The gateway to the fjords
Bergen has given a warm welcome to its visitors for more than 900 years. Bergen - the old city with a young outlook. A city with its feet in the sea, its head in the skies and its heart in the right place - full of infectious enthusiasm, which it is happy to share with visitors.
Bergen is Norway's second largest city with a population of roughly 250,000 in 2008. King Olav Kyrre founded the city of Bergen in 1070, and it was the country's capital from 1110 until 1299.
Bergen was one of the major Hanseatic cities in Europe and it has been a great centre of trade throughout the ages. Fish was exported from Bergen, while grain was the chief import. The first German merchants came to the city already in 1270, and the powerful Hanseatic League existed until 1784, when it was disbanded. The Hanseatic merchants operated in the Bryggen area, which is now included on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
Bergen is called ‘the city between seven mountains’ because of the many mountains that surround it. At 624 metres, Mount Ulriken is the tallest of them.
Today Bergen is an important centre for the shipping and oil industries, as well as for aquaculture, the food processing industry and higher education. Bergen is also a European City of Culture and its many museums and art galleries are well worth a visit.
You can visit Bergen on one of our many organised trips to the Norwegian fjords.