Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
including along the southern shore of the main harbour) and Sandviken (the area north of
Håkonshallen).
Bryggen
HISTORIC DISTRICT
Bergen'soldestandmostenchantingquarterrunsalongtheeasternshoreofVågenHarbour
in long, parallel and often leaning rows of gabled buildings with stacked-stone or wooden
foundations and reconstructed rough-plank construction.
The archaeological excavations of Bryggen (
Offline map
)
, whose name means 'the
wharf', suggest that the quay was once 140m further inland than its present location. The
current 58 buildings (25% of the original, although some claim there are now 61) cover
13,000sqmetresanddatefromafterthe1702fire,althoughthebuildingpatterndatesback
to the 12th century.
In the early 14th century, there were about 30 wooden buildings on Bryggen, each of
which was usually shared by several
stuer
(trading firms). They rose two or three storeys
above the wharf and combined business premises with living quarters and warehouses.
Each building had a crane for loading and unloading ships, as well as a
schøtstue
(large
assembly room) where employees met and ate. That atmosphere of an intimate waterfront
community remains intact, and losing yourself in Bryggen is one of Bergen's great pleas-
ures.
For an excellent summary of Bryggen's history and threats to its existence, look out for
the
Bryggen Guide
(Nkr80), available from the Bryggens Museum and elsewhere, or
The
Bryggen Companion
(Nkr60) by Siri Myrvoll, which is available from the Bryggen Visit-
ors Centre.
SAVING BRYGGEN
So beautiful is Bryggen that it seems inconceivable that conservationists spent much
of the 20th century fighting plans to tear it down.
Fire has destroyed Bryggen at least seven times (especially in 1702 and again in
1955, when one-third of Bryggen was destroyed). The notable tilt of the structures
was caused in 1944, when a Dutch munitions ship exploded in the harbour, blowing
off the roofs and shifting the pilings. The explosion and 1955 fire increased the
already considerable clamour to tear down Bryggen once and for all; not only was it
considered a dangerous fire hazard, but its run-down state was widely seen as an em-
