Travel to Bergen | Norway | Foods, Drinks, Hotels

Bergen is a pretty city located in the Hordaland region on Norway’s west coast. At the end of the first quarter of 2016, the population of the municipality was determined as 278,121. The Bergen metropolitan area has a total population of approximately 420,000. If you are thinking of traveling to Bergen, Norway, you are in the right place.

Bergen is Norway’s second-largest city. The municipality covers an area of 465 square kilometers on the Bergenshalvøyen peninsula. The city center and northern neighborhoods are located in Byfjorden, the “city fjord”, and the city is surrounded by mountains.

Bergen is also known as the city of seven mountains. Most of the scattered non-municipal settlements are located on the islands. Bergen is the administrative center of Hordaland and consists of eight separate districts, Arna, Bergenhus, Fana, Fyllingsdalen, Laksevåg, Ytrebygda, Rstad and Sane.

The Green Meadow Among The Mountains

It is thought that trade in Bergen may have started in the early 1020s. According to tradition, the city was founded by King Olav Kyrre in 1070 and was named Bjørgvin, “green meadow between mountains”. The city became the capital of Norway in the 13th century and has been a clerical town of the Hanseatic League from the late 13th century. Until 1789, Bergen had exclusive rights to broker trade abroad with Northern Norway and was Norway’s largest city until the 1830s, before the capital Oslo.

The remainder of the piers, Bryggen, are on the World Heritage List. There has been great destruction in the city as there have been many fires for many years. Educational development was achieved by establishing the Bergen School of Meteorology in 1917 at the Geophysics Institute, the Norwegian School of Economics in 1936, and the University of Bergen in 1946. Between 1831 and 1972, Bergen was a separate settlement within itself, and later became part of the Hordaland county.

The city is an international center for aquaculture, shipping, oil industry and submarine technology, and a national hub for higher education, media, tourism, and finance. Bergen Port is the busiest port in terms of both freight and passenger transport, bringing about half a million passengers to Bergen with a doubling of the population annually, and calling for more than 300 cruises. Almost half of the passengers are German or British visitors.

The city’s main football team, SK Brann, and the city’s unique representation of tradition are also important. Locals in the region speak a different Bergensk dialect. The city has Bergen Airport, Flesland, Bergen Light Rail and the Bergen Line, as well as major bridges connecting Bergen to its four campuses outside the centre.

Bergen has a climatic suitability as it has a mild winter climate. However, the rain falling on the city can sometimes be too much. During December – March, the temperature difference between Bergen and Oslo can be up to 30 degrees, although both cities are about 60 degrees North. The Gulf Stream keeps the sea relatively warm considering its latitude, and the mountains protect the city from cold winds from the north, northeast and east.

The city of Bergen was traditionally founded in 1070 AD by the king, Olav Kyrre, son of Harald Hardråde. This is four years after the Viking Age ended with the Battle of Hastings. However, modern research has discovered that a trade agreement was already established in the 1020s or 1030s. Bergen initially served as Norway’s capital city as the first city to establish a basic central administration. The city’s cathedral held the first royal coronation in Norway in the 1150s.

Bergenhus Castle

It continued to host royal coronations in the 13th century. Bergenhus Castle dates from the 1240s and was tasked with guarding the entrance to Bergen’s harbor. During the reign of King Haakon V, the functions of the capital were taken over by Oslo. In the mid-14th century, North German merchants, who had settled in the city and had been present in significant numbers since the 13th century, established one of the four counties of the Hanseatic League at Bryggen in Bergen.

The principal export from Bergen was dried cod from the northern Norwegian coast beginning around 1100. The city was accepted by King Håkon Håkonsson as a monopoly on trade in northern Norway. Stockfish was the main reason the city became one of Northern Europe’s largest centers for commerce. Towards the end of the 14th century, Bergen became the center of commerce in Norway. 

Hanseatic traders lived in their own areas of Middle Low German and had exclusive rights to trade with northern fishermen who set out for Bergen each summer. Thanks to all these historical features, Bryggen, the old wharf area of Bergen, is on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Hieronymus Scholeus’ drawing of Bergen was made about 1580 and was published in an atlas containing pictures of many cities. In 1349, the black plague was accidentally brought to Norway by the crew of an English ship that had arrived in Bergen. 

In the 15th century, the city was attacked several times by the African American Brothers, who succeeded in burning the King’s Castle and most of the city in 1429. In 1665, the city’s port, in the area of the Battle of Vågen, was attacked by an English navy against a Dutch merchant and treasure fleet supported by the city’s garrison. With its geographical and political characteristics, Bergen has noted many attacks in its history.

Norway’s Largest City

Let us share with you some of the things you need to know when traveling to Bergen. During the 15th and 16th centuries, Bergen remained one of Scandinavia’s largest cities and Norway’s largest until the 1830s. Bergen managed to hold a trade monopoly with Northern Norway until 1789 and to host many merchants in its city.

Bergen was separated from Hordaland from its own county in 1831. It was established as a municipality on January 1, 1838. However, Bergen, which for many years held a special status, is now a municipality in Norway, in the county of Hordaland.

Bergen, which has a deep-rooted historical background, has managed to stay in interaction with many nations throughout history, as it is a port city. This has given both the city and its citizens a serious cosmopolitan character. 

Thanks to Bergen’s non-introverted economy and high-income ship trading activity, the city and the people have a very prosperous level. With the favorable climate and the wise distribution of the region’s land, the city has embraced other economic activities.

It is highly developed especially in the field of stock exchange. With its peaceful urban structure, Bergen welcomes many tourists every year with its charming houses, fjords and historical texture. Hosting many activities around the world, Bergen is one of Norway’s favorite cities. Thanks to its world-renowned and respected educational institutions, and its educated and intellectual community, Bergen is a developed city that provides benefits for the country in every sense.

Bergen Fjords

Welcome to the gateway to the Vikings and scenic fjords! Charming and colorful Bergen is not only one of Norway’s most popular tourist destinations, but also one of its top attractions is its fjords. The city of Bergen is also known as the “gate of the fjords”. 

Its proximity to nature makes the city an ideal destination for short and long tour excursions, where you can experience Norway’s stunning nature landscapes and seascapes. Stepping into the same lands once occupied by the daunting Vikings will enthrall history buffs.

Bryggen Harbor

Bryggen is the historic port area in Bergen, one of the oldest port towns on Norway’s west coast, which was founded as the 12th century commercial center of Northern Europe. In 1350, the Hanseatic League established a “Hanseatic Bureau” in Bergen. 

They then took over ownership of Bryggen and controlled the sledgehammer trade in Northern Norway with privileges granted by Kron. Although the Hanseatic League has established a total of four overseas Hanseatic Bureaus today, Bryggen is the only monument and site protected today and has been added to the Unesco World Heritage list.