Amersfoort’s peeing polar bear to be rehomed in Groningen

The famous peeing polar bear that was ordered to “stop peeing at night” during its time in Amersfoort is set to be rehomed in the northern Dutch city of Groningen in March. The artwork, which led residents of Amersfoort to complain about the noise of splashing water while the bear “pees”, will be on display in the city from March 9 to November 3, 2024. 

After problems in Amersfoort, the polar bear has proven popular

Even though the polar bear initially faced some pushback from residents of Amersfoort, who were concerned about the noise the artwork’s splashing water made at night time, once the museum agreed to turn off the water feature at night local residents grew rather fond of the statue. 

Despite this, the statue will now be temporarily rehomed in Groningen, at the city’s Groninger Museum. The polar bear’s creator, Florentijn Hofman, who was born in Delfzijl in the province of Groningen, is working to create a large worm that children can walk through for the Children's Biennale. The artist and the museum are hoping to open an interactive exhibition for children to celebrate the occasion. 

Several museums wanted to host the polar bear

For now, the polar bear remains with its creator in Groningen, but there were a number of other museums that were interested in hosting the bear. Last month, the province of Drenthe announced that it was interested, but Hofman says discussions with the museum in Groningen had already been going on for a long time. 

The artist also says that in Groningen, there should be fewer issues with the noise made by the sculpture: while it is quiet during the night in Amersfoort, the centre of Groningen is significantly louder.

Thumb image credit: Zivko Trikic / Shutterstock.com