The Noorderhaven stretches from the Visserbrug on the south side and the Plantsoenbrug on the west side to the Kijk in ’t Jatbrug on the east side. The harbour is part of the Diepenring of Groningen. Before the locks at Zoutkamp were built, this harbour was the first harbour of the city when ships came from the sea.
The Noorderhaven was the last free harbour in the Netherlands. Ships could moor here if there was a berth available. This did mean that if houseboats left their berth for maintenance, this berth could be gone when they returned. Since 2010, the harbour has only been open to well-maintained historic ships.
There are still a number of former warehouses along the north side of the Noorderhaven. At number 27 is Albion, a former grain warehouse. One of the last remaining conveyor belts in Groningen runs above the road. This was used to transport the grain from the ships into the warehouse. In this way, traffic was not hindered by the unloading of the ships. At number 19 is the former grain warehouse Engeland, built in 1854. In the nineties of the last century both historical buildings were saved from the wrecking ball. Warehouses were often named after the places and countries with which trade was conducted.