Bergen, Norway

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Bergen is a municipality and city in the county of Hordaland, Norway.

Bergen is the second largest city in Norway. It is located on the south-western coast-line of Norway, between de syv fjell, "the seven mountains", according to folklore. Bergen is also known as the gateway to the fjords of Norway.

Bergen kommune
County Hordaland
Landscape Midhordland
Municipality NO-1201
Administrative centre Bergen
Mayor (2004) Herman Friele (H)
Official language form Neutral
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Percentage		 Ranked 215
465 km²
445 km²
0.14 %
Population
 - Total (2005)
 - Percentage
 - Change (10 years)
 - Density		 Ranked 2
239,209
5.19 %
8.0 %
534/km²
Coordinates 60°22′N 5°24′E
www.bergen.kommune.no
Data from Statistics Norway

White wooden houses in Bergen
 White wooden houses in Bergen

View of Bergen from Fløyen
View of Bergen from Fløyen
Brick houses built 1901 after a fire at Bryggen
Brick houses built 1901 after a fire at Bryggen
The old stock exchange building in the city centre
The old stock exchange building in the city centre
The shopping street Strandgaten
The shopping street Strandgaten
A typical summer day in Bergen
A typical summer day in Bergen
 

 

 

History

Bergen was founded as a city by Olaf Kyrre in AD 1070, and considered to be Norway's capital until 1299, Toward the end of the thirteenth century, Bergen became one of the Hanseatic League's four most important bureaus. The reason for its importance was the trade in dried cod from the northern Norwegian coast, starting up around 1100. The German hanseatic merchants lived in their own separate quarter of town, where low German was spoken, enjoying exclusive rights to trade with the northern fishermen that each summer sailed to Bergen. Today, one still gets a feel of this at the quayside of Bergen called Bryggen, today on the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites.

In 1349, the Black Death was introduced to Norway by the crew of an English ship arriving Bergen. In 1429 descendants of the Victual Brothers attacked Bergen with some ships, plundered the town and burned it down. In 1536, the king was able to force the German merchants to become Norwegian citizens or return home, heralding a decline in the German influence.

Throughout the 15th and 16th century, Bergen remained the biggest city in the Nordic countries, and it remained Norway's biggest city until 1850, when overtaken by Oslo. Bergen retained its monopoly of trade of Northern Norway until 1789.

In 1916, parts of the city centre were destroyed by a devastating fire. In 1944, during the German occupation, a German warship anchored off the Bergenhus fortress, filled with explosives, blew up, killing many people and damaging historic buildings.

In 1972, Bergen was unified with neighbouring boroughs, thereby getting its present boundaries.

 

 

Cityscape

The oldest part of the city is on the north side of the bay of Vågen. Here you find Bryggen, a number of old, wooden houses dating from the early 18th c., but still giving a medieval feel. The Saint Mary Church is the oldest church of Bergen, dating from around 1130. Two other churches, the Cathedral and the Korskirken church are also medieval, although modified later. The fortress of Bergenhus has a number of interesting buildings, notably the Haakonshallen royal hall from the 13th c., and the Rosenkrantz Tower, built around a medieval fortification in the 16th century.

The fishmarket is where the locals buy fish directly from the fishermen. Further down you find the main shopping area, rebuilt after a fire in 1916 in art nouveau and functionalism, around the main square Torgalmenningen. Several old quarters of white, wooden houses surround the centre, notably Nordnes, Marken and Sandviken.

Visitors should not miss the ride with the funicular up to Mount Fløyen, where one is rewarded with a splendid view over the city and the fabled seven mountains. The aquarium with seals, penguins and fish from the area is very popular.

 

 

Administration

Since 2000, the city of Bergen is governed by a city government (byråd) based on the principle of parliamentarism. The government consists of 5 government members called commissioners, and is appointed by the city council, which is the supreme authority of the city.

 

Weather

See also: Geography of Norway

Bergen is renowned for its plentiful rainfall which makes up most of the 2250 mm (88 in) yearly average precipitation. For some years there were paraplyautomater (umbrella vending machines) installed in the streets, however, they did not turn out to be a success.

Universities and research

The University of Bergen [1] is known for its strong marine biology and geology (petroleum) research. Recently the university was awarded three national centers of excellence [2] in climate research [3], petroleum research [4] and medieval studies [5]. In December 2004, billionaire Trond Mohn donated 250 million NOK to the University as research funding. Only months later (April 2005), he added an additional NOK 50 million.

Bergen is also home of the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration (NHH), a leading school of business and economics in Norway.

Industry

Main businesses in Bergen are:

 

 

Communication

Bergen has an international airport, Bergen Airport, Flesland, with direct flights to many European cities. The Bergensbanen railway line runs east to Voss, Geilo, Hønefoss and Oslo. Public transportation is provided by Gaia Trafikk and Hardanger Sunnhordlandske Dampskipsselskap (HSD). Local transport to Arna is provided by Norges Statsbaner. There is also a funicular (Fløibanen) and an aerial tramway (Ulriksbanen). The tramsystem was closed in 1964, although a museum-line still operates on Møhlenpris. A modern tramway line connecting the city-centre with Nesttun and Bergen Airport is in the works.

Eastbound, highway E16 run to Voss, Valdres and Oslo. Along the coast, highway E39 run south to Haugesund, Stavanger and Kristiansand, and north to Førde, Ålesund, Molde and Trondheim. Express buses ply both highways, as well as serving numerous other destinations.

The Norwegian coastal steamer Hurtigruten originates in Bergen, running north to Trondheim, Bodø, Tromsø and Kirkenes. Passenger catamarans run from Bergen south to Haugesund and Stavanger, and north to Sognefjorden and Nordfjord. Car ferries connect to Hanstholm and Hirtshals in Denmark, Newcastle in the United Kingdom, Tórshavn on the Faroe Islands, and Reykjavik on Iceland.

 

Culture and sports

Bergen is also an important cultural centre in its region and in Norway, maybe best known for hosting the annual Bergen International Festival (Festspillene). Bergen is home of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra [6], which was founded in 1765 and is one of the world's oldest orchestral institutions. The orchestra performs regularly at the 1,500 seat Grieg Hall . Bergen was a European City of Culture in 2000. Other main cultural events includes Nattjazz and Bergenfest (former Ole Blues).

In the late 1990s and early 2000s many musicians from Bergen became famous, in Norway and abroad. Many of whom were connected to the small record label Tellé. In domestic press, this became known as the Bergen Wave. Musicians and bands from Bergen include Kings of Convenience, Röyksopp, Erlend Øye, Annie and Sondre Lerche.

Bergen has a small but thriving scene for contemporary art, most notably centered around BIT, Bergen Kunsthall, USF and Bergen center of Electronic Art - BEK.

The biggest football team, S.K. Brann, plays in the Norwegian premier league (2004), while Løv-Ham Fotball plays in Adeccoligaen, Norway's first division.

Famous people from Bergen

Twin cities

Bergen has several sister cities. They are:

 

 

External links

Panoramic view of Bryggen
Panoramic view of Bryggen


Return to main page