to grow rapidly.

To this day, his legacy lives on in Groningen, with streets, monuments, a bust, and a memorial window bearing his name and image. Read the rest of the article here.

Petrus Camper

Petrus Camper was a typical man of the Enlightenment. He wrote about a wide range of social issues and opposed slavery a century before its abolition. However, his measurements of the “facial angle” were later used to substantiate scientific racism. Read the rest of the article here.

Albert van Giffen

Albert van Giffen is one of the most famous archaeologists in the Netherlands. Trained as a natural scientist, Van Giffen integrated geological and biological methods into archaeology. The ‘father of the dolmens’ researched mounds, burial mounds, urn fields, honeycomb fields, and dolmens. In addition to research, he also restored collapsed and partially damaged dolmens. The role he played during the Ezinge excavation was legendary. Nowhere in Europe had archaeologists ever uncovered a prehistoric settlement with such a wealth of well-preserved layers of human activity. here.