Bergen, Norway

Bergen is a city and municipality in Hordaland on the west coast of Norway, on the peninsula of
Bergenshalvyen. The city was established before 1070 AD. Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland.
Bergen is known as the city of The Seven Mountains.
As of 2014 the municipal population was 276,800 making it the second-most populous city in Norway. (The
Greater Bergen Region population is 410,700.) The remains of the quays, Bryggen, is a World Heritage Site.
Bergen is Norways second largest city with a population of about 250,000, Bergen is known as the Gateway to the
Fjords. Situated between Norways longest fjord, Sognefjord, and the beautiful Hardangerfjord, Bergen makes a great
starting point for exploring Norways famously rugged coastline,.
With a long history of shipping and commerce, Bergen is also considered a major centre of history and culture in Norway.
Once the capital of Norway (before losing this title to Oslo in the Middle Ages), Bergen was a major hub of the Hanseatic
League (a medieval alliance of merchant cities) and was a thriving port city for centuries.
Today, this city surrounded by seven hills is just as busy, with a vibrant city centre, colourful neighbourhoods and a wealth
of cultural and historical attractions along with spectacular landscapes all around. Whether you arrive here by car, train,
plane or cruise ship, you wont be disappointed by all that Bergen has to offer!
Sognefjord is the longest and deepest fjord in Norway. At its deepest, the fjord is about 1,300 meters (4,265 ft.) below sea
level and extends over 200 kilometres inland to the national parks of Jotunheimen and Jostedalsbreen. The sheer
mountainsides framing the fjord reach heights of over 1,000 meters (3,280 ft.) and the average width of this majestic fjord
is roughly 4.5 km (~2.8 miles) across.

Toponomy: The Old Norse forms of the name were Bergvin and Bjrgvin (and in Icelandic and Faroese the
city is still called Bjrgvin). The first element is berg (n.) or bjrg (n.), which translates to mountain(s). The last
element is vin (f.), which means a new settlement where there used to be a pasture or meadow. The full meaning
is then 'the meadow among the mountains.

History: Bergen received status as a city during king Olav Kyrre's rule in 1070 AD. Gitte Hansen's 2004
Ph.D. dissertation proposes that "Bergen was founded as[a crossroads for trading sometime during the 1020s or
1030s".[6] Later, in a 2004 NRK article, she said that "A king decided at the start of the 11th century, that here a
city ought to be."[6] Furthermore she said that king Olav Kyrre "was not the first [king] to start building a city [in
Bergen]. The city was built on part of a royal estate, Alrekstad. "The sagas tell that Olav Kyrre built a Christ
Church at Holmen (later Bergenshus)"made of woodaccording to the encyclopedia Store Norske Leksikon.
In 1068 the Diocese of Bergen was established.
Around 1100 the export (through Bergen) of dried cod from the northern Norwegian coast started, eventually
becoming the principal export traded from Bergen. Before the year 1110, Munkeliv Abbey was built. The
monarchy moved its quarters from the foot of Mount Ulriken, and at the new location wooden structures
eventually were replaced by masonry, i.e. Haakon's Hall.
In 1163 the city's cathedral, the Christ Church, was the site of the first royal coronation in Norway.
In 1181 the Birkebeiner defeated their opponents in the Battle of Bergen. After that battle, the city was
granted monopoly in regards to trade from the North of Norway, by king Haakon Haakonsson (1217-1263).
Stockfish was the main reason that the city became one of North Europe's largest centres for trade at the time.
In 1281, a sixth coronation was held at Christ Churchthe last one held there.

Some functions of the city were lost to Oslo during the reign of King Haakon V (12991319).
Bergen was Norway's most important city in the 13th century.
In 1343 (or in the 1350s[14]) "the first Hanseatic commercial settlement was established in Bergen", according to
Natascha Mehler.[15] German merchants formed a colony -- protected by the Hanseatic League. Sources vary
about whether it "was not an isolated German ghetto, but operated in vibrant interaction with its surroundings",
[15]
or it was "separated from the Norwegian bysamfunn [city community]". This Kontor was located at Bryggen
in Bergen. The Hanseatic merchants lived in their own separate quarter of town, where Middle Low German
was spoken, enjoying exclusive rights to trade with the northern fishermen who each summer sailed to Bergen.[1
During this century the Hanseatic merchants acquired monopolistic control over the trade in Bergen.
In 1349, the Black Death was inadvertently brought to Norway by the crew of an English ship arriving in
Bergen.
By the late 14th century, Bergen had established itself as the centre of the trade in Norway.
On 22 April 1393] the Sacking of Bergen occurred. In 1395 the Victual Brothers attacked again.
In 1428, the city was attacked by the Victual Brothers, and they succeeded in burning the royal castle and much
of the city.
During the Reformation, the Kontor at Bryggen experienced an economic backlash.[16]
In 1560, the Kontor at Bryggen came under the legal jurisdiction of the authorities of Norway.
From around 1600, the Hanseatic dominance of the city's trade gradually declined in favour of Norwegian
merchants (often of Hanseatic ancestry).
In 1630 the Hanseatic League was dissolved, but the Kontor continued operating.[16]
In 1665, the city's harbour was the site of the Battle of Vgen, where an English naval flotilla attacked a Dutch
merchant- and treasure fleet supported by the city's garrison.
In 1754, the operations of the Kontor at Bryggen, ended.[22]
Until 1789, Bergen retained its monopoly to mediate trade between Northern Norway and abroad.[23]

A photochrom of Bergen near the end of the 19th century. Visible are Domkirken in the bottom left side,
Korskirken in the middle, the bay (Vgen) with its many boats and the Bergenhus Fortress to the right of the
opening of Vgen.
In the 1830s, Oslo (the capital) surpassed Bergen as Norway's most populous city.
In 1882 the city's phone company was established.
In 1883 the rail line to Voss was completedVossebanen.
In 1897 a trolley service started operating.
In 1900 utility services for electricity started.
In 1909 the rail line to Oslo openedthe Bergen Line.
In 1917 the pier Skoltegrunnskaien opened.
In 1932 the road to Hardanger was completed, connecting Bergen to a significant part of Norway's road
network.

World War II: During World War II, Bergen was occupied on the first day of the German invasion on 9
April 1940, after a brief fight between German ships and the Norwegian coastal artillery. On 20 April 1944 the
Dutch cargo ship Voorbode anchored off the Bergenhus Fortress, loaded with over 120 tons of explosives, blew
up, killing at least 150 people and damaging historic buildings. The city was subject to some Allied bombing
raids, aiming at German naval installations in the harbour. Some of these caused Norwegian civilian casualties
numbering about 100.
On the morning of 8 May 1945, Wehrmacht's superior officer in Norway announced that he would follow orders
to capitulate.
The resistance groups in Bergen were Saborg, Milorg, "Theta-gruppen", Sivorg, Stein-organisasjonen and the
Communist Party.

After World War II: In 9 July 1974 saw an accident on Ulriksbanen, which led to the largest rescue
operation in the municipality, since World War II. Four people died.
In 1979 Bergen's old quayside, Bryggen, was listed on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites.

Fires: In 1170 or 1171, the first great fire occurred. In 1198, the Bagler-faction set fire to the city in connection
with a battle against the Birkebeiner faction during the civil war. In 1248, Holmen and Sverresborg burned, and
11 churches were destroyed. In 1413 another fire struck the city, and 14 churches were destroyed. In 1428 the
city was plundered by German pirates, and in 1455, Hanseatic merchants were responsible for burning down
Munkeliv Abbey. In 1476, Bryggen burned down in a fire started by a drunk trader. In 1582, another fire hit the
city centre and Strandsiden. In 1675, 105 buildings burned down in vregaten. In 1686 a new great fire hit
Strandsiden, destroying 231 city blocks and 218 boathouses. The greatest fire to date happened in 1702 when 90
percent of the city was burned to ashes. In 1751, there was a great fire at Vgsbunnen. In 1756, a new fire at
Strandsiden burned down 1,500 buildings, and further great fires hit Strandsiden in 1771 and 1901. In 1916,
300 buildings burned down in the city centre, and in 1955 parts of Bryggen burned down.

View of the city centre from Mt. Flyen

Climate: Bergen features a temperate oceanic climate. Areas of the municipality at some higher altitude are
largely oceanic sub-polar, with cool winters and mild summers. Despite being so far north, Bergen's weather is
warmer than that would suggest. In the winter, Bergen has the warmest winters of all cities in Norway, caused
by the Gulf Stream. Bergen experiences plentiful rainfall, with annual precipitation measuring 2,250 mm (89 in)
on average. This is because the city is surrounded by mountains that cause moist North Atlantic air to undergo
orographic lift, which yields abundant rainfall.

St. Mary's Church

Demographics: Ethnic Norwegians make up 84.5% of Bergen's residents. In addition, 8.1% were first or
second generation immigrants of Western background and 7.4% were first or second generation immigrants of
non-Western background.[57] The population grew by 4,549 people in 2009, a growth rate of 1,8%. Ninety-six
percent of the population live in urban areas. As of 2002, the average gross income for men above the age of 17
is 426,000 Norwegian krone (NOK), the average gross income for women above the age of 17 is NOK 238,000,
with the total average gross income being NOK 330,000.[57] In 2007, there were 104.6 men for every 100 women
in the age group of 2039.[57] 22.8% of the population were under 17 years of age, while 4.5% were 80 and
above. The immigrant population (those with two foreign-born parents) in Bergen, includes 42,169 individuals
with backgrounds from 180 countries representing 15.5% of the city's population (2014). Of these, 50.2% have
background from Europe, 28.9% from Asia, 13.1% from Africa, 5.5% from Latin America, 1.9% from North
America and 0.4% from Oceania. The immigrant population in Bergen in the period 19932008 increased by
119.7%, while the ethnic Norwegian population has grown by 8.1% during the same period. The national
average is 138.0% and 4.2%. The immigrant population has thus accounted for 43.6% of Bergen's population
growth and 60.8% of Norway's population growth during the period 19932008, compared with 84.5% in Oslo.
[59]

The immigrant population in Bergen has changed a lot since 1970. As of 1 January 1986, there were 2,870
persons with non-Western immigrant background in Bergen. In 2006, this figure had increased to 14,630, so the
non-Western immigrant population in Bergen was five times higher than in 1986. This is a slightly slower
growth than the national average, which has sextupled during the same period. Also in relation to the total
population in Bergen, the proportion of non-Western increased significantly. In 1986, the proportion of the total
population in the municipality of non-Western background was 3.6%. In January 2006, persons with nonWestern immigrant background accounted for 6 percent of the population in Bergen. The share of Western
immigrants has remained stable at around 2% in the period. The number of Poles in Bergen rose from 697 in
2006 to 3,128 in 2010.[60]

The Church of Norway is the largest denomination in Bergen, with 201,006 (79.74%) adherents in 2012. Bergen
is the seat of the Diocese of Bjrgvin with Bergen Cathedral as its centrepiece, which St John's Church is the
city's most prominent. The state church is followed by 52,059 (13.55%) irreligious [61] 12,000 Catholics
belonging to Saint Paul Catholic Church[62][63] 4,947 members of various Protestant free churches, 2,707
Muslims, 816 Hindus, 255 Russian Orthodox and 147 Oriental Orthodox. For a complete list of Church of
Norway churches in Bergen, see the List of churches in Hordaland.
The oldest part of Bergen is the area around the bay of Vgen in the city centre. Originally centred on the
eastern side of the bay, Bergen eventually expanded west and southwards. Few buildings from the oldest period
remain, the most significant being St Mary's Church from the 12th century. For several hundred years, the
extent of the city remained almost constant. The population was stagnant, and the city limits were narrow.[65] In
1702, of the city burned. Most of the old buildings of Bergen, including Bryggen (which was rebuilt in a
medieval style), were built after the fire. The fire marked a transition from tar covered houses, as well as the
remaining log houses, to painted and some brick-covered wooden buildings.[66]

Panorama of the Hanseatic buildings of Bryggen, a World Heritage Site

Education: The University of Bergen has 16,000 students and 3,000 staff, making it the third-largest
educational institution in Norway.[90] Research in Bergen dates back to activity at Bergen Museum in 1825,
although the university was not founded until 1946. The university has a broad range of courses and research in
academic fields and three national centres of excellence, in climate research, petroleum research and medieval
studies.[91] The main campus is located in the city centre. The university cooperates with Haukeland University
Hospital within medical research.

Economy: In August 2004, Time magazine named the city one of Europe's 14 "secret capitals" where Bergen's
capital reign is acknowledged within maritime businesses and activities such as aquaculture and marine
research, with the Institute of Marine Research (IMR) (the second-largest oceanography research centre in
Europe) as the leading institution. Bergen is the main base for the Royal Norwegian Navy (at Haakonsvern) and
its international airport Flesland is the main heliport for the Norwegian North Sea oil and gas industry, from
where thousands of offshore workers commute to their work places onboard oil and gas rigs and platforms.[100]

Tourism: Bergen is Norway's largest cruise ship port of call. Bergen Port, operated by Bergen Port Authority,
is the largest seaport in Norway.

Culture: Some of the city's cultural institutions are theatres (including Den Nationale Scene), the concert
venue Grieg Hall,] orchestras (Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, founded in 1765), ensembles and dance
companies.
The contemporary art scene includes BIT Teatergarasjen, Bergen Kunsthall, United Sardines Factory (USF) and
Bergen Centre for Electronic Arts (BEK).

Dialect: Bergensk is the native dialect of Bergen and a variation of Vestnorsk. It was strongly influenced by
Low German-speaking merchants from the mid-14th to mid-18th centuries. During the Dano-Norwegian period
from 1536 to 1814, Bergen was more influenced by Danish than other areas of Norway. The Danish influence
removed the female grammatical gender in the 16th century, making Bergensk one of very few Norwegian
dialects with only two instead of three grammatical genders. The Rs are uvular trills, as in French, which
probably spread to Bergen some time in the 18th century, overtaking the alveolar trill in the time span of two to
three generations. Owing to an improved literacy rate, Bergensk was influenced by riksml and bokml in the
19th and 20th centuries. This led to large parts of the German-inspired vocabulary disappearing and
pronunciations shifting slightly towards East Norwegian.[140]
Ruins include those of the Christ Church.
Bergen is looked upon as the street art capital of Norway;[145] the famous artist Banksy visited the city in 2000
and inspired many to start with street art. Later the city brought the most famous street artist in Norway, Dolk,
to town. His art can still be seen several places in the city, and in 2009 the city council chose to preserve Dolk's
work "Spray" with protective glass. A five year plan of action for street art to ensure that "Bergen will lead the
fashion for street art as an expression both in Norway and Scandinavia" was launched by the city in 2011.

Gamlehaugen castle, the Norwegian

Royal Family's residence in Bergen

Bergen Place Monument in Seattle,

a sister city of Bergen

Each year Bergen donates the Christmas Tree seen in Newcastle's Haymarket as a sign of the ongoing
friendship between the sister cities. The Nordic friendship cities of Bergen, Gothenburg, Turku and Aarhus
arrange inter-Nordic camps each year by inviting 10th grade school classes from each of the other cities to
school camps. Bergen received a totem pole as a gift of friendship from the city of Seattle on the city's 900th
anniversary in 1970. It is now placed in the Nordnes Park and gazes out over the sea towards the friendship city.
Bergen International Festival (FIB): FIB is the leading multidisciplinary performing arts festival with
programmes on all the performing arts fields. A special emphasis is given to contemporary creation.
Presenting the values of Norwegian culture and from all over the world, Bergen invites you to discover the
young generations, as well. Dates in 2015: From May 27th to June 10th 2015. Norwegian name:
Festspillene i Bergen (short name is FIB). Location: Stages in the Bergen area. Telephone: +47 948 06
325.
June 11-14th 2015: BergenFest (music festival): The foundation Bergen Fest (formerly Bergen Blues &
Roots Festival) was established in 1993 to promote music, especially blues and related forms, in Bergen
and Hordaland, on an idealistic and non-commercial basis, through arranging an annual festival. The
foundation is a member of The Norwegian Music Council in Hordaland. The foundation is run by a board
consisting of three members. The administration consists of three persons plus approx. 70 volunteers
whom all contribute strongly towards the festival.

In late April and early May of each year, Ole Blues gives its audience a variety of different musical forms of
expression, ranging from authentic American blues, related music such as R&B to cajun/zydeco and
rock/country-influenced concerts. Folk music from other parts of the world is also a natural part of the
musical diversity.
The first Ole Blues Fest was arranged in 1994. After the start the audience numbers at the festival has
almost exploded, rising from 1.500 in the first year to more than 20.000 in 2000. From 1996 a cooperation
with The Norwegian Music Council has led to music seminars for youth and musicians at a high level of
performance as a part of the festival. In 1997 the first school concert was given in cooperation with
Rikskonsertene i Hordaland. In order to strengthen the work of spreading music towards children and
youth in the region, we will try to further develop this kind of projects. Among the teachers at Ole Blues
School of Excellence are Sir George Martin, Roger McGuinn, Nils Lofgren, Mark Rae (of Rae &
Christian) etc.
The festival has been well received by Norwegian press, and has established itself as a modern music
festival of international as well as national interest. The festival is sponsored by national corporate
sponsors and receives funding from governmental offices both locally and nationally. Voted Festival of the
Year in 2000 amongst collegues in Norwegian Rock Festival Council and received Bergen Tourist Board
s Price of Honor 2001 for excellent marketing of Bergen.

Bjorgvin Marknad viking and medieval festival June 5th to June 7th
June 13th 2015: Market Day in Bergen (Torgdagen): At the world famous Bryggen (the wharf) and
in the port area, the urban meet country life this day. You can experience a vibrant boat life with all sorts of
interesting old wooden boats, small boats and ships in the harbor, do a good market trading in the
traditional style, meet happy people in new and old fashion clothes, and enjoy one of the many outdoor
cafs in the city center. There will be exhibitions, games and entertainment. Bring the whole family for this
event. As usual there will be a lively atmosphere. Do not miss the Market day in Bergen! In Norwegian
language this market day is known as Torgdagen.

St. Mary Church is the oldest building in Bergen.

This church is also known as Mariakirken in Norwegian language. The church is

from the first half of the 12th century, and one of the most outstanding Romanesque churches in the
country. The pulpit is the pride of the church and is considered the richest example of Baroque decorative
art in Norway. Situated in the center of Bergen, walking distance from the Fish Market. Next to Bryggen in
Bergen. Closed from January 2010 to 2015 due maintenance. Planned to open again in May 2015.
Bergen Aquarium: One of the most extensive collections of marine fauna in Europe. The Bergen
Aquarium is located on the outermost point of Nordnes, with a delightful view over the approach to the
port of Bergen. Seals and penguins playing in the large pools welcome you to the Aquarium that has as
one of Europes largest collections []