Bergen, Norway: February 8, 2025

We left Hurtigruten's Trollfjord and walked less than a mile to the Clarion Hotel Admiral where we stayed for one night before catching a train back to Oslo. Before arriving, we booked a private walking tour of Bergen through Tours by Locals. The tour began at 9:00 am. Our guide did a good job pointing out things we probably wouldn't have noticed on our own.

Several hundred years ago, German-speaking traders (Hansa) would arrive in Bryggen with boatloads of grain, cloth, and other vital commodities. They would stay for a few days in the wooden warehouses, that doubled as their living quarters, that line the harbor, before stocking their boats with dried fish from Lofoten and heading back to Europe.

The Hanseatic League was, "from the 14th to the 18th century, the most powerful trade and shipping federation in Europe. It was the Amazon, Facebook, or Google of its day: an all-conquering behemoth with flash offices in every major port city and a reputation for the most hostile of takeovers" (The World of Interiors, League Over Nations, by Laura Freeman 11 March 2025).

The very first buildings in Bergen were situated at Bryggen. Bryggen is on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a monument to the Hanseatic (German speaking Hansa) trading culture, and Bergen is a UNESCO Heritage City. The walking tour began in Bryggen. Like most of the other Norwegian cities we visited, Bryggen has been ravaged by many fires. The great fire of 1702 reduced the whole of the city to ashes. The Hanseatic merchants rebuilt on the foundations that had been there since the 12th century--the medieval timber architecture.

After the 1702 fire, the Hansa made a law that there could be only one fireplace for every three houses/warehouses despite winter days with 18 hours of darkness . That meant that neighbors had to work out a deal to share the heat of that one fireplace (first photo below). There were further devastating fires post 1702.

Today, the photogenic trading houses of the Hanseatic League remain, but they are home to shops, galleries, and cafés with crooked buildings and slanted doorways.

Continuing on, we stopped in at St. Mary's Church just as a family was arriving for a christening. Several of the family members wore traditional Bergen clothing and allowed us to take their photo. St. Mary's is the oldest existing structure in Bryggen. It was completed in approximately 1180; there have been destructive fires and subsequent renovations and additions. Normally, one must buy a ticket to enter as a tourist. Because the church was closed for the christening, we managed to slip in briefly. I saw the beautiful 15th-century altarpiece from the back of the church (photo by photographer Marten Dreier 2006) and noticed that the nave had a model ship hanging from the ceiling. (The altarpiece photograph was downloaded through Wikimedia Commons). Unfortunately, we didn't get back to the church to get a closer look.

We took the funicular up to Mt. Fløyen to get a view of the city. The funicular was built to make it easier for the people of Bergen to get away from the city. Families with kids were everywhere enjoying the cafes, the park, the hiking trails, and the spectacular view. The funicular transports passengers from the center of Bergen to a height of 320 m/1050 ft in about eight minutes.

Other photos of hilly, old Bergen. The third photo top row shows the result of building a modern structure (dark gray house) between two slumping older, structures. The older structures are no longer plumb. White was a popular color in early Bergen because most churches were white and therefore white is holier than any other color. The wall graffiti is of a Sami Costume.

In the afternoon, we returned to the wharf area to tour Håkon's Hall at Bergenhus Fortress. Just inside the entrance a group of people were practicing medieval warfare.

Two of the buildings from medieval times still exist within the fortress hall: Håkon's Hall and King Magnus Lagabotes' (the Lawmender's) Keep. The Keep is incorporated into the Rosenkrantz Tower (second photo below).

Håkon's Hall was first constructed in the 13th century. Like the rest of Bryggen, it suffered from fires and explosions and this is a renovated Håkon's Hall. The cloth on the table in front of the king's throne was woven by Synnøve Aurdal. She used Gothic forms taken from the hall's architecture and the natural world. The frieze and tapestry covering the east wall was woven by Sigrun Berg. The frieze is a perpetual calendar dating far back in time. It begins with April 14, the first day of summer. (I love textiles)

The stone exterior of Håkon's Hall includes heads of kings (and one woman) jutting out from the building's corners.

In the evening, we met up with Julia, a fellow passenger, for dinner at a seafood restaurant called Fish Me-Fisketorget. It is set up similar to a Fish Market (Fisketorget) with foods to go. We ate in. It was delicious.

A night view of Bryggen and the Funicular's path from our hotel room.

We had a beautiful day in Bergen--even the weather cooperated. Bergen has an average of 239 days of rain a year. Most hotels have Rent an Umbrella vending machines.

Next stop: Oslo tomorrow by 8:00 am train.