Itinerary

Bryggen Hanseatic Wharf - 1360 AD

Colorful Bryggen - Hanseatic Wharf is one of Bergen's and Norway's main attractions. The very first buildings in Bergen were situated at Bryggen, which has been a vibrant and important area of the city for many centuries. Bryggen is now part of our common heritage and has a place on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, and the city of Bergen is a designated World Heritage City. The world heritage site consists of the old Hanseatic wharf and buildings, and is one of the best known urban areas from the Middle Ages in all of Norway.

ST Mary's Church - 1180 AD

The construction of St Mary"s Church (Mariakirken) started in the 1130s and completed around 1180, making the church the oldest remaining building in Bergen.The church has been in continuous use since early medieval period. St Mary’s church is a basilica, i.e the body of the church is divided into a lofty nave and two lower side aisles with separate roofs. This is a feature borrowed from medieval cathedrals, and is relatively seldom found in an ordinary parish church. The two towers must be original though they must have been repaired after the fire in 1248. No other Norwegian church has such a west front. Although having been built as a parish church for the Norwegian population of Bergen, St Mary"s Church was taken over by the city"s large German population in 1408. By belonging to the wealthy Germans, St Mary"s is richly adorned and escaped the fate of being turned into a ruin, unlike several of the other churches in the city.

Bergenhus Fortress - 1240 AD

Bergenhus Fortress is located at the entrance of Bergen harbour. The castle is one of the oldest and best preserved stone fortifications in Norway, and it contains buildings dating as far back as the 1240s. In medieval times, the area of the present-day Bergenhus Fortress was known as Holmen and contained the royal residence in Bergen, as well as a cathedral, several churches, the bishop's residence, and a Dominican monastery. Excavations have revealed foundations of buildings believed to date back to before 1100, which might have been erected by King Olav Kyrre. In the 13th century, until 1299, Bergen was the capital of Norway and Holmen was thus the main seat of Norway's rulers. It was first enclosed by stone walls in the 1240s. Håkon’s Hall was built between 1247 and 1261 by Håkon Håkonsson. It was the largest and most imposing building of the royal residency in the 13th-century when Bergen was the political centre of Norway. Håkon’s Hall is 750 years old and was built as a royal residence and banqueting hall. When Magnus Håkonsson Lagabøte married the Danish princess Ingeborg in 1261, 2000 guests were invited. At that time Bergen was Norway’s largest and most important town, and Håkon’s Hall was the site of major national events.

Skuteviken Wharf - 1200 AD

Skuteviken developed as an isolated suburb of Bergen, under the protection of the Sverresborg fortress which was built in 1183. When the Baglers and Birkebeiner fought in the Civil War in the summer of 1198, the Baglers had their fleet lying in Skuteviken. In Skuteviken, small wooden houses were built without any overall plan, and the growth took place until the end of the 18th century. The name Skuteviken (ship bay) probably comes from the fact that the merchants at Bryggen used the beach at Bradbenken and in Skuteviken as a mooring place when the ships were to be keeled. Although Skuteviken is an old place and located just outside Bergen, it was not until the 20th century that a road was built along the beach into the city. 

Sandviksbodene - 1650 AD

Sandviksbodene is the name of the historic boathouses in Sandviken. From Hegreneset to Skuteviken there are a number of older boathouses or warehouses, and they were originally used for storing merchandise, mostly stockfish from northern Norway. The stalls were originally located along the beach, on islets and reefs or on bulwarks out in the sea. The boathouses usually have several identical floors with log-lined storage rooms in a row. The bearings are connected to a gangway with cargo hatches. Many of the stalls also have corner rooms with offices that have elaborate detailing and painted decor. The oldest stalls in Sandviken date back to the middle of the 17th century and the youngest from the end of the 19th century. When harbor activity in Sandviken reached its peak around the middle of the 19th century, there were around 250 such stalls. The few remaining stalls are considered important cultural monuments, and a representative selection of boathouses in Sandviken and Skuteviken are protected as cultural monuments of national value.

Kristiansholm - 1560 AD

Kristiansholm became known as Tjuholmen (Thief Islet) from the 16th century, when it was an execution site in Bergen. During the Dutch-British naval war that started in 1652, the island was equipped with 10-12 larger cannons, as a contingency measure to strengthen Bergen's fortress facilities. From the islet, there is a jetty to Sandvikstorget, which was completed in 1921. In 1934, a seaplane port was built on the south side of the islet, which is still in use.

Måseskjæret - 1804 AD

Måseskjæret is one of three islets in the bay of Sandviken. The first settlement on the islet came in 1804 and was a summer residence. Towards the end of the 19th century, the rest of the islet was developed. Today, it is the modern apartment building that characterizes Måseskjæret. Måseskjæret 1 is a summer resident that got its current name from the islet just outside. The house was built by Christopher Kahrs in 1795, and is a single-storey building with a high hipped roof and center sheet. Lyststedet Måseskjæret 1 was protected by the National Heritage Board from 1927.

Byfjorden - The City Fjord

Byfjorden, the fjord basin between Bergen city center and Askøy, connects Hjeltefjorden with Herdlafjorden. The largest bays, Puddefjorden and Vågen, cut into the central districts. Among the major war events on Byfjorden are the battles during the civil wars in the 12th century between Magnus Erlingsson and Sverre Sigurdsson, and in 1665, during the Second Anglo-Dutch War, a naval battle was fought here between an English and a Dutch fleet. The Danish-Norwegian forces in the city joined the battle on the Dutch side, and this is the only time Bergenhus Fortress has been in battle. A fleet of sixty Dutch ships, including ten ships from the Dutch East India Company with very valuable cargo, sought refuge in Bergen's neutral port during the pursuit of English warships. When the English attacked, the garrison at Bergenhus strongly opposed them. The battle was short and bloody, and the English fled. A cannonball stuck in the wall of the Cathedral in Bergen has long been thought to come from this battle. During the Second World War, Byfjorden was mined, and mine blasting and bombing of ships took place both during the German invasion and later.

U-Boot Bunker Bruno - 1941 AD

The submarine bunker Bruno at Laksevåg, was built into the mountains by the German occupation forces from 1941. 18,000 tonnes of steel, 500,000 tonnes of sand, 120,000 tonnes of cement and 15 tonnes of dynamite were used to build the submarine bunker. The heavy work was carried out by Soviet prisoners of war. It was subjected to allied air attacks in October 1944 and in January 1945. In 1944, a total of 152 aircraft took part in the attack; 93 Handley Page Halifax and 47 Avro Lancaster bombers, as well as twelve Mosquito fighter bombers as escorts. In total, over 1,000 crews participated in the raid. At 09:05, the air defense sirens went off at Laksevåg and Bergen, and in the course of one hour, a total of 1,432 bombs were dropped on Laksevåg. Only a few bombs hit the target, most hit the settlement and killed 193 civilians, including 61 children at Holen school. Two of the planes were shot down. Under the five-meter-thick concrete roof, three docks are hiding today. In 1952, the facility was taken into use by the Norwegian Navy and is still used today by Haakonsvern naval base.

Verftet, Georgernes Shipyard - 1784 AD

The name "Verftet" is today associated with both an entire area and a building complex sheltered by Fredriksberg fortress at the Nordnes peninsula. The original shipyard was built in the 1780s by Georg Brunchorst and Georg Vedeler. It was called Georgernes Verft (Georgernes Shipyard), and ships were both built and repaired here in the years after 1786. The shipyard continued under different owners, but it was especially Annanias Dekke's participation in 1853 that started the yard's heyday. Dekke had learned shipbuilding, in Boston, and a series of magnificent sailing ships were built here. Dekke gained a reputation as one of Norway's best ship designers and shipbuilders. In the 40-year period between 1853 and 1892, 41 sailing ships and 15 steamships were built at the shipyard. In 1910 a sardine factory was established in parts of the shipyard area, and in the following years it became one of the largest sardine factories in Norway. Today, the factory lives a new life as "USF Verftet", a 12,000 m2 large art and culture arena with a total of 120 companies in all disciplines within art and culture.

Fredriksberg Fortress - 1666 AD

Fredriksberg Fortress is located on the highest point of the Nordnes peninsula. On the west side there is a steep side down to the sea, and from the fortress there is a good view over Bergen city center and towards Laksevåg. In the 17th century, there were fortifications with cannon batteries around the entire Nordnes peninsula . Fredriksberg fort was a military area until 1904. From the 18th century, the fort also got a fire tower, and in the event of a fire, the military had to fire shots. The number of shots fired told where in the city it burned. In 1926, the fire service here was closed down, but the fire tower still stands on the fort today.

Nordnes Sea Water Pool - 1910 AD

Nordnes Sea Water Pool (Nordnes Sjøbad) was opened in 1910, and until 1965 the sea water pool consisted of floating wooden boxes in the sea that were attached to land with chains. In 1965, the modern seawater pool was ready and later on the water was also heated, which meant that many more people used the facility. Like all public bathrooms, there was a distinction between ladies and men. Usually the difference was in the time you could spend in the bathroom, but at Nordnes Sjøbad both sexes were in the bathroom at the same time, but they were separated with large canvases between the areas. This separation was removed after World War II, although to some extent an area division of cement was still practiced until well into the 60s. Today, Nordnes Sjøbad is a 25m long, heated, saltwater swimming pool. The main pool is kept lovely and warm at a temperature of 29°C (84°F) and you can also take a refreshing dip in the sea. The facilities include indoor changing rooms and a sauna.

Bergen Aquarium - 1960 AD

Bergen Aquarium is a facility from 1960 that shows fish, aquatic animals and penguins. The aquarium also has a tropical section with snakes, crocodiles, spiders and other tropical animals. The aquarium has more than 300 species and over 60 large aquariums. In 2016, an ocean aquarium was opened that can be seen from the outside and inside. Penguins, sea lions, otters and large fish live in four outdoor ponds, and in the tropical section there are snakes, crocodiles, spiders, lizards and other exotic animals.

Tollboden - 1561 AD

In 1561, Bergen got its first customs house, which also became the city's largest wooden building. The jetties protruded more than 100 meters into the sea. Thus one came out on such deep water that even large ships could dock. The Tollbod extension served both as a shelter against the northwest storm and as a narrowing of Vågen, so that it became easier to prevent smuggling. 

Nykirken - 1622 AD

The large, white, stone, cruciform church was consecrated in 1622 as "Holy Trinity Church", but it's generally known as Nykirken (The new church). When the church was originally built in 1622, there were other churches in Bergen that were already several hundred years old, so this church was nicknamed "the new church", a name which has stuck for centuries. It is also an appropriate nickname, since the churches on this site have burned down several times and then been rebuilt, so it literally is usually the "newest" church in the central city. The current building dates back to 1764 when it was completely rebuilt and redesigned after a major fire. It has been significantly rebuilt several times since then, too, following various fires.

Murhvelvingen - 1561 AD

Murhvelvingen was built after the town fire in 1561 as a private house and representation for the sheriff of Bergenhus fortress. He had received the king's permission to collect soapstone from a monastery ruins, and this can be seen in corners and frames. The building was damaged by fires in 1625, 1640 and 1643. It was repaired by public funds in the years 1651-52, and after that used by guards. The lower floor has several smaller basements on each side of the vaulted passage, where there have been shops since the 17th century. Large slate slabs from Hardanger are just as nice today as when the house was built. In the basement, dynamite was also sold until the late 1960s, allegedly enough to blow up the whole city.

Bergen Fish Market

Fish Market in Bergen is one of Norway's most visited outdoor markets, and it has a charming location in the heart of the city, between the fjord and the seven mountains. Since the 13th century, the square has been a meeting place for townspeople, merchants, farmers and fishermen. You can find fresh fish, shellfish and local farm products such as fruits, berries, vegetables and flowers here. There are also several restaurants serving a large selection of seafood. The outdoor Fisketorget is open from May to September, while the food hall with outlets and restaurants is open all year. Fisketorget has been one of the most important places for trade between fishermen, farmers and the inhabitants. In addition to the merchants on land, there were also historical sales from boats along the quay. Fishermen who lived outside the city rowed into the square to sell the catch of the day before rowing home the same day.