| Grou | |
| Native Name: | Grouw |
| Settlement Type: | Village |
| Pushpin Map: | Netherlands Friesland#Netherlands |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 250 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the Netherlands |
| Coordinates: | 53.1°N 5.83°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Netherlands |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Friesland |
| Subdivision Type2: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name2: | Leeuwarden |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Population As Of: | 2017 |
| Population Total: | 5655 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone1: | CET |
| Utc Offset1: | +1 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 9000-01 |
| Area Code Type: | Telephone area |
| Area Code: | 0566 |
Grou (Dutch; Flemish: '''Grouw'''[1]) is a town in the province Friesland of the Netherlands and had around 5655 citizens in January 2017.[2] Since 2014 Grou is part of the municipality of Leeuwarden.
The town is located on the lake and the .Heineken operated a distribution centre for Friesland in Grou for 25 years until 2004.[3]
It used to be the capital of the municipality of before the reorganization of municipalities in 1984, and capital of the municipality of Boarnsterhim until 2014.
While the rest of the Netherlands celebrates Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas) on December 5, Grou instead celebrates a unique local variation of this children's holiday known as on February 21. In local lore Sint Piter is a distinct character separate from Saint Nicholas, and was historically known as the patron saint for local fishermen.[4]
A nickname for the town is Tsiisferdûnsers, meaning cheese dancers, from a story where a fiddler was paid with cheese at a village dance.
The town is located at an exit on the A32 motorway. There is a ferry across the canal called Veerpont de Burd that connects the de Burd island. The Grou-Jirnsum railway station is on the Staatslijn A (Arnhem - Leeuwarden) line.
| 1954 | 1959 | 1964 | 1969 | 1973 | 1990 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3453 | 3522 | 3880 | 4129 | 4600 | 5316 | 5472 |
| 2002 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| 5731 | 5916 | 5875 | 5769 | 5737 | 5673 | 5634 |
| 2011 | ||||||
| 5623 |
An artificial ice rink (Glice) invented by Eric Sinnema was opened for public use in 2007.[5]