The short stretch running from the central station over the Museum Bridge to the Vismarkt is the most interesting street in Groningen. Until the war Folkingestraat was the centre of the city's Jewish life — a memorial gate at the south end commemorates the families deported from the synagogue, which still stands halfway down. Look for the small bronze plaques set into the cobbles: each one bears a quote or an artwork referencing a vanished shop, school or family.
Today the street is a quiet success story: it has been voted the best shopping street in the Netherlands more than once, and is lined with independent boutiques, small bookshops, design studios, and restaurants. It manages to feel both lived-in and curated — rare for the centre of any Dutch city.