When you visit Bergen, a trip to Bryggen is a must. For over 400 years, the Hanseatic wharf at Bryggen was home to the offices of the Hanseatic League, which dominated trade in Northern Europe. Today, Bryggen and it's unique architecture is listed on UNESCOs world Heritage List.
When you visit Bergen, a trip to Bryggen is a must. For over 400 years, the Hanseatic wharf at Bryggen was home to the offices of the Hanseatic League, which dominated trade in Northern Europe. Today, Bryggen and it's unique architecture is listed on UNESCOs world Heritage List.
The Bryggen area - one of Bergen's main attractions - consists of a series of commercial buildings that line the eastern side of the fjord in Bergen. Its architecture is unique and since 1979, it has been listed by UNESCO as one of the world's most significant examples of the history and culture of a medieval settlement. The administrative buildings of Bryggen housed clerks from many areas, especially Germany. The warehouses were filled with goods, particularly fish from Northern Norway, and cereal from Europe.
During its history, Bergen has experienced many fires and around a quarter of the buildings now date back to the time after 1702, when the older wharf-side warehouses and administrative buildings burned down. The rest predominantly consists of younger buildings, although there are some stone cellars that date back to the 15th century.
Today, Bryggen is a fascinating honeycomb of workshops – where painters, weavers and craftsmen produce fine-quality, original items. Bryggen also has a wide selection of places to eat and museums telling the story of Bryggen and Bergen.
