We were ready to get off the ship as soon as they opened the gangways. It was a gray day, and the chance of rain was projected to increase throughout the day. The ship was docked a little ways from the historic district, but nothing that we wouldn’t walk most days, anyway.
The city of Bergen is Norways’s second largest, with a population of over 40,000. it was founded in 1070, a fact commemorated in their 950th anniversary manhole covers.
Bergen was the capital of the Kingdom of Norway during the Middle Ages. Bergenhus Castle, one of the best preserved fortresses in Norway, is located by the shore in the oldest part of town. King Hakon’s Hall was constructed in the mid-13th century as a royal residence and banqueting hall. Norway’s first codex, or legal code, was drawn up in this hall. Rosenkrantz Tower, incorporating older structures dating back to 1270, was completed in 1570 as a residence and defensive structure.
King Hakon’s Hall
Rosenkrantz
The Hanseatic league was a loosely formed cooperative alliance between city-states that had a virtual monopoly on trade across the Nordic and Baltic Seas in the Middle Ages. At its height in the 13th-15th centuries, it stretched from Russia to the Netherlands, and from Estonia to Krakow, Poland. Its commercial reach extended to Venice, Portugal and England. Hanseatic traders enjoyed duty-free treatment, protection and diplomatic privileges along their trading routes. Cooperation promoted mutual prosperity and kinship ties across the member cities. It eventually encompassed nearly 200 settlements across what is today 7 countries.
Traces of the Hanseatic League’s influence can still be seen in Bergen. A short walk along the picturesque harbor from the Bergenhus Fortress is the historic harbor district of Bryggen. Also known as Tyskebryggen, or the German Dock, this World Heritage Site commemorates a foreign trading post (or kontor) which controlled the trade in stockfish from the North from 1350 until the 16th century. (Stockfish is unsalted fish, especially cod, dried by cold air on wooden racks. It has a shelf life of several years.) Many of Bryggen’s wooden houses and wharfside timbered warehouses were destroyed by several fires, most recently in 1955, but they were always rebuilt in the traditional style. Around 60 of the houses remain, with about a third built after a 1702 fire and others being newer. There are some stone cellars that date back to the 15th century.
Looking right and left along the Bryggen waterfront. One of the houses is draped in a plastic cover.
The fronts of the buildings are colorful and charming, but the really interesting bits are down the narrow alleyways behind the facades.
A couple of the houses were under renovation. You can see how the rough logs cross a platform of flat rocks, and the floor boards are placed above. The upright posts are secured with wooden pegs.
Bergen is surrounded by 7 mountains and the sea. We took the funicular 1050 ft up the steepest of them to Mount Floyen.
The 2-car funicular has been transporting people for over 100 years. In six exhilarating minutes, we were at the top.
Our ship, the MS Rotterdam, is center left. The colorful buildings of Bryggen are just below the block of dark roofs in the lower right.
A network of hiking trails spins off from the top of Mount Floyen. We’d had thoughts of hiking to a nearby lake, but didn’t want to risk being caught up there if the rain broke. So we settled for a walk through the somewhat over-promoted Troll Forest and got a geocache. Most of the trolls seemed to be well-hidden today.
You can take the funicular round trip for about $15, but we’d planned to walk back to the city center. It’s about 2 miles, well-marked and downhill. The trail crosses the funicular halfway point after passing through the woods, and then becomes a series of switchbacks which can be shortened by taking connecting stairs. At one point, a slide eliminated several sets of stairs. I tried it; Greg did not. I proposed that a series of slides - kind of like Chutes and Ladders - could be a great way to liven up and shorten the time back to the city.
We stopped at a bakery in Bryggen to try a highly recommended Skillingsbolle. It’s a sweet, doughy incarnation of a cinnamon roll. Super good, especially with a hot chocolate (Greg) or cappacino (me).
The Skillingsbolle are at the end of the case, just above where the woman is pointing. Clearly, she was uninformed and is ordering the wrong thing.
We’re further north than we’ve been so far on this trip, and will be bit even further north tomorrow when we dock in Molde.
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