Situated in a picturesque fjord all the remember,Bergen is divided in eight Bydeler,,the equivalent of large administrative areas such as:Arna,Bergenhus,Fana,Fyllingsdalen,Laksevåg,Ytrebygda,Årstad and Åsane.Its core centre corresponds to the bydel of Bergenhus, namely the old town with about 35,000 inhabitants and including the old and magnificent neighbourhood of Bryggen declared World Heritage site by UNESCO.
Surrounded mostly by fjords,such as Byfjord,Sørfjord at north and west by the Raunefjord and also by the Grimstadfjord.Originally called Bjorgen,and probably before Björgvinn,a composition in Norsk language of two words,such as Bjorg which means mountain and Vinn which translated is meadow or also pasture.The junction of those two words so means a meadow (or pasture) in the mountains.
The former Björgvinn was formerly a farm belonging to the Alrekstad Royal farm,which was the location of the first laid foundations of the city where now stands Ovregaten along the district of Vågen.The name was probably changed due to the influence of German merchants who lived in the city in the 15th century.
Developed in front of the Byfjorden and shoulders of a group of mountains known by the name Syv Fjell meaning literally Seven Mountains,however,(although the peaks are nine),the first to name those seven mountains linking the current city to them was Ludvig Holberg, famous playwright and historian,considered the father of Danish and Norwegian literature and inspired by the famous seven hills of Rome.
Bergen is also known as the Capital of the Fjords for obvious reasons,surrounded by those spectacular sea arms penetrating in the Scandinavian mainland,also thanks to those masterpieces of nature,the Norwegian city conquered an outstanding position as tourist destination of relevance,today it is one of the most visited places in Norway,in addition it has a very efficient transport by ships and cruises and it contend to Oslo the title of most popular city in the entire nation.
The great history of Bergen started when Olaf Kyrre son of the Viking King Harald III Sigurdsson, who founded the city in 1067 became King of Norway with the name Olaf III.One of the main objectives of the new King was to modernise his Kingdom,giving up the campaigns linked to invasions led by his predecessors.
He understood that the welfare of his country,could be very relevant under another aspect and mainly depending by a development of maritime traffic and no more attempts or wars,battles or disputes of territories abroad.The Nordic Monarch,in very young age,participated in the invasion of England in 1066 headed by his father,but as you know that was the last historic Viking military operation and the current Great Britain in that same year was conquered by other people with Nordic heritage,the Normans.
The Normans of William the Conquer,the Norsemen, were probably related to the Norsk Vikings, from the current Norway,concretely from Alesund,Göngu-Hrólfur was the leader of the conquest of the current Normandy,in Northern France in the 10th century,which became a stronghold of the first Norman dynasties.
All that confirms a strong relationship between the Normans and the Vikings,despite that the good attitude of the new young King and the favourable position of Bergen with a very ample horizon on the North Sea,changed the history of Bergen with the foundation of a very important trade activity in the Northern Sea becoming in that period the most important in the Kingdom.
During the Middle Ages that Norwegian port expanded so much,Bergen was from there the most powerful and busy Scandinavian harbour and only the German city of Lübeck in the 12th century which had enlarged its routes towards the Baltic could compete in terms of commerce with that Nordic power.
The destiny of those two cities became common under the same flag and interests when in the 13th century Bergen joined came the Hanseatic League that so famous and historic German network who with its merchants dominated a vast maritime space in Northern Europe.
Definitely for Bergen was much better an alliance between an Institution which was an absolute power than conflicts which could generate several problems with possible wars and diplomatic troubles.The incorporation of Bergen in the Hanseatic League took many advantages and welfare to the Norwegian city.
That powerful association of merchants was also organised to an ample interchange of goods and products from port to port and furthermore a relevant cultural mean,with populations who moved from city to city increasing the cosmopolitan life,bringing new resources linked to artistic,architectonic movements-
The intense trade mainly started particularly on dried products,such as cod,caught on the northern coast of Norway,reaching the German and Baltic ports,stored in special warehouses for export and among other products there were also important fish and whale oil,other fatty materials,furs and timber variety while from Germany,Bergen received flour,corn,barley,rye and vegetables.
In 1217 Bergen was the capital of the Kingdom of Norway,replaced some years later.The Hanseatic League merchants dominated the next four centuries and the Norwegian centre became in the course of its history a sort of headquarter of many Germans mainly coming from Saxony,who established their residences in the city of the fjords.
Despite that sort of German monopoly,Bergen and its inhabitants had several privileges in terms of trade and autonomy.It was the period of the golden ages,because Bergen was designed as Kontor Stadt,an official headquarter city of the League established in Bryggen.
On the other hand, Bergen was also the main point of access in Norway to import from other Hanseatic cities of Europe and England,fabrics such as linen,wool, food,hops and other products.The most numerous colony of German merchants was composed by Saxons,probably in that period the largest community in Scandinavia and rest of Europe outside of the German territory,from there apart merchants, merchants,also came sailors and artisans.The Germans loved to establish their residence in Bryggen,they were seduced by several benefits, including the exemption of payment of taxes,certainly one of the most attractive and profitable reasons was that.
The year 1349 was a sad date for Bergen with the Black Death, introduced in Norway by an English ship docked in the harbour.It was that the first signal of decline of the city,the German community of Bryggen was decimated and many survivors came back to the motherland.The city lived very difficult times,interruption of the trade routes,no food,death and desolation.Bergen was not anymore that golden wealthy centre as in the past.
During the 15th century furthermore when the Norwegian city already lost its powerful charisma and importance,it was attacked and sacked several times by pirates and in 1429 they also managed to burn the royal castle,approximately almost half city was devastated.
In 1536, The Norwegian King was able to bind the few Dutch Frisians and German merchants still living in Bergen to become Norwegian citizens or they should return to their countries,from there began the definitive decline of the German influence in the city.In the year 1665, the port was the scene of the bloody Battle of Vågen, including British ships on one side and Dutch ships which supported city on the other.
There are many reasons about the historic decline of Bergen,apart the sad episode of the black death and the pirates attacks,the Norwegian Kingdom found himself always in the shade compared to the Hanseatic power in Bergen.The German merchant association was powerful enough to exclude any foreign interference and therefore also in Norway.The attempted infiltration of a local governor,later murdered by the Germans along with other 'rebels was an episode very popular in that time.
The Hanseatic trade was so well established and the benefit to Norway was so high especially after the advancement of English and Dutch competition,which had become indispensable to the nation.Only during the first half of the 16th century the Norwegian government was able to prevail over that so power Association,that was thanks to the new Union of Norway and Denmark.
German traders were forced to take the Norwegian citizenship with the consequent deprivation of privileges and a reduced influence.The Kontor remained in German hands until 1754 before being replaced by the Norwegian rule which lasted until 1899.
Bergen remained the largest city in Norway and remained until 1850, when it was overtaken by Oslo although it retained its monopoly on trade with Northern Norway until 1789.Constant trade and economic development led to an increase in the level of population,so that between 1850 and the beginning of the 1st World War, the population grew from 17,000 to just over 100,000 inhabitants and Bergen also increased
under many other aspects,an important cultural and artistic centre.
In 1843 was born in Bergen, at the Strandgaten 152,one of his most famous local figures,Edvard Grieg,son of a he merchant,became one of the greatest composers and pianists in Norway.Today, its former residences are among of the most important tourist attractions in Norway,not only his birthplace,now a museum,but also the Villa Troldhaugen,designed in 1884 by the architect Schack Bull and located in the promontory on Lake Nordas.
During the 2nd World War,Bergen was occupied in a different way than centuries ago by the Germans again.In that period the city remembers in particular a date,20th April1944,the day of the Dutch ship Voorbode with an explosion.The boat was anchored off the fortress Bergenhus,and that led to the killing of hundreds of people and damages throughout the historic district,a huge explosion of that Dutch vessel which was confiscated by the Germans and the load of 124,000 kgs of explosives.The explosion was so strong that even pieces of the ship were found at 417 m of altitude,on the Mount Sandviksfjellet.
A beautiful highlight of the Norwegian city is the presence of beautiful colourful wooden houses with typical pitched roof,which also are the living emblematic symbol of the local history.Perhaps few people knows that Bergen is one of the largest wooden city in Europe which survived to numerous serious fires and other disasters as the mentioned explosion of the that boat.
The old town is the most touristic part of the city and it is concentrated in two areas,Vågen and the mentioned Bryggen rebuilt in medieval style after the last fire in 1702.The two areas are facing each other and they are separated by a narrow inlet of the bay.
The district of Vågen is the centre of the historic core of the city's oldest seaport,developed on the east shore of the bay.From there,Bergen expanded to the coast south and west over the centuries to become the city you can see today.In that neighbourhood the presence of picturesque buildings is one of the main highlights,with its narrow streets and alleys, like those of Knøsesmauet and Haugevein,which leads to the harbour.
In that area of the city is also included the famous Fish Market,called Bergen Fisketorget,ideal place for the abundance of fresh fish and seafood,but also flowers,fruits,vegetables, handcrafts and souvenirs, furthermore considered the right place to taste fresh salmon and oysters.
The history of that fish market in Bergen is as old as the city.Developed between 1630 and 1911 and it was in force a law which prohibited the wealthier citizens buying fish for a radius of about 40,0 km from the city,only to poorest inhabitants were allowed to buy in that market,its existence is thus certified by centuries ago.It is is recognised for the picturesque vessels moored at the pier and often for the market square Torget, located right on the seashore of the liveliest place in the city.
The colourfull Fisketorget is something really special,where the fish is kept alive in special tanks,so that is always fresh and you can find there a bit of everything such as lobsters,crab,blue fish and also seafood.
When you are walking along that unique place during fish market time you will often listen some words by the vendors sometimes shouting to capture the attention,if you will listen the word Laks is salmon,Torsk is cod,Breiflab is the fish 'angler,Reker means shrimp while the famous herring is called Speakesild.In Bergen you can taste a cake with fish called Fiskekake although the most famous cake is the traditional Skillingsbolle a delicious and healthy rolled cake made using cinnamon.
You will notice the presence of a statue of a woman,which is a sculpture linked to Amalia Skram a Norwegian writer who led with his works the female emancipation.
Walking towards the Fortress Bergenhus you will see all around you the highest point in the history of the city, as well as reaching the summit of the Mount Fløyen by the funicular from Fløybanen or from Ulriken, or any of the mountains which surround the city Locals call it the mountains of Bergen Syv Fjell the seven mountains,however,note that there is no agreement on what mountains are to be included in the group.
The mountains surrounding the city which form a sort of crown are a great image forming a splendid frame, they are at least nine mountains,even according to tradition you can consider only Ulriken, Floyen, Løvstakken,Damsgårdsfjellet,Lyderhorn,Sandviksfjellet and Rundemanen all them are as a sort of crown surrounding that magnificent city and from each you can enjoy a spectacular panorama admiring the most emblematic areas of Bergen including all the old harbour.
Bryggen is absolutely one of the main attraction of Bergen.Born in the Middle Ages as Kontor a kind of German commercial real agency of the Hanseatic League and developed into a thriving centre of international trade.The characteristics of parallel rows of colourful houses erected using red bricks and wood reverse in the roadside with almost 900 years of life,it is certainly one of the most photographed place in all Norway.
Most of those buildings were besieged by tourism business and used as cafes, cafes,souvenir shops,and information centres.Between alleys and small characteristic angles positioning the Joacbsfjorden which is is one of the most representative streets of that enchanting place.
The former community in that place was well organised,with a visit to the district today you will learn many things,how it was developed the life in that German stronghold,strolling the old Bryggen you will see the street of the shoemakers,buildings which hosted other workers the tax offices and so on.Another important aspect was that only the Hanseatic cities could enjoy a direct commercial relationship with Bergen,so that the continental merchant associations carried in fact the German name of Bergenfaherer,in other words the Hanseatic merchants were not allowed to trade in a port and any other Hanseatic town which was not member of the league.
The peculiarity of that place was,its development as a little town in a city,with a own social and administrative life,populated mainly by men,governed by a strict social regulation with organised offices,accommodations and facilities with meetings spaces compared to communication and commercial representation meeting rooms.A very modern Institution considering it was the early 13th century.
A wide area of the site was destroyed in several fires,one of the largest was in 1702, the last in 1955,but the city has managed to rebuild its historical past and in 1979 the UNESCO awarded Bryggen with the relevant and prestigious title of World Heritage site.
The Museum of the Hanseatic League in that historic district,offers rare historical moments of the life in the medieval period of Bergen,it is one of the oldest wooden building complex was completely destroyed in and later rebuilt.Furnished in a style typical of the 18th century it offers the opportunity to observe how the wealthy Hanseatic merchants lived at the time.
It still remains found after the last major fire of the ancient area in the 50s.After the destruction of several houses,the archaeologists excavated in the area and they found the remains of the oldest settlement in the city,dated 12th century.
The museum was built around the remains and contains various objects,among which are the traditional costumes.The collection also includes relevant runic inscriptions, pottery and other objects which illustrate the trade,shipbuilding, cultural activities,handicrafts and daily life in medieval times and currently the district is composed by 58 buildings, which comprise only the 25% of those present at its original time.
The buildings were generally composed of three floors,arranged in rows separated by narrow passages and all turned towards the pier and the sea,they were shared by several companies of merchants then called Stuer applied for the same time to store,canteen workers called Schotstue,representative offices and also accommodations as seen by beds which still exist.
You are facing one of the most important historical sites in the world and pride of an entire nation.The visual impact is absolutely marvellous,impossible not to notice the colours and stylised architecture of those buildings which were centres of commerce of medieval life in Northern Europe.
Today,Bryggen is packed with restaurants, cafes and artists' studios.At its eastern end there is Torget,the picturesque Bergen market.Always remaining within that small area you can visit one of its most important streets called Øvregaten the place where there was a market of local artisans,a world of shoemakers, shoemakers,goldsmiths,engravers,furriers and manufacturers.
In 1980,UNESCO next to Bryggen included the Hanseatic port of Bergen in the World Heritage list, considering it one of the most prominent examples of the history and culture of a medieval settlement.The picturesque row of colourful wooden houses of the ancient Hanseatic Bergen,you can see along the coastline,carefully rebuilt after the disastrous fire and although many of the original buildings were destroyed by fire,was conducted a careful restoration which has returned to its original state.
There are many old buildings of the city remained and still well preserved.One of,the most significant is Mariakirken the Church of St.Mary dated 12th century.It was the Parish Church of the German merchants of the Hanseatic League living in Bergen,between 1408 and 1766, so it was for long time known with the name Tyskekirken the Church of the Germans.After the decline of the League,it,was transferred under the the Kingdom of Norway and since 1874 it is an ordinary Parish Church..
The religious building erected in Romanesque style in its silhouette present an architectonic image very common in Germany in that period and obviously it derives by the large German community who lived in the city in medieval times.The Church suffered two fires in 1198 and 1248, just like the entire city,and the last during the reconstruction the choir was enlarged,there was also an addition of new sections in Gothic style consisting in a a new nave with high ceiling and two side aisles.
The division between nave and aisles is by arches supported by pillars and the upper walls are completed with windows which allow natural light entering in the Church.The Religious building also has two towers on the western front of equal size and pyramid-shaped spires.The typical Romanesque style of its exterior and the sumptuous Baroque interior decorations are really beautiful.Inside,there is a magnificent altarpiece, considered one of the most beautiful in Norway,it was probably made in Lubeck in Northern Germany in the late 15tth century.
Another highlight is a tryptic which shows the images of the Virgin Mary and Child in the centre,surrounded by St.Olaf,St.Anthony,St. Catherine of Alexandria and St. Dorothy and on each side,there are the sculptures of the twelve apostles.When the tryptic is closed the painting shows the birth of Jesus based on the revelations of St. Bridget while the crucifix above the altar is a later element.
In 1676 the Church received a donation,consisting in a valuable baroque pulpit by a German businessman, that element which incorporates exotic materials such as tortoise shell, it is believed that could be of Dutch origin,its richly carved wood and the decorations with paintings of allegories of virtues,represented by female images are an authentic artistic masterpiece.
Bergenhus Festning is the Bergen Royal Castle,situated about 15 minutes walking from Torget on the north side of the harbour,inside of the small bay of the promontory of the old city.That fortress is one of the oldest and best preserved in Norway,the oldest parts are dated from the 12th Century,while the latest were developed in the 2nd World War period.
The former fortress was built by the ancient rulers of the Kingdom of Norway and the oldest buildings date from the 13th century.Strategically located at the entrance of the Vågen bay as a decision taken by King Oystein Magnusson who moved to the Norwegian throne in the12th Century beams and built a new royal court there,Bergen was the Norway's capital city and the most important political centre.
Two of the buildings from that period are still in place: Håkonshallen,literally Håkon Hall, which receives its name from King Hakon Håkonsson,who ruled Norway in Bergen to mid-13th century and Lagabøtes fort as part of the Rosenkrantz Tower.
In addition at the time were erected a stoned Church,other buildings using the same material,two towers and a fortress wall.With the Danish-Norwegian union,the Royal power in Denmark,Bergen lost its status as Capital,but the old Royal Court continued to keep active the political and administrative centre for the Vestland and Northern Norway.
It is the largest medieval building in Norway non-religious,built on three basic levels and it was built around 1260 by English architects as his monumental style is unusual for its time in Norway.It is the symbol of the power of the Norwegian kings found after a century of civil wars and weakness of power and lineage and it served for several centuries of simple storage place.
The romantic medieval construction rehabilitated its role in 1840 it was proved that the building was actually taking place or the banquets of King Håkon.Håkonshallen had a tumultuous history burned at least twice, in 1266 and 1429 and it was severely damaged by the explosion of the ship Voorbode in 1944.The hall was restored in 1890 and 1910 and adorned with windows and frescoes.After that accident in the 40s its wooden roof was replaced with a copper roof, and its annex eastern stone was rebuilt in wood.Today the hall is used for concerts or formal meetings and it can be visited.
With the Danish-Norwegian union,the Royal power in Denmark,Bergen lost its status as Capital,but the old Royal Court continued to keep active the political and administrative centre for the Vestland and Northern Norway.Only with the introduction of absolutism in Denmark in 1660 Bergenshus was a mere fortress.On 2nd August 1665,it was protagonist of the Battle of Vågen and during the late 17th Century it was enlarged and strengthened,while in the 18th century it was most fully and with Bergenhus Sverresborg common as a fortress.
At the beginning of the 19th Century the current building was separated from the actual fort site Sverresborg again. The plant was arranged with a park while the defences were in Bergen piecewise outsourced from the city.However, the fortress fell into a military influence as the headquarters of the two Vestlandsregimenter division and a military school in 1911.
After the occupation of Norway during the 2nd World War, the site served as the local base of the headquarters of the German Wehrmacht troops with Soviet prisoners of war who built a bunker there.On 20th April 1944 occurred in misfortune,when the famous Dutch ship (mentioned previously) laden with dynamite flew into the air and part of the fortress was badly damaged.
After the liberation in 1945 Bergenhus Festning was the headquarters of the district military commands and in 1996 it hosted a regiment took command of the fort until its dissolution on 30th September 2002. Since there it hosts the Navy schools on the fort in command and in the same year other military installations are located there,such as the accountable administration of the Norwegian Armed Forces,the Defence Museum, and the Home Guard district of Hordaland.Similarly, the music corps of the military service work Vestland and mountains located in the fortress and about 150 military employees work there.
The building incorporates in its older part a tower the Rozenkrantztårnet the Tower of Rosenkrantz which is part of the remaining buildings of the medieval fortress which was demolished over the centuries and are still visible only ruins.Rozenkrantztårnet was built around 1270 by King Magnus Håkonsson,son of Håkon IV.It included the royal apartments at the top and it is named after Erik Rosenkrantz, Danish governor of Bergenhus between 1559 and 1568,who gave it its present form.Christoffer Valkendorf his predecessor, Governor between 1556 and 1560, had already made major changes after an explosion in the supply of powder.
The tower is called by locals simply Tårnet (The Tower) or also Walkendorff (The dar Dungeon).Its role was both to keep an eye on the Hanseatic village,whose power was becoming difficult to control and showing the potential invaders the defence of the city.The perpetrators of serious crimes were being held and tortured in its underground without any windows.The witch Pedersdatter Anne Beyer was imprisoned there before being burned and there were other prisons in the basement of Bergenhus, which were destroyed, blocked or transformed.
Bergen Domkirke is the Cathedral dedicated to St. Olaf and it is a Lutheran Religious temple under the consecration of the Patron Saint.Its construction is dated 1150,it consists in a stoned building which has a side aisle and vestry.It measures 60 m long and 20.5 m wide and there are remains of foundations of two older Churches.The first mention is when it was called Olavkirke i Vågsbunnen,the Church of St. Olaf in the Bay of Vågen.
During the reign of Haakon IV,a Franciscan Monastery was built south of the Church, and it became part of the Cathedral. In 1248 and 1270 the former Church suffered fires and fell after a decline in total disuse. Would be used in the year 1301 when King Magnus VI established the reconstruction of the building and the Monarch himself was buried there.
Once again it caught fire between 1463 and 1464 and it was in ruins when it was appointed as new cathedral of Bergen in 1537, after the old cathedral was demolished in 1531.The Bishop Pederson was responsible for the reconstruction of the new tower and repair of the damage until his death in 1557.
That tower was located on the centre of the nave,and would be replaced in 1640 by a Hotel located on the western end side of the religious construction, which continues today. There was a new and extensive restoration after a fire in the city in 1702 and would be used for liturgical purposes in 1743.
The reconstruction,perhaps the most significant was between the 1880 and 1883 by the architects Christian Christie and Peter Blix when the aisle was demolished and rebuilt from the ground up,with four Gothic columns.One goal was to give the Cathedral a look which was more like its medieval origins with Rococo interior decoration.The cathedral stands as a testimony of the Battle of Vågen between English and Dutch ships in 1665 and it keeps track of a cannonball.
About the famous traditional wooden buildings do not miss Fantoft Stavekirke in the district of Fantoft,it replica of the old stave Church Fortun,a small village on a branch of the Sognefjord.It is is a typical Stavkirke and it is a reconstruction of the original missing in 1992.Erected in the year 1150,it was remodelled after the Protestant Reformation and it changed to its original aspect with the construction of a new technique lafteverk choir,a west tower of the 1660,and windows.
In 1883, for conservation reasons,was decided to move it by boat to Bergen,where it would be rebuilt with its original wood in the neighbourhood of Fantoft.The architect in charge of the reconstruction was Joakim Mathiesen, who chose to recover the original medieval appearance,some parts were reconstructed according to the architecture of Borgund Stavkirke.
The Church was classified as a Stavkirke type A, with its stepped roof and tie as St. Andrew's crosses on the inside.On 1992 the Church was burned intentionally by being built on pagan monuments and it was destroyed almost completely, preserving only certain parts.
The suspect was a man named Varg Vikernes,a young musician of Black Metal group, the same person who destroyed a wooden Church in Holmenkollen-Oslo.(I wrote a post about that) Subsequently set fire to a garage where he kept some pieces which had been rescued from the burning of that Church.The reconstruction began soon after,it was a challenge because for centuries the Stavkirken were not built in Norway and the material used for that difficult operation was wood coming from the town of Kaupanger.
The new Church,an identical copy of the previous one, was consecrated in 1997.Little remained of the original temple inventory,except for a carved stone perhaps an ancient relic preserved in one of the walls and the altar cross. It was not possible the reconstruction of the wall paintings which existed before the fire. The crucifix in the choir is a design by Sven Valevatn in 1990, although inspired by medieval art.Outside is preserved a medieval stoned cross,originally from an ancient temple of Tjora.
A visit to other areas of the modern city is a way to enjoy the lively atmosphere of Bergen,with its several cafes and restaurants and clubs always crowded by many people.Nordnes peninsula is very attractive with a pier with a beautiful view over the oldest section of the city and Strandgaten is a commercial area ideal for shopping and Lungegårdsvannet with its beautiful lake once communicating with the bay of the same name..
Den Nationale Scene is the oldest Norwegian Theatre in Bergen with a fixed location.In front of the building you can admire statues depicting the playwrights and writers Nordahl Grieg and Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson.The foundation is dated 1850 thanks to the composer and violinist Ole Bull,the Norwegian
run theatre Det Norske Theater was established in 1863,it had to close due economic problems after an intensive use.During that time,Bull had the then little-known Henrik Ibsen for almost six years committed as a set designer,director and resident playwright,later he was replaced by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, who was the new as artistic director.
In 1876, the Foundation was established in Den Nationale Scene, and the matches recorded in the old building again.A specially inserted Committee decided in 1895 to build a new theatre,but only on 25th June 1906, the foundation stone was laid by King Haakon VII.
Designed by the architect Einar Oscar Schou in Art Nouveau style,on 19th February 1909 the place hosted a performance of comedy Erasmus Montanus by Ludvig Holberg.The building was significantly damaged in 1940 but after several renovations, it is still used today.It is a historical monument since 1993,year in which it was declared the stage of the status of a national theatre has been granted.
The Theatre is financed primarily by public funds and received in 2006 a ticket sales of 13.3 million Norwegian crowns.The Institution has 150 employees including 40 actors,it has a capacity of approximately 450 spectators and it produces over 550 performances a year.
Worth a visit Bergen Museum,the cultural and natural history museum which is is part of the University of Bergen and it is arranged in two buildings distributed on a campus.It was founded in 1825 by William Frimann Koren Christie with a pleasant botanical garden and an arboretum surrounding the exhibition.
That cultural-historical space includes the departments of archaeology,art and cultural history and it is one of the largest in Norway.Furthermore it includes Norwegian art, folk art and objects from the 17th and 18 Century as well as religious items.The natural history collection includes sections devoted to zoology, botany and geology and in the course of the last decades received a great number of visits thanks to its rich collections,
In Rasmus Meyers Allé 9 in a Art Deco style building,you can visit the Museum of Fine Arts hosting interesting collections including works by Norwegian and international artists,icons and paintings by Flemish and Dutch masters,various relevant works by Johan Christian Dahl,Klee, Miró and Picasso,in addition relevant masterpieces by Edvard Munch and Jacob Weidemann.Naturally if you love painting and art that is the right place for you,it is an occasion to admire great art in Bergen in a exhibition for the value of the works it contains,that exhibition is considered among the most important in the country.
Located 10 minutes by bus from the city centre you can reach Gamle Bergen Museet which is a splendid outdoor museum,consisting in a set of 40 splendid houses,introducing you how was life in Bergen in the 18th,19th and early 20th centuries.
The funicular in Bergen is also one the main attractions.It is a cable car called Fløibanen accessible from the station near the fish market.From the centre,it comes up to the top of the hill Fløifjellet,at 320 m of altitude in approximately 8 minutes and once there,you can admire and contemplate a magnificent view of the city.The cable car also reaches Ulriken Landaas the station up to the mountain Ulriken,which is the highest in Bergen,from there you can enjoy a superb view of the centre,the bay and the Mount Fløyen at 643 m of altitude.Cable car and Visitor Centre Ulriksstuen are open all year and they are located approximately 5,0 km southeast from the centre of Bergen and during summer many concerts and events are celebrated there. The natural beauty of that region is particularly linked to two spectacular fjords, between which there is the city,Sognefjord and Hardangerfjord,for that Bergen is known to be the official entrance to the fjords of Norway,a world where mountains and sea meet each other in a poetic suggestion.It is there where the major part of all cruise boats, including the legendary Hurtigruten, the mail ship which runs along the Norwegian coast and reaches far beyond North Cape,the area further north in Norway and Europe,together with the nearby Knivskjellodden.
Damsgård Hovedgård is a splendid manor house located approximately 3,5 km from the city centre crossing the bridge Puddefjord in the area of Laksevåg.The name derived from Dam Tønneson, who in 1654 inherited the farm from his father Tønnes Klausson,who in turn received it by King Frederick II of Denmark due his service during the Northern Seven Years' War.It is a small palace erected in a charming Rococo architecture,dated 1770 and it is considered one of the most beautiful aristocratic buildings in Norway and possibly the best preserved wooden construction of the 18th century in Europe.
The house has two beautiful gardens inside its walls.The eastern garden is known as the Master Garden, while the western one is known as the Mistress Garden and there is another one outside the walls which is named English Garden.After decades of deterioration,they were restored in the 18th century and also not long time ago in the year in 1998.That place was in the past most likely populated during the Viking era or earlier before to became a very nice residential district in recent times.
Troldhaugen is a hill located approximately 5,0 kms from Bergen.From there you can admire in an area called Hop a beautiful house dated 19th century which was one of the residences of the composer Edvard Grieg where he lived from 1885 to 1907 and that location is place of a series of concerts in summer and fall,making it one of the favourite places by locals.You can reach that place by the bus number 24 from Bergen bus station.That idyllic setting where you can admire that building is situated in a magnificent position overlooking the lake Nordås,surrounded by a beautiful nature and with spectacular views.
The visitor also has a great opportunity to see in the city,seals and penguins in Akvariet Bergen the Bergen Aquarium.Located at the tip of the peninsula,in Nordnesbakken,it has one of the best and most extensive collections of marine fauna in Europe with 70 tanks and three outdoor pools completed with an area which has a realistic nesting cliffs to the ships and an exhibition providing video installations.Besides the exhibition of amphibians and aquatic reptiles opened in 2002 were opened new sections whose theme is centred around the marine industry and polar wildlife.
Bergen is also a major cultural centre of its region and Norway, perhaps best known for hosting the extreme Heavy metal Festival so famous in all the country with the name Hole in the Sky celebrated in August each year.Very famed is also Bergen International Festival called Festspillene i Bergen and the city is home of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, founded in 1765,it is one of the oldest orchestras in the world, organising several concerts and another cultural event very popular is Bergenfest Nattjazz.
Always remebered in meetings and special dates is the greatest Scandinavian and European composers,Edvard Grieg who is also popular for a famous phrase when he said "I am sure that my music retains the fresh flavors of the cod in her notes"
Bergen is also well known for its abundant rainfall and it has been called the City of the rain.In the streets you can find machines where you can buy umbrellas,Bergen accumulates more than 2200 mm average annual precipitation also for that in USA it reached popularity and it is called the Seattle of Europe,that American city as you know is famous for its beauty but also for its many days of rains a year.
The University of Bergen,the UIB is known worldwide to be an important centre among the most famed and distinguished about science researches and specialised in particular in marine biology and geology.The University,not long time ago was awarded for investigations about climate,oil and including medieval studies.In December 2004,a billionaire called Trond Mohn donated 250 millions of Norwegian kroner to that Institute to sponsor research funds and just only some months later,in April 2005, the generous Magnate donated 50 millions of kroner more.
Local cuisine is very healthy and rich,among the different plates of salmon,cod and herring,you can also enjoy excellent Norwegian meat,as poek fillets usually served as Norwegian tradition with fried cabbage and others typical of Scandinavia as reindeer,elk and grouse which can be consumed depending on season.
Generally,restaurants also serve the famous Lutefisk,a sort of gelatinous cod or salted whitefish and the Klippfisk which consists dried and salted cod,preserved by drying after salting.Another speciality is the Stockfish,cod which has been dried without the addition of salt often served with potatoes or vegetables.In Norway the fish is eaten at least four times a week,so you can imagine a city as Bergen which is traditionally one of the fishing main centres of Scandinavia..
Bergen Flesland International Airport is located 19,0 kms southwest from the city centre and it provides a Bus Service to the city centre every 40 minutes.Urban transport is managed by the company Tide, mostly concentrated in buses,cable cars and light rail.
There is a central bus station in in the centre which is part of the shopping complex Bergen Storsenter located in Stromgaten,,it practically serves all the urban area and all buses are marked with the destination and route number.The light rail in Bergen,new activation and rather futuristic-looking,serves connections between the centre and its southern side,through the areas of passenger traffic more important,such as train and bus stations.
When you visit Bergen everything is so attractive and splendid,nature,landscapes and architecture,Bergen is a fantastic destination and choice you can not miss if you are planning to visit that beautiful country of Scandinavia called Norway.
.
Francesco Mari
Recommeded Hotels in Bergen
Hotel Det Hanseatiske
Grand Hotel Terminus
Hotel Radisson Blue Norge
Hotel Clarion Admiral
Hotel Park Bergen
Hotel Scandic Neptun
Hotel Rica Travel Bergen
www.visitbergen.com
www.dethanseatiskehotel.no
www.grandterminus.no
www.radissonblu.no
www.clarionhotel.com/hotel-bergen-norway
hotelpark.no
www.scandichotels.com/Hotels/.../Bergen/Neptun
www.rica.no/hoteller/bergen/rica-hotel-berg
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks a lot to read and note.