Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SAVING BRYGGEN
So beautiful and popular 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 (notably in 1702 and again in 1955,
when one-third of Bryggen was destroyed). The 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 embarrassment. Plans for the redevelop-
ment of the site included modern, eight-storey buildings, a bus station, a shopping centre
and a car park.
What saved Bryggen were the archaeological excavations that took 13 years to com-
plete after the 1955 fire and which unearthed over one million artefacts. In 1962 the
Bryg-
gen Foundation
(
www.stiftelsenbryggen.no
) and Friends of Bryggen were formed; the
foundation still oversees its protection and restoration, although the buildings are
privately owned.
One of the greatest challenges is the fact that Bryggen is actually sinking by an estim-
ated 8mm each year. In 1979 Unesco inscribed Bryggen on its World Heritage list. For
more information, visit the
Bryggen Visitors Centre
.
Tours
Bergen Fjord Sightseeing
BOAT TOURS
(White Lady; 55 25 90 00;
www.rodne.no
;
harbour tour adult/child/family Nkr150/80/350, fjord
cruise Nkr 500/300/1250)
A vintage ferry operates one-hour harbour tours offering good views of Bryggen and the
surrounding hills or four-hour fjord tours to Osterfjord, north of Bergen. Boats depart from
the waterfront next to the fish market (daily June to August, 2.30pm for the fjord, 11.30am
or 1pm for the harbour).
City Sightseeing Bergen
BUS TOUR
