Bergen Norway: Encyclopedia - Bergen Norway

Bergen, Norway

Data from Statistics Norway

Bergen is a municipality and city in the county of Hordaland, Norway.

Bergen is the second largest city in Norway. It is located on the south-western coast-line of Norway, between de syv fjell, "the seven mountains", according to folklore. Bergen is also known as the gateway to the fjords of Norway.

Bergen Norway - History

Bergen was founded as a city by Olaf Kyrre in AD 1070, and considered to be Norway's capital until 1299, Toward the end of the thirteenth century, Bergen became one of the Hanseatic League's four most important bureaus. The reason for its importance was the trade in dried cod from the northern Norwegian coast, starting up around 1100. The German hanseatic merchants lived in their own separate quarter of town, where low German was spoken, enjoying exclusive rights to trade with the northern fishermen that each summer sailed to Bergen. Today, one still gets a feel of this at the quayside of Bergen called Bryggen, today on the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites.

In 1349, the Black Death was introduced to Norway by the crew of an English ship arriving Bergen. In 1429 descendants of the Victual Brothers attacked Bergen with some ships, plundered the town and burned it down. In 1536, the king was able to force the German merchants to become Norwegian citizens or return home, heralding a decline in the German influence.

Throughout the 15th and 16th century, Bergen remained the biggest city in the Nordic countries, and it remained Norway's biggest city until 1850, when overtaken by Oslo. Bergen retained its monopoly of trade of Northern Norway until 1789.

In 1916, parts of the city centre were destroyed by a devastating fire. In 1944, during the German occupation, a German warship anchored off the Bergenhus fortress, filled with explosives, blew up, killing many people and damaging historic buildings.

In 1972, Bergen was unified with neighbouring boroughs, thereby getting its present boundaries.

Bergen Norway - Cityscape

The oldest part of the city is on the north side of the bay of Vågen. Here you find Bryggen, a number of old, wooden houses dating from the early 18th c., but still giving a medieval feel. The Saint Mary Church is the oldest church of Bergen, dating from around 1130. Two other churches, the Cathedral and the Korskirken church are also medieval, although modified later. The fortress of Bergenhus has a number of interesting buildings, notably the Haakonshallen royal hall from the 13th c., and the Rosenkrantz Tower, built around a medieval fortification in the 16th century.

The fishmarket is where the locals buy fish directly from the fishermen. Further down you find the main shopping area, rebuilt after a fire in 1916 in art nouveau and functionalism, around the main square Torgalmenningen. Several old quarters of white, wooden houses surround the centre, notably Nordnes, Marken and Sandviken.

Visitors should not miss the ride with the funicular up to Mount Fløyen, where one is rewarded with a splendid view over the city and the fabled seven mountains. The aquarium with seals, penguins and fish from the area is very popular.

Bergen Norway - Administration

Since 2000, the city of Bergen is governed by a city government (byråd) based on the principle of parliamentarism. The government consists of 5 government members called commissioners, and is appointed by the city council, which is the supreme authority of the city.

Bergen Norway - Weather

Bergen is renowned for its plentiful rainfall which makes up most of the 2250 mm (88 in) yearly average precipitation. For some years there were paraplyautomater (umbrella vending machines) installed in the streets, however, they did not turn out to be a success. The warmest temperature ever recorded is 31.8°C in 1947, the coldest ever recorded is -16.3°C in 1987.

Bergen Norway - Universities and research

The University of Bergen [1] is known for its strong marine biology and geology (petroleum) research. Recently the university was awarded three national centers of excellence [2] in climate research [3], petroleum research [4] and medieval studies [5]. In December 2004, billionaire Trond Mohn donated 250 million NOK to the University as research funding. Only months later (April 2005), he added an additional NOK 50 million.

Bergen is also home of the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration (NHH), a leading school of business and economics in Norway. Another major educational institution is the private christian institution Norwegian Teachers Academy (NLA)[6].

Bergen Norway - Industry

Main businesses in Bergen are:

• a large oil industry
• banking services
• TV industry (TV 2 - the largest commercial TV station's headquarters)
• deep sea operations
• fishing operations
• large vessel harbour
• universityuniversity (approx. 17 000 students)
• hotel services
• largest cruise vessel harbour in northern Europe
• the Mongstad complex, the largest oil port in Norway, is responsible for about 70% of all wet bulk.

Bergen Norway - Communication

Bergen has an international airport, Bergen Airport, Flesland, with direct flights to many European cities. The Bergensbanen railway line runs east to Voss, Geilo, Hønefoss and Oslo. Public transportation is provided by Gaia Trafikk and Hardanger Sunnhordlandske Dampskipsselskap (HSD). Local transport to Arna is provided by Norges Statsbaner. There is also a funicular (Fløibanen) and an aerial tramway (Ulriksbanen). The tramsystem was closed in 1964, although a museum-line still operates on Møhlenpris. A modern tramway line connecting the city-centre with Nesttun and Bergen Airport is in the works.

Eastbound, highway E16 run to Voss, Valdres and Oslo. Along the coast, highway E39 run south to Haugesund, Stavanger and Kristiansand, and north to Førde, Ålesund, Molde and Trondheim. Express buses ply both highways, as well as serving numerous other destinations.

• Gothenburg, Sweden
• Turku, Finland
• Århus, Denmark
• Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom
• Seattle, Washington, United States
• Asmara, Eritrea

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Bergen Norway", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki