Bergen, fjord-Norway´s capital surrounded by seven mountains, boasts nearly 1000 years experience in welcoming people from abroad. And Bergen is worth a visit: the Gateway to the Fjords, has always something to offer no matter what time of year. There´s always a party or a celebration going on in Bergen, and if there isn´t one, we´ll find an excuse! Bergen is an international town full of historie and tradition; a big town with small-town charm and atmosphere.
The very first buildings in Bergen were alongside the harbour called Bryggen. Bryggen has been the nervecentre of the city for hundreds of years and the silhouette of it´s ancient gables is perhaps the most familiar image in all of Norway. In 1360 the Hansas, a German guild of merchants, set up one of their import/ export offices on Bryggen and dominated trade for the next 400 years.
Many times Bryggen has been devastated by fire, and the Great Fire of 1702 reduced the whole city to ashes. But Bryggen was quickly re-built on top of foundations that had been here since the 11th century. Bryggen is now on UNESCO"s World Heritage List and the city of Bergen is a designated World Heritage City.
To meander through Bryggen´s narrow alleyways made even darker and more mysterious by overhanging balconies, is to step back into a time hardly touched by the passage of centuries. Althoug 61 of Bryggen´s buildings are preserved and protected they are not a museum. Bryggen´s spectacular wooden architecture shelters a living community of shops and offices; artists studios; crafts-people´s workshops, and restaurants.
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