If you take a quick stroll through Zernike Campus, you’ll surely spot the names of the buildings in big white letters. When I first moved to Groningen, I had no idea what these names meant or how to pronounce them properly… much less that they were related to people. All of these buildings are named after some of the UG’s most notable alumni or professors throughout its 405 years of history. Do you know who they are? If not, here’s a quick guide to who’s who at Zernike Campus. 

1. Zernike Campus

I know that I specifically mentioned buildings earlier, but why not start with the campus itself? Zernike Campus is named after Frits Zernike, a Dutch physicist. After completing his studies in Amsterdam, he moved to Groningen in 1913 to work as an assistant to Jacobus Kapteyn (if you don’t know who he is, scroll to point 5). Zernike was a man of several fields, having studied chemistry and mathematics aside from his main field of physics. I’m not entirely sure if it was planned this way, but all of the STEM faculties of the UG are located over at Zernike Campus, so it’s a nice coincidence! Zernike won the Nobel Prize in 1953 while being a researcher at the UG. It was the UG’s single Nobel Prize until Ben Feringa won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2016 (he’s getting a building named after him too, don’t worry, it’s currently under construction). If this isn’t cool enough, just wait: Zernike has a crater on the moon named after him as well. 

2. Aletta Jacobshal

The Aletta Jacobshal is perhaps one of the most controversial buildings amongst the UG students. Some dislike it because it’s the place where they take their exams, and others cannot deal with the overwhelming amounts of orange that color the building (hey, I feel you). But, however much you may dislike the building, there is absolutely no way that anyone can dislike the woman it’s named after. Aletta Jacobs is amazing. As you may have heard around, she was the first Dutch woman to attend high school, and the first woman to attend a Dutch university when she came to the UG in 1871. Apart from these (already great) achievements, she became one of the first female physicians in the Netherlands, and created the world’s first birth control clinic. On the side, she was also a suffragist, and is now recognized worldwide for her contributions to women’s rights. Honestly, what didn’t she do? If Aletta Jacobs had a CV, no one could beat it. 

3. Duisenberg

If you study at Duisenberg, you most definitely know this one. It’s FEB’s pride and joy. Duisenberg building is named after Willem ‘Wim’ Duisenberg, best known as the first president of the European Central Bank (and a ton of other important jobs). He studied at the UG from 1954 to 1961, receiving both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Economics. After this, he stayed at the UG as a researcher until 1965, when he received his doctorate. Just like Aletta Jacobs, Duisenberg’s career is packed with impressive achievements. His modern-day comparison would probably be UG alum Klaas Knot. Duisenberg’s past experience includes the International Monetary Fund, the Central Bank of the Netherlands, the House of Representatives, Air France-KLM, Schiphol Group, and (as if he didn’t already do enough) the Rijksmuseum. And to think that at some point he was a simple UG student, just like all of us. 

4. Bernoulliborg

Bernoulliborg is one of the buildings of the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE). It’s named after the Bernoulli family, but particularly after Johann Bernoulli. The Bernoullis were a family of mathematicians from Switzerland, who made highly important contributions to early mathematics and physics (maybe you’ve heard of Bernoulli numbers or Bernoulli’s principle). Johann Bernoulli was a professor at the UG towards the end of the 17th century, and his son, Daniel Bernoulli (a.k.a the one who created Bernoulli’s principle) was born in Groningen. They eventually moved back to Switzerland, but their ties with the UG are cemented in history. 

5. Kapteynborg

Kapteynborg was, for a long time, known amongst students as the building with the best canteen at Zernike Campus. Now, it’s known for the food court that is adjacent to it. However, Kapteynborg is named after another one of the UG’s most important professors: Jacobus Kapteyn, a Dutch astronomer. He was the researcher that Zernike came to work for as an assistant. During his time as a researcher, Kapteyn made several important contributions to astronomy, including finding the first evidence of galactic rotation. He also discovered a star (now named Kapteyn’s star), but this isn’t the only thing named after him in space. Kapteyn also joined Zernike in the “craters of the moon named after us” gang, and even has an asteroid named after him. On Earth, he is remembered with the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute at the UG, and the Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope in Gran Canaria. 

6. Smitsborg

Smitsborg is the oval-shaped building that is directly in front of the Aletta Jacobshal, it kind of resembles a floating egg. This building is not one of the most frequently-visited by students, but it is the home of the Center for Information Technology. Smitsborg is named after Donald W. Smits, the first director of the computing centre of the university. In 1958, he created the ZEBRA, the university’s very own computer engine which could make 500 calculations per second. The computerisation of the UG also happened thanks to Smits. Bonus: were you wondering what the “borg” stands for at the end of the building names? Borgs were castles or strongholds in Groningen, they used to belong to noblemen and important citizens.


These building names at Zernike Campus are references to academics who were great contributors, not only to the UG, but also to their own fields. There are, of course, more buildings at the campus which weren’t named after notable alumni. However, if you also dream of having your own “-borg”, make sure to study hard and dedicate as much passion as you can into your work. Who knows? Maybe a building with your name on it might just become a reality.