Bergen

This is a follow on from the Hanseatic Wharf group of photo’s I took in Bergen, Norway. This is the opposite side of the harbour, not as old as Hanseatic wharf but just as colourful and built in the traditional way with overlapping pine weatherboard. I’m surprised so many of them are still standing with the amount of cigarettes these Norwegians smoke. Hope you enjoy, now some facts.

The city of Bergen was traditionally thought to have been founded by King Olav Kyrre, son of Harald Hardråde in 1070 AD, four years after the Viking Age ended. Modern research has, however, discovered that a trading settlement was established already during the 1020s or 1030s. It is considered to have replaced Trondheim as Norway’s capital in 1217, and that Oslo became the de jure capital in 1299. Towards the end of the 13th century, Bergen became one of the Hanseatic League’s most important bureau cities.

The main reason for Bergen’s importance was the trade with dried cod from the northern Norwegian coast, which started around 1100. By the late 14th century, Bergen had established itself as the centre of the trade in Norway. The Hanseatic merchants lived in their own separate quarter of town, where Middle Saxon was used, enjoying exclusive rights to trade with the northern fishermen that each summer sailed to Bergen. Today, Bergen’s old quayside, Bryggenis on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Site.