Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...
in
Vestland
Vestland is a Counties of Norway, county in Norway established on 1 January 2020. The county is located in Western Norway and it is centred around the city of Bergen, Norway's second largest city. The administrative centre of the county is the cit ...
county on the
west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900.
Bergen is the
second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of
Bergenshalvøyen. The city centre and northern neighbourhoods are on
Byfjorden, 'the city fjord', and the city is surrounded by mountains; Bergen is known as the "city of
seven mountains". Many of the extra-municipal suburbs are on islands. Bergen is the administrative centre of Vestland county. The city consists of eight boroughs:
Arna,
Bergenhus
Bergenhus is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. This borough encompasses the city centre and is the most urbanized area of the whole city. The borough has a population (2014) of 40,606. This gives Bergenhus a popula ...
,
Fana
Fana is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough makes up the southeastern part of the municipality of Bergen. The borough was once part of the historic municipality of Fana which was incorporated into Bergen ...
,
Fyllingsdalen
Fyllingsdalen () is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough is located southwest of the city centre in the Fyllingsdalen valley, west of the mountain Løvstakken. The neighbourhoods of Fyllingsdalen mainly consis ...
,
Laksevåg
Laksevåg is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough is located in the western part of the municipality. Historically, the area was called ''Laxevaag'', and it was a separate municipality until 1972 when it wa ...
,
Ytrebygda
Ytrebygda is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough is the site of Bergen Flesland Airport.
Location
Ytrebygda is located southwest of the city center, south of the Grimstadfjorden and the lake Nordåsvannet. I ...
,
Årstad, and
Åsane
Åsane is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough makes up the northern part of the city, north of the city centre.
Åsane is connected to downtown Bergen by the E16/ E39 highway. The E16 highway continues on t ...
.
Trading in Bergen may have started as early as the 1020s. According to tradition, the city was founded in 1070 by King
Olav Kyrre and was named Bjørgvin, 'the green meadow among the mountains'. It served as Norway's capital in the 13th century, and from the end of the 13th century became a
bureau city of the
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label= Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German to ...
. Until 1789, Bergen enjoyed exclusive rights to mediate trade between
Northern Norway
Northern Norway ( nb, Nord-Norge, , nn, Nord-Noreg; se, Davvi-Norga) is a geographical region of Norway, consisting of the two northernmost counties Nordland and Troms og Finnmark, in total about 35% of the Norwegian mainland. Some of the lar ...
and abroad and it was the largest city in Norway until the 1830s when it was overtaken by the capital, Christiania (now known as
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
). What remains of the quays,
Bryggen
Bryggen (''the dock''), also known as Tyskebryggen (, ''the German dock''), is a series of Hanseatic heritage commercial buildings lining up the eastern side of the Vågen harbour in the city of Bergen, Norway. Bryggen has been on the UNESCO lis ...
, is a World Heritage Site. The city was hit by numerous fires over the years. The
Bergen School of Meteorology __NOTOC__
The "Bergen School of Meteorology" is a school of thought which is the basis for much of modern weather forecasting.
Founded by the meteorologist Prof. Vilhelm Bjerknes and his younger colleagues in 1917, the Bergen School attempts to de ...
was developed at the
Geophysical Institute The Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska Fairbanks conducts research into space physics and aeronomy; atmospheric sciences; snow, ice, and permafrost; seismology; volcanology; and tectonics and sedimentation. It was founded in 1946 b ...
starting in 1917, the
Norwegian School of Economics
The Norwegian School of Economics ( no, Norges Handelshøyskole) or NHH is a business school situated in Bergen, Norway. It was founded in 1936 as Norway's first business school and is a leading teaching and research institution in the fields of ...
was founded in 1936, and the
University of Bergen
The University of Bergen ( no, Universitetet i Bergen, ) is a research-intensive state university located in Bergen, Norway. As of 2019, the university has over 4,000 employees and 18,000 students. It was established by an act of parliament in 194 ...
in 1946. From 1831 to 1972, Bergen was its own
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
. In 1972 the municipality absorbed four surrounding municipalities and became a part of Hordaland county.
The city is an international center for aquaculture, shipping, the offshore petroleum industry and subsea technology, and a national centre for higher education, media, tourism and finance.
Bergen Port
Bergen Port is an international seaport located in the centre of Bergen, Norway, operated by Bergen Port Authority. Port locations are featured along most of the two bays in Bergen, Vågen and Puddefjorden. In 2006 it served 27,342 calls with 68 ...
is Norway's busiest in terms of both freight and passengers, with over 300 cruise ship calls a year bringing nearly a half a million passengers to Bergen, a number that has doubled in 10 years.
Almost half of the passengers are German or British.
The city's main football team is
SK Brann
Sportsklubben Brann (commonly known as Brann, and less often as SK Brann) is a Norwegian professional football club, founded 26 September 1908, from Bergen. Brann had been in the Eliteserien, Norway's Premier Division of Football, since 1987, bar ...
and a unique tradition of the city is the
buekorps
Buekorps (; literally "Bow Corps" or "Archery Brigade") are traditional marching neighbourhood youth organizations in Bergen, Norway.
The tradition is unique to Bergen. The organizations, which are called ''bataljoner'' (battalions), were firs ...
. Natives speak a distinct dialect, known as
Bergensk
Bergensk or Bergen dialect is a dialect of Norwegian used in Bergen, Norway. It is easy for Norwegians to recognise, as it is more distinguishable from other dialects in Vestland than, for example, the Stavanger dialect (''Stavangersk'') from ...
. The city features
Bergen Airport, Flesland
Bergen Airport ( nn, Bergen lufthamn; ), alternatively Bergen Flesland Airport or simply Flesland Airport, is an international airport located at Flesland in the city and municipality of Bergen, Vestland, Norway. Opened in 1955, it is the sec ...
and
Bergen Light Rail
Bergen Light Rail ( no, Bybanen) is a light rail system in Bergen, Norway. The first stage of the project was a twenty-station stretch between the city center and Lagunen Storsenter, where the first 15 stations comprising a stretch opened i ...
, and is the terminus of the
Bergen Line
The Bergen Line or the Bergen Railway ( no, Bergensbanen or nn, Bergensbana), is a long scenic standard gauge railway line between Bergen and Hønefoss, Norway. The name is often applied for the entire route from Bergen via Drammen to Osl ...
. Four large bridges connect Bergen to its suburban municipalities.
Bergen has a mild winter climate, though with a lot of precipitation. From December to March, Bergen can, in rare cases, be up to 20 °C warmer than Oslo, even though both cities are at about 60° North. The Gulf Stream keeps the sea relatively warm, considering the latitude, and the mountains protect the city from cold winds from the north, north-east and east.
History
![Scoleus](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Scoleus.jpg)
The city of Bergen was traditionally thought to have been founded by king
Olav Kyrre, son of
Harald Hardråde in 1070AD,
four years after the Viking Age in England ended with the
Battle of Stamford Bridge
The Battle of Stamford Bridge ( ang, Gefeoht æt Stanfordbrycge) took place at the village of Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, in England, on 25 September 1066, between an English army under King Harold Godwinson and an invading No ...
. Modern research has, however, discovered that a trading settlement had already been established in the 1020s or 1030s.
Bergen gradually assumed the function of capital of Norway in the early 13th century, as the first city where a rudimentary central administration was established. The city's cathedral was the site of the first royal coronation in Norway in the 1150s, and continued to host royal coronations throughout the 13th century.
Bergenhus fortress
Bergenhus fortress ( no, Bergenhus festning) is a fortress located in Bergen, Norway. Located at the entrance of Bergen harbour, the castle is one of the oldest and best preserved stone fortifications in Norway.
History
The fortress contains ...
dates from the 1240s and guards the entrance to the harbour in Bergen. The functions of the capital city were lost to
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
during the reign of King
Haakon V
Haakon V Magnusson (10 April 1270 – 8 May 1319) ( non, Hákon Magnússon; no, Håkon Magnusson, label= Modern Norwegian) was king of Norway from 1299 until 1319.
Biography
Haakon was the younger surviving son of Magnus the Lawmender, Ki ...
(1299–1319).
In the middle of the 14th century, North German merchants, who had already been present in substantial numbers since the 13th century, founded one of the four ' of the
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label= Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German to ...
at
Bryggen
Bryggen (''the dock''), also known as Tyskebryggen (, ''the German dock''), is a series of Hanseatic heritage commercial buildings lining up the eastern side of the Vågen harbour in the city of Bergen, Norway. Bryggen has been on the UNESCO lis ...
in Bergen. The principal export traded from Bergen was dried cod from the northern Norwegian coast,
which started around 1100. The city was granted a monopoly for trade from the north of Norway by King
Håkon Håkonsson
Haakon IV Haakonsson ( – 16 December 1263; Old Norse: ''Hákon Hákonarson'' ; Norwegian: ''Håkon Håkonsson''), sometimes called Haakon the Old in contrast to his namesake son, was King of Norway from 1217 to 1263. His reign lasted for 46 ...
(1217–1263).
Stockfish
Stockfish is unsalted fish, especially cod, dried by cold air and wind on wooden racks (which are called "hjell" in Norway) on the foreshore. The drying of food is the world's oldest known preservation method, and dried fish has a storage lif ...
was the main reason that the city became one of North Europe's largest centres for trade.
By the late 14th century, Bergen had established itself as the centre of the trade in Norway. The
Hanseatic merchants lived in their own separate quarter of the town, where
Middle Low German
Middle Low German or Middle Saxon (autonym: ''Sassisch'', i.e. " Saxon", Standard High German: ', Modern Dutch: ') is a developmental stage of Low German. It developed from the Old Saxon language in the Middle Ages and has been documented i ...
was used, enjoying
exclusive right
In Anglo-Saxon law, an exclusive right, or exclusivity, is a de facto, non-tangible prerogative existing in law (that is, the power or, in a wider sense, right) to perform an action or acquire a benefit and to permit or deny others the right t ...
s to trade with the northern fishermen who each summer sailed to Bergen.
The Hansa community resented Scottish merchants who settled in Bergen, and on 9 November 1523 several Scottish households were targeted by German residents. Today, Bergen's old quayside,
Bryggen
Bryggen (''the dock''), also known as Tyskebryggen (, ''the German dock''), is a series of Hanseatic heritage commercial buildings lining up the eastern side of the Vågen harbour in the city of Bergen, Norway. Bryggen has been on the UNESCO lis ...
, is on
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...
's list of
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
s.
![BergenHordalandNorwayVagen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/BergenHordalandNorwayVagen.jpg)
In 1349, the
Black Death
The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...
was brought to Norway by an English ship arriving in Bergen.
Later outbreaks occurred in 1618, 1629 and 1637, on each occasion taking about 3,000 lives. In the 15th century, the city was attacked several times by the
Victual Brothers
, native_name_lang =
, named_after = french: vitailleurs (provisioners, Hundred Years' War)
, image = Vitalienbrueder, Wandmalerei in d, Kirche zu Bunge auf Gotland, gemalt ca. 1405.JPG
, image_size = 250px ...
,
and in 1429 they succeeded in burning the royal castle and much of the city. In 1665, the city's harbour was the site of the
Battle of Vågen
The Battle of Vågen was a naval battle between a Dutch merchant and treasure fleet; and an English flotilla of warships in August 1665 as part of the Second Anglo-Dutch War. The battle took place in Vågen (meaning "the bay, voe" in Norweg ...
, when an English naval flotilla attacked a Dutch merchant and treasure fleet supported by the city's garrison. Accidental fires sometimes got out of control, and one in 1702 reduced most of the town to ashes.
Throughout the 15th and 16th centuries, Bergen remained one of the largest cities in
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and S ...
, and it was Norway's biggest city until the 1830s,
when the capital city of
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
became the largest. From around 1600, the Hanseatic dominance of the city's trade gradually declined in favour of Norwegian merchants (often of Hanseatic ancestry), and in the 1750s, the Hanseatic ' finally closed. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Bergen was involved in the
Atlantic slave trade
The Atlantic slave trade, transatlantic slave trade, or Euro-American slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of enslaved African people, mainly to the Americas. The slave trade regularly used the triangular trade route and ...
. Bergen-based slave trader
Jørgen Thormøhlen, the largest shipowner in Norway, was the main owner of the
slave ship
Slave ships were large cargo ships specially built or converted from the 17th to the 19th century for transporting slaves. Such ships were also known as "Guineamen" because the trade involved human trafficking to and from the Guinea coast ...
''Cornelia'', which made two slave-trading voyages in 1673 and 1674 respectively; he also developed the city's industrial sector, particularly in the neighbourhood of
Møhlenpris, which is named after him.
Bergen retained its monopoly of trade with northern Norway until 1789.
The Bergen stock exchange, the ', was established in 1813.
Modern history
Bergen was separated from Hordaland as a county of its own in 1831.
It was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see ). The
rural municipality
A rural municipality is a classification of municipality, a type of local government, found in several countries.
These include:
* Rural municipalities in Canada, a type of municipal status in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, ...
of was merged with Bergen on 1 January 1877.
The rural municipality of
Årstad was merged with Bergen on 1 July 1915.
During World War II, Bergen was occupied on the first day of the German invasion on 9 April 1940, after a brief fight between German ships and the Norwegian
coastal artillery
Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications.
From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form o ...
. The
Norwegian resistance movement
The Norwegian resistance ( Norwegian: ''Motstandsbevegelsen'') to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms:
*Asserting the legitimacy of the exiled governme ...
groups in Bergen were
Saborg,
Milorg
Milorg (abbreviation of militær organisasjon – military organization) was the main Norwegian resistance movement during World War II. Resistance work included intelligence gathering, sabotage, supply-missions, raids, espionage, transport ...
, ''""'',
Sivorg, ' and the Communist Party.
On 20 April 1944, during the German occupation, the Dutch cargo ship ' anchored off the
Bergenhus Fortress
Bergenhus fortress ( no, Bergenhus festning) is a fortress located in Bergen, Norway. Located at the entrance of Bergen harbour, the castle is one of the oldest and best preserved stone fortifications in Norway.
History
The fortress contains ...
, loaded with over 120 tons of explosives, and blew up, killing at least 150 people and damaging historic buildings. The city was subject to some Allied
bombing raids
Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in total war with the goal of defeating the enemy by destroying its morale, its economic ability to produce and transport materiel to the theatres of military operations, or both. It is a systematica ...
, aimed at German naval installations in the harbour. Some of these caused Norwegian civilian casualties numbering about 100.
Bergen is also well known in Norway for the
Isdal Woman
The Isdal Woman ( no, Isdalskvinnen, 1930–1945 – November 1970) is a placeholder name given to an unidentified woman who was found dead at Isdalen ("The Ice Valley") in Bergen, Norway, on 29 November 1970.
Although police at the time ruled a ...
( no, Isdalskvinnen), an unidentified person who was found dead at Isdalen ("Ice Valley") on 29 November 1970. The unsolved case encouraged international speculation over the years and it remains one of the most profound mysteries in recent Norwegian history.
The rural municipalities of
Arna,
Fana
Fana is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough makes up the southeastern part of the municipality of Bergen. The borough was once part of the historic municipality of Fana which was incorporated into Bergen ...
,
Laksevåg
Laksevåg is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough is located in the western part of the municipality. Historically, the area was called ''Laxevaag'', and it was a separate municipality until 1972 when it wa ...
, and
Åsane
Åsane is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough makes up the northern part of the city, north of the city centre.
Åsane is connected to downtown Bergen by the E16/ E39 highway. The E16 highway continues on t ...
were merged with Bergen on 1 January 1972. The city lost its status as a separate county on the same date,
and Bergen is now a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...
, in the county of
Vestland
Vestland is a Counties of Norway, county in Norway established on 1 January 2020. The county is located in Western Norway and it is centred around the city of Bergen, Norway's second largest city. The administrative centre of the county is the cit ...
.
Fires
The city's history is marked by numerous great fires. In 1198, the faction set fire to the city in connection with a battle against the faction during the civil war. In 1248, and burned, and 11 churches were destroyed. In 1413 another fire struck the city, and 14 churches were destroyed. In 1428 the city was plundered by the
Victual Brothers
, native_name_lang =
, named_after = french: vitailleurs (provisioners, Hundred Years' War)
, image = Vitalienbrueder, Wandmalerei in d, Kirche zu Bunge auf Gotland, gemalt ca. 1405.JPG
, image_size = 250px ...
, and in 1455,
Hanseatic merchants were responsible for burning down
Munkeliv Abbey
Munkeliv Abbey ( no, Munkeliv kloster) was a Benedictine abbey located at Nordnes in Bergen, Norway. It was one of the oldest monasteries in Norway, and also one of the wealthiest and best-documented. There are no visible remains today.
History
M ...
. In 1476, burned down in a fire started by a drunk trader. In 1582, another fire hit the city centre and . In 1675, 105 buildings burned down in . In 1686 another great fire hit , destroying 231 city blocks and 218 boathouses. The greatest fire in history was in 1702, when 90% of the city was burned to ashes. In 1751, there was a great fire at . In 1756, yet another fire at burned down 1,500 buildings, and further great fires hit in 1771 and 1901. In 1916, 300 buildings
burned down
A conflagration is a large fire. Conflagrations often damage human life, animal life, health, and/or property. A conflagration can begin accidentally, be naturally caused (wildfire), or intentionally created (arson). A very large fire can produc ...
in the city centre including the
Swan pharmacy, the oldest pharmacy in Norway, and in 1955 parts of burned down.
Toponymy
Bergen is pronounced in English or and in
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
(in
the local dialect ). The
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlement ...
forms of the name were ' and ' (and in
Icelandic and
Faroese the city is still called '). The first element is (n.) or ' (n.), which translates as 'mountain(s)'. The last element is (f.), which means a new settlement where there used to be a pasture or meadow. The full meaning is then "the meadow among the mountains". This is a suitable name: Bergen is often called "the city among the seven mountains". It was the playwright
Ludvig Holberg
Ludvig Holberg, Baron of Holberg (3 December 1684 – 28 January 1754) was a writer, essayist, philosopher, historian and playwright born in Bergen, Norway, during the time of the Dano-Norwegian dual monarchy. He was influenced by Humanism, ...
who felt so inspired by the
seven hills of Rome
The seven hills of Rome ( la, Septem colles/montes Romae, it, Sette colli di Roma ) east of the river Tiber form the geographical heart of Rome, within the walls of the city.
Hills
The seven hills are:
* Aventine Hill (Latin: ''Collis Aventi ...
, that he decided that his home town must be blessed with a corresponding seven mountains – and locals still argue which seven they are.
In 1918, there was a campaign to reintroduce the Norse form ' as the name of the city. This was turned down – but as a compromise, the name of the
diocese
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associ ...
was changed to '.
Geography
![TettstedetBergen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/TettstedetBergen.jpg)
Bergen occupies most of the peninsula of
Bergenshalvøyen in the
district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...
of
Midthordland
Midhordland or Midthordland is a traditional district in the Vestlandet region of Norway. It consists of the central-west portion of the old Hordaland county (now part of Vestland county), mostly including the islands and coastal fjord areas sur ...
in mid-western Hordaland. The municipality covers an area of . Most of the urban area is on or close to a fjord or bay, although the urban area has several mountains. The city centre is surrounded by the
Seven Mountains, although there is disagreement as to which of the nine mountains constitute these.
Ulriken
Ulriken (or the older, ''Ålreken'') is the highest of the Seven Mountains, Bergen, Seven Mountains ( no, De syv fjell) that surround the city of Bergen, Norway. It has a height of above sea level. Ulriken has an aerial tramway, Ulriksbanen, that ...
,
Fløyen
Fløyen or Fløyfjellet is one of the "city mountains" in Bergen, Hordaland, Norway. Its highest point is above sea level. The name could originate from ''fløystangen'' or a weather vane that was set up to indicate the direction of the wind for ...
,
Løvstakken
Løvstakken is one of the Seven Mountains that surround the center of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The tall mountain is located between the Fyllingsdalen and Bergensdalen valleys on the Bergen Peninsula. Løvstakken and the fo ...
and
Damsgårdsfjellet
Damsgårdsfjellet is a mountain in the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The tall mountain lies west of Melkeplassen and it is one of the seven mountains surrounding the city center of Bergen.
See also
*List of mountains of Norway
...
are always included as well as three of
Lyderhorn
Lyderhorn is a mountain in the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. It is one of " De syv fjell", the seven mountains surrounding the city centre, and the starting location of Bergen Turlag's annual trip of the mountains. It is located by ...
,
Sandviksfjellet,
Blåmanen
Blåmanen is one of the seven mountains that surround the centre of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which compri ...
,
Rundemanen
Rundemanen is a mountain in the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. It is considered one of the " seven mountains" which surround the city centre of Bergen. At in height, it is the second highest of them all. It's a part of the same massi ...
and
Kolbeinsvarden.
Gullfjellet
Gullfjellet or Gulfjellet is a tall mountain in Vestland county, Norway. It is situated on the border between the municipalities of Bergen and Samnanger, and it is the highest mountain in the municipality of Bergen. The name "Gul" is an old name ...
is Bergen's highest mountain, at
above mean sea level
Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance ( height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''.
Th ...
.
Bergen is sheltered from the North Sea by the islands
Askøy
Askøy is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The island municipality is located in the Midhordland district of the county, sitting in a large group of islands immediately northwest of the city of Bergen. The administrative centre of the ...
,
Holsnøy
Holsnøy is an island in Alver Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The island lies to the north/west of the mainland, between the islands of Radøy to the north and Askøy to the south. The highest point on the island is the tall Eldsfjell ...
(the municipality of
Meland) and
Sotra
Sotra or Store Sotra is the name of a large island in Øygarden Municipality in Vestland county, Norway, located just west of the city of Bergen. It is part of a pair of islands called 'Store Sotra, Sotra' and 'Litlesotra' ('small Sotra') that a ...
(the municipalities of
Fjell
Fjell is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Midhordland. The municipality consisted of several islands west of the city of Bergen, the major ones being Litlesotra, the northern p ...
and
Sund). Bergen borders the municipalities
Alver and
Osterøy
Osterøy is an island municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Nordhordland. The municipality encompasses most of the island of Osterøy. The administrative centre of Osterøy is the village of Lone ...
to the north,
Vaksdal
is a municipality in the county of Vestland, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Nordhordland. The administrative centre is the village of Dalekvam. Other villages in Vaksdal include Dalegarden, Flatkvål, Helle, Nesheim, ...
and
Samnanger
Samnanger () is a municipality in the Midhordland region of Vestland county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tysse. Other main villages in the municipality include Haga and Bjørkheim in Nordbygda. The ...
to the east,
Os (
Bjørnafjorden
Bjørnafjorden is a fjord in Vestland county, Norway. It runs through the municipalities of Austevoll, Bjørnafjorden, and Tysnes. The large island of Tysnesøya (and many small, surrounding islands such as Reksteren) lie along the south si ...
) and
Austevoll
Austevoll is a municipality and an archipelago in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Midthordland in Western Norway. The administrative centre is the village of Storebø on the island of Huftarøy. Other vill ...
to the south, and
Øygarden
Øygarden is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is an island municipality located in the traditional district of Midhordland, stretching along the west coast of the county. The village of Straume is the administrative centre of the ...
and
Askøy
Askøy is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The island municipality is located in the Midhordland district of the county, sitting in a large group of islands immediately northwest of the city of Bergen. The administrative centre of the ...
to the west.
Climate
![Bergen vågsallmenningen rain](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/Bergen_v%C3%A5gsallmenningen_rain.jpg)
Bergen has an
oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
: ''Cfb''), with plentiful rainfall in all seasons; with intermittent snowfall during winter, but the snow usually melts quickly in the city. Average annual
precipitation
In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...
during 1961–90 was .
This is because Bergen is surrounded by mountains that cause moist
North Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe a ...
air to undergo
orographic lift
Orographic lift occurs when an air mass is forced from a low elevation to a higher elevation as it moves over rising terrain. As the air mass gains altitude it quickly cools down adiabatically, which can raise the relative humidity to 100% and cr ...
, yielding abundant rainfall. It rained every day from 29 October 2006 to 21 January 2007: 85 consecutive days.
The highest temperature ever recorded was on 26 July 2019, beating the previous record from 2018 at 32.6 degrees, and the lowest was in January 1987. Bergen is considered the rainiest city in Europe, although it is not the wettest "place" on the continent.
Bergen's weather is much warmer than the city's latitude (60.4° N) might suggest. Temperatures below −10 °C (14 °F) are rare. Summer temperatures sometimes reach the upper 20s, temperatures over 30°C were previously only seen a few days each decade. The growing season in Bergen is exceptionally long for its latitude, with more than 200 days. Its mild winters and proximity to the Gulf stream move the plant hardiness zone between 8b and 9a depending on location.
The high precipitation is often used in the marketing of the city, and features to a degree on postcards sold in the city. Compared to areas behind the mountains on the Scandinavian peninsula, Bergen is much wetter and has a more narrow range of temperature, with mild summers and cool winters. In fact, winters are very mild considering its high latitude, though not warmer than Denmark despite its coastal location and as much as milder than on the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
coasts of Sweden and Finland on the same latitude. Summers tend to be significantly more variable. The old sunshine hours data was from the met office in the city; at this location sunlight is obscured by mountains, especially by Ulriken.
A new sunrecorder was established by met.no at Bergen Airport Flesland (less terrain obscuring the sun) in December 2015, and this recorded on average 1,598 hours of sun annually during 2016–2020.
Demographics
, the municipality had a population of 286,930,
making the population density 599 people per km
2. Urban areas, as defined by
Statistics Norway
Statistics Norway ( no, Statistisk sentralbyrå, abbreviated to ''SSB'') is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876.
Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every ye ...
, consist of
Indre Arna
Indre Arna is a suburban village in the borough of Arna, Norway, Arna in the municipality of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. While Indre Arna is relatively far from most of the city centre by road, there is an 8-minute train journey through the ...
(6,536 residents on 1 January 2012),
Fanahammeren
Fanahammeren or Fanahammaren is a residential village area at the eastern end of the Fanafjorden in the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. Fanahammeren lies about south of the city centre.
The village area was the administrative centre o ...
(3,690),
Ytre Arna
Ytre Arna is a settlement in the borough of Arna in the municipality of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. Ytre Arna is principally associated with ''A/S Arne Fabrikker'', the country's first mechanised cotton mill. Ytre Arna Church
Ytre Arna ...
(2,626),
Hylkje
Hylkje is a village in the borough of Åsane in the municipality of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The village lies in the northeastern part of the municipality, along the Sørfjorden. The European route E39 runs through Hylkje.
The village ...
(2,277) and
Espeland
Espeland is a village in the borough of Arna in the municipality of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. Espeland is located north of Lake Haukeland ( no, Haukelandsvatnet) and Mount Livarden. The village of Indre Arna lies about to the north.
...
(2,182).
People of Norwegians, Norwegian origin (those who have two parents born in Norway) make up 84.5% of Bergen's residents. In addition, 8.1% were Immigrant generations, first or second generation immigrants of Western background and 7.4% were first or second generation immigrants of non-Western background.
The population grew by 4,549 people in 2009, a growth rate of 1,8%. Ninety-six percent of the population lives in urban areas. As of 2002, the average gross income for men above the age of 17 is 426,000 Norwegian krone (NOK), the average gross income for women above the age of 17 is NOK238,000, with the total average gross income being NOK330,000.
In 2007, there were 104.6 men for every 100 women in the age group of 20–39.
22.8% of the population were under 17years of age, while 4.5% were 80 and above.
The immigrant population (those with two foreign-born parents) in Bergen, includes 42,169 individuals with backgrounds from more than 200 countries representing 15.5% of the city's population (2014). Of these, 50.2% have background from Europe, 28.9% from Asia, 13.1% from Africa, 5.5% from Latin America, 1.9% from North America, and 0.4% from Oceania. The immigrant population in Bergen in the period 1993–2008 increased by 119.7%, while the ethnic Norwegian population grew by 8.1% during the same period. The national average is 138.0% and 4.2%. The immigrant population has thus accounted for 43.6% of Bergen's population growth and 60.8% of Norway's population growth during the period 1993–2008, compared with 84.5% in Oslo.
The immigrant population in Bergen has changed a lot since 1970. As of 1 January 1986, there were 2,870 people with a non-Western immigrant background in Bergen. In 2006, this figure had increased to 14,630, so the non-Western immigrant population in Bergen was five times higher than in 1986. This is a slightly slower growth than the national average, which has sextupled during the same period. Also in relation to the total population in Bergen, the proportion of non-Westerns increased significantly. In 1986, the proportion of the total population in the municipality of non-Western background was 3.6%. In January 2006, people with a non-Western immigrant background accounted for 6 percent of the population in Bergen. The share of Western immigrants has remained stable at around 2% in the period. The number of Poles in Bergen rose from 697 in 2006 to 3,128 in 2010.
The Church of Norway is the largest denomination in Bergen, with 201,006 (79.74%) registered adherents in 2012. Bergen is the seat of the Diocese of Bjørgvin with Bergen Cathedral as its centrepiece, while St John's Church, Bergen, St John's Church is the city's most prominent. As of 2012, the state church is followed by 52,059 irreligious, 4,947 members of various Protestantism, Protestant free churches, 3,873 actively registered Catholics, 2,707 registered Muslims, 816 registered Hindus, 255 registered Russian Orthodox Church, Russian Orthodox and 147 registered Oriental Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox.
Cityscape
![Night view from Mount Floyen - Bergen, Norway](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Night_view_from_Mount_Floyen_-_Bergen%2C_Norway.jpg)
The city centre of Bergen lies in the west of the municipality, facing the fjord of
Byfjorden. It is among a group of mountains known as the
Seven Mountains, although the number is a matter of definition. From here, the urban area of Bergen extends to the north, west and south, and to its east is a large mountain massif. Outside the city centre and the surrounding neighbourhoods (i.e.
Årstad, inner
Laksevåg
Laksevåg is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough is located in the western part of the municipality. Historically, the area was called ''Laxevaag'', and it was a separate municipality until 1972 when it wa ...
and Sandviken, Norway, Sandviken), the majority of the population lives in relatively sparsely populated residential areas built after 1950. While some are dominated by apartment, apartment buildings and modern terraced houses (e.g.
Fyllingsdalen
Fyllingsdalen () is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough is located southwest of the city centre in the Fyllingsdalen valley, west of the mountain Løvstakken. The neighbourhoods of Fyllingsdalen mainly consis ...
), others are dominated by single-family detached home, single-family homes.
![SkansenSeptember2007 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/SkansenSeptember2007_2.jpg)
The oldest part of Bergen is the area around the bay of Vågen in the city centre. Originally centred on the bay's eastern side, Bergen eventually expanded west and southwards. Few buildings from the oldest period remain, the most significant being St Mary's Church, Bergen, St Mary's Church from the 12th century. For several hundred years, the extent of the city remained almost constant. The population was stagnant, and the city limits were narrow.
In 1702, seven-eighths of the city burned. Most of the old buildings of Bergen, including Bryggen (which was rebuilt in a mediaeval style), were built after the fire. The fire marked a transition from tar covered houses, as well as the remaining log home, log houses, to painted and some brick-covered wooden buildings.
![Bergen mariakirken2 edit](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Bergen_mariakirken2_edit.jpg)
The last half of the 19th century saw a period of rapid expansion and modernisation. The fire of 1855 west of Torgallmenningen led to the development of regularly sized city blocks in this area of the city centre. The city limits were expanded in 1876, and Nygård, Norway, Nygård,
Møhlenpris and Sandviken, Norway, Sandviken were urbanized with large-scale construction of city blocks housing both the poor and the wealthy.
Their architecture is influenced by a variety of styles; historicism (art), historicism, classicism and Art Nouveau.
The wealthy built villas between Møhlenpris and Nygård, and on the side of Mount Fløyen; these areas were also added to Bergen in 1876. Simultaneously, an urbanization process was taking place in Solheimsviken in Årstad, at that time outside the Bergen municipality, centred on the large industrial activity in the area.
The workers' homes in this area were poorly built, and little remains after large-scale redevelopment in the 1960s–1980s.
After Årstad became a part of Bergen in 1916, a development plan was applied to the new area. Few city blocks akin to those in Nygård and Møhlenpris were planned. Many of the worker class built their own homes, and many small, detached apartment buildings were built. After World War II, Bergen had again run short of land to build on, and, contrary to the original plans, many large apartment buildings were built in Landås in the 1950s and 1960s. Bergen acquired
Fyllingsdalen
Fyllingsdalen () is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough is located southwest of the city centre in the Fyllingsdalen valley, west of the mountain Løvstakken. The neighbourhoods of Fyllingsdalen mainly consis ...
from Fana (municipality), Fana municipality in 1955. Like similar areas in Oslo (e.g. Lambertseter), Fyllingsdalen was developed into a modern suburb with large apartment buildings, Tower block, mid-rises, and some single-family homes, in the 1960s and 1970s. Similar developments took place beyond Bergen's city limits, for example in Loddefjord.
![06](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/06.05.25_16_Fra_Nordnes_i_Bergen.JPG)
At the same time as New town, planned city expansion took place inside Bergen, its extra-municipal suburbs also grew rapidly. Wealthy citizens of Bergen had been living in Fana since the 19th century, but as the city expanded it became more convenient to settle in the municipality. Similar processes took place in
Åsane
Åsane is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough makes up the northern part of the city, north of the city centre.
Åsane is connected to downtown Bergen by the E16/ E39 highway. The E16 highway continues on t ...
and Laksevåg. Most of the homes in these areas are detached Terraced house, row houses, single family homes or small apartment buildings.
After the surrounding municipalities were merged with Bergen in 1972, expansion has continued in largely the same manner, although the municipality encourages condensing near commercial centres, future
Bergen Light Rail
Bergen Light Rail ( no, Bybanen) is a light rail system in Bergen, Norway. The first stage of the project was a twenty-station stretch between the city center and Lagunen Storsenter, where the first 15 stations comprising a stretch opened i ...
stations, and elsewhere.
As part of the modernisation wave of the 1950s and 1960s, and due to damage caused by World War II, the Local government, city government ambitiously planned redevelopment of many areas in central Bergen. The plans involved demolition of several neighbourhoods of wooden houses, namely Nordnes, Marken, and Stølen. None of the plans was carried out in its original form; the Marken and Stølen redevelopment plans were discarded and that of Nordnes only carried out in the area that had been most damaged by war. The city council of Bergen had in 1964 voted to demolish the entirety of Marken, however, the decision proved to be highly controversial and the decision was reversed in 1974. Bryggen was under threat of being wholly or partly demolished after the fire of 1955, when a large number of the buildings burned to the ground. Instead of being demolished, the remaining buildings were restored and accompanied by reconstructions of some of the burned buildings.
Demolition of old buildings and occasionally whole city blocks is still taking place, the most recent major example being the 2007 razing of Jonsvollskvartalet at Nøstet.
Billboards are banned in the city.
Administration
![Kong Oscars gate, Bergen 2018](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Kong_Oscars_gate%2C_Bergen_2018.jpg)
Since 2000, the city of Bergen has been governed by a city government (''byråd'') based on the principle of parliamentary system, parliamentarism.
The government consists of seven government members called commissioners, and is appointed by the city council, the supreme authority of the city.
This is the political party breakdown of the current and historical city councils:
Boroughs
![Bergen boroughs](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Bergen_boroughs.png)
Bergen is divided into eight boroughs,
as seen on the map to the right. Clockwise, starting with the northernmost, the boroughs are
Åsane
Åsane is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough makes up the northern part of the city, north of the city centre.
Åsane is connected to downtown Bergen by the E16/ E39 highway. The E16 highway continues on t ...
,
Arna,
Fana
Fana is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough makes up the southeastern part of the municipality of Bergen. The borough was once part of the historic municipality of Fana which was incorporated into Bergen ...
,
Ytrebygda
Ytrebygda is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough is the site of Bergen Flesland Airport.
Location
Ytrebygda is located southwest of the city center, south of the Grimstadfjorden and the lake Nordåsvannet. I ...
,
Fyllingsdalen
Fyllingsdalen () is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough is located southwest of the city centre in the Fyllingsdalen valley, west of the mountain Løvstakken. The neighbourhoods of Fyllingsdalen mainly consis ...
,
Laksevåg
Laksevåg is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough is located in the western part of the municipality. Historically, the area was called ''Laxevaag'', and it was a separate municipality until 1972 when it wa ...
,
Årstad and
Bergenhus
Bergenhus is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. This borough encompasses the city centre and is the most urbanized area of the whole city. The borough has a population (2014) of 40,606. This gives Bergenhus a popula ...
. The city centre is located in
Bergenhus
Bergenhus is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. This borough encompasses the city centre and is the most urbanized area of the whole city. The borough has a population (2014) of 40,606. This gives Bergenhus a popula ...
. Parts of Fana, Ytrebygda, Åsane and Arna are not part of the Bergen urban area, explaining why the municipality has approximately 20,000 more inhabitants than the urban area.
Local borough administrations have varied since Bergen's expansion in 1972. From 1974, each borough had a politically chosen administration. From 1989, Bergen was divided into 12 health and social districts, each locally administered. From 2000 to 2004, the former organizational form with eight politically chosen local administrations was again in use and from 2008 through to 2010, a similar form existed where the local administrations had less power than previously.
(Pertaining to the table above: The acreage figures include fresh water and uninhabited mountain areas, except:
1 1 The borough Bergenhus is , the rest is water and uninhabited mountain areas.
2 2 The borough Årstad is , the rest is water and uninhabited mountain areas.)
Former borough: Sentrum
Sentrum (literally, "Centre") was a borough (with Bergenhus#Sentrum, the same name as a present-day neighbourhood). The borough was numbered ''01'', and its perimeter was from Store Lungegårdsvann and Strømmen along Puddefjorden around Nordnes and over to Skuteviken, up Fløyen, Mt. Fløyen east of Langelivannet, on to Skansemyren and over Forskjønnelsen to Store Lungegårdsvann, south of the railroad tracks.
The population of the (now defunct) borough, numbered in 1994 more than 18,000 people.
Education
![MAR2006](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/MAR2006.JPG)
There are 64 elementary schools,
18 lower secondary schools
and 20 upper secondary schools
in Bergen, as well as 11 combined elementary and lower secondary schools.
Bergen Cathedral School is the oldest school in Bergen and was founded by Pope Adrian IV in 1153.
The "
Bergen School of Meteorology __NOTOC__
The "Bergen School of Meteorology" is a school of thought which is the basis for much of modern weather forecasting.
Founded by the meteorologist Prof. Vilhelm Bjerknes and his younger colleagues in 1917, the Bergen School attempts to de ...
" was developed at the
Geophysical Institute The Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska Fairbanks conducts research into space physics and aeronomy; atmospheric sciences; snow, ice, and permafrost; seismology; volcanology; and tectonics and sedimentation. It was founded in 1946 b ...
beginning in 1917, the
Norwegian School of Economics
The Norwegian School of Economics ( no, Norges Handelshøyskole) or NHH is a business school situated in Bergen, Norway. It was founded in 1936 as Norway's first business school and is a leading teaching and research institution in the fields of ...
was founded in 1936, and the
University of Bergen
The University of Bergen ( no, Universitetet i Bergen, ) is a research-intensive state university located in Bergen, Norway. As of 2019, the university has over 4,000 employees and 18,000 students. It was established by an act of parliament in 194 ...
in 1946.
The University of Bergen has 16,000 students and 3,000 staff, making it the third-largest educational institution in Norway.
Research in Bergen dates back to activity at Bergen Museum in 1825, although the university was not founded until 1946. The university has a broad range of courses and research in academic fields and three national centres of excellence, in climatology, climate research, petroleum, petroleum research and medievalism, medieval studies.
The main campus is located in the city centre. The university co-operates with Haukeland University Hospital within medical research. The Chr. Michelsen Institute is an independent research foundation established in 1930 focusing on human rights and development issues.
The Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, which has its main campus in Kronstad, Bergen, Kronstad, has 16,000 students and 1800 staff.
It focuses on professional education, such as teaching, healthcare and engineering. The college was created through amalgamation in 1994; campuses are spread around town but will be co-located at Kronstad, Bergen, Kronstad. The
Norwegian School of Economics
The Norwegian School of Economics ( no, Norges Handelshøyskole) or NHH is a business school situated in Bergen, Norway. It was founded in 1936 as Norway's first business school and is a leading teaching and research institution in the fields of ...
is located in outer Sandviken and is the leading business school in Norway,
having produced three Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Economy Nobel Prize laureates.
The school has more than 3,000 students and approximately 400 staff.
Other tertiary education institutions include the Bergen School of Architecture, the Bergen National Academy of the Arts, located in the city centre with 300 students,
and the Norwegian Naval Academy located in Laksevåg. The Norwegian Institute of Marine Research has been located in Bergen since 1900. It provides research and advice relating to ecosystems and aquaculture. It has a staff of 700 people.
Economy
![Bergen børs 1862](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Bergen_b%C3%B8rs_1862.jpg)
In August 2004, ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine named the city one of Europe's 14 "secret capitals"
where Bergen's capital reign is acknowledged within maritime businesses and activities such as aquaculture and marine research, with the Institute of Marine Research (IMR) (the second-largest oceanography research centre in Europe) as a leading institution. Some of the world's largest aquaculture companies, such as Mowi and Lerøy are headquartered in the city. Shipowners based in Bergen control a significant portion of the Norwegian merchant fleet, including shipowners such as Wilson (company), Wilson, Odfjell and Gearbulk. The city has a large presence of financial institutions. Banks Sbanken and Sparebanken Vest are headquartered in the city. The Norwegian branches of insurance companies Tryg, DNB Livsforsikring and Nordea Liv are headquartered in Bergen, along with a significant presence of marine insurance companies, including Norwegian Hull Club. A number of banks maintain large corporate banking divisions in connection with shipping and aquaculture in the city.
Bergen is the main base for the Royal Norwegian Navy (at Haakonsvern) and its international airport Bergen Airport, Flesland, Flesland is the main heliport for the Norwegian North Sea oil and gas industry, from where thousands of offshore workers commute to their work places onboard oil and gas rigs and platforms.
Tourism is an important income source for the city. The hotels in the city may be full at times,
due to the increasing number of tourists and conferences. Bergen is recognized as the unofficial capital of the region known as Western Norway, and recognized and marketed as the gateway city to the world-famous fjords of Norway, and for that reason, it has become Norway's largest – and one of Europe's largest – cruise ship ports of call.
Transport
Bergen Airport, Flesland
Bergen Airport ( nn, Bergen lufthamn; ), alternatively Bergen Flesland Airport or simply Flesland Airport, is an international airport located at Flesland in the city and municipality of Bergen, Vestland, Norway. Opened in 1955, it is the sec ...
, is located from the city centre, at Flesland.
In 2013, the Avinor-operated airport served 6 million passengers. The airport serves as a airline hub, hub for Scandinavian Airlines, Norwegian Air Shuttle and Widerøe; there are direct flights to 20 domestic and 53 international destinations.
Bergen Port
Bergen Port is an international seaport located in the centre of Bergen, Norway, operated by Bergen Port Authority. Port locations are featured along most of the two bays in Bergen, Vågen and Puddefjorden. In 2006 it served 27,342 calls with 68 ...
, operated by Bergen Port Authority, is the largest seaport in Norway.
In 2011, the port saw 264 cruise calls with 350,248 visitors, In 2009, the port handled 56million tonnes of cargo, making it the ninth-busiest cargo port in Europe. There are plans to move the port out of the city centre, but no location has been chosen. Fjord Line operates a cruiseferry service to Hirtshals, Denmark. Bergen is the southern terminus of Hurtigruten, the Coastal Express, which operates with daily services along the coast to Kirkenes.
[ Passenger catamarans run from Bergen south to Leirvik and Sunnhordland, and north to Sognefjord and Nordfjord.]
The city centre is surrounded by an electronic toll collection ring using the Autopass system. The main motorways consist of European route E39, E39, which runs north–south through the municipality, European route E16, E16, which runs eastwards, and Norwegian National Road 555, National Road 555, which runs westwards. There are four major bridges connecting Bergen to neighbouring municipalities: the Nordhordland Bridge, the Askøy Bridge, the Sotra Bridge and the Osterøy Bridge. Bergen connects to the island of Bjorøy via the subsea Bjorøy Tunnel.
Bergen Station is the terminus of the Bergen Line
The Bergen Line or the Bergen Railway ( no, Bergensbanen or nn, Bergensbana), is a long scenic standard gauge railway line between Bergen and Hønefoss, Norway. The name is often applied for the entire route from Bergen via Drammen to Osl ...
, which runs to Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
. Vy (transport operator), Vy operates express trains to Oslo and the Bergen Commuter Rail to Voss. Between Bergen and Arna Station, the train runs about every 30minutes through the Ulriken Tunnel; there is no corresponding road tunnel, forcing road vehicles to travel via Åsane or Nesttun.
Bergen is one of the smallest cities in Europe to have both tram and trolleybus electric urban transport systems simultaneously. Public transport in Hordaland is managed by Skyss, which operates an extensive city bus network in Bergen and to many neighbouring municipalities, including one route which operates as a trolleybus. Trolleybuses in Bergen, The trolleybus system in Bergen is the only one still in operation in Norway and one of two trolleybus systems in Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and S ...
.
The modern tram Bergen Light Rail, Bergen Light Rail (Bybanen) opened between the city centre and Nesttun in 2010, extended to Rådal (Lagunen Storsenter) in 2013 and to the Bergen airport Flesland in 2017. Extensions to other boroughs may occur later. Fløibanen is a funicular which runs from the city centre to Mount Fløyen
Fløyen or Fløyfjellet is one of the "city mountains" in Bergen, Hordaland, Norway. Its highest point is above sea level. The name could originate from ''fløystangen'' or a weather vane that was set up to indicate the direction of the wind for ...
and Ulriksbanen is an aerial tramway which runs to Mount Ulriken
Ulriken (or the older, ''Ålreken'') is the highest of the Seven Mountains, Bergen, Seven Mountains ( no, De syv fjell) that surround the city of Bergen, Norway. It has a height of above sea level. Ulriken has an aerial tramway, Ulriksbanen, that ...
.
Culture and sports
''Bergens Tidende'' (BT) and ''Bergensavisen'' (BA) are the largest newspapers, with newspaper circulation, circulations of 87,076 and 30,719 in 2006, ''BT'' is a regional newspaper covering all of Vestland, while ''BA'' focuses on metropolitan Bergen. Other newspapers published in Bergen include the Christian national ''Dagen (Norwegian newspaper), Dagen'', with a circulation of 8.936, and ''TradeWinds (newspaper), TradeWinds'', an international shipping newspaper. Local newspapers are ''Fanaposten'' for Fana, ''Sydvesten'' for Laksevåg and Fyllingsdalen and ''Bygdanytt'' for Arna and the neighbouring municipality Osterøy
Osterøy is an island municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Nordhordland. The municipality encompasses most of the island of Osterøy. The administrative centre of Osterøy is the village of Lone ...
. TV 2 (Norway), TV 2, Norway's largest private television company, is based in Bergen.
The 1,500-seat Grieg Hall is the city's main cultural venue, and home of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, founded in 1765, and the Bergen Woodwind Quintet. The city also features Carte Blanche (Norwegian dance company), Carte Blanche, the Norwegian national company of contemporary dance. The annual Bergen International Festival is the main cultural festival, which is supplemented by the Bergen International Film Festival. Two internationally renowned composers from Bergen are Edvard Grieg and Ole Bull. Grieg's home, Troldhaugen, has been converted to a museum. During the 1990s and early 2000s, Bergen produced a series of successful pop, rock and black metal artists, collectively known as the Bergen Wave.
Den Nationale Scene is Bergen's main theatre. Founded in 1850, it had Henrik Ibsen as one of its first in-house playwrights and art directors. Bergen's contemporary art scene is centred on BIT Teatergarasjen, Bergen Kunsthall, United Sardines Factory (USF) and Bergen Center for Electronic Arts (BEK). Bergen was a European Capital of Culture in 2000. Buekorps is a unique feature of Bergen culture, consisting of boys aged from 7 to 21 parading with imitation weapons and snare drums. The city's Hanseatic heritage is documented in the Hanseatic Museum and Schøtstuene, Hanseatic Museum located at Bryggen.
SK Brann
Sportsklubben Brann (commonly known as Brann, and less often as SK Brann) is a Norwegian professional football club, founded 26 September 1908, from Bergen. Brann had been in the Eliteserien, Norway's Premier Division of Football, since 1987, bar ...
is Bergen's premier association football, football team; founded in 1908, they have played in the (men's) Norwegian Premier League for all but seven years since 1963 and consecutively, except one season after relegation in 2014, since 1987. The team were the football champions in 1961–62 Norwegian Main League, 1961–1962, 1963 Norwegian First Division, 1963, and 2007 SK Brann season, 2007, and reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, Cup Winners' Cup in 1996–97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, 1996–1997. Brann play their home games at the 17,824-seat Brann Stadion. FK Fyllingsdalen is the city's second-best team, playing in the Norwegian Second Division, Second Division at Varden Amfi. Its predecessor, Fyllingen Fotball, Fyllingen, played in the Norwegian Premier League in 1990 Norwegian First Division, 1990, 1991 Norwegian Premier League, 1991 and 1993 Norwegian Premier League, 1993. Arna-Bjørnar and IL Sandviken, Sandviken play in the Toppserien, Women's Premier League.
Bergen IK is the premier men's ice hockey team, playing at Bergenshallen in the Norwegian First Division (ice hockey), First Division. Tertnes HE, Tertnes play in the Postenligaen (women), Women's Premier Handball League, and Fyllingen in the Men's Premier Handball League. In athletics, the city is dominated by IL Norna-Salhus, IL Gular and FIK BFG Fana, formerly also Norrøna IL and TIF Viking.
Bergensk
Bergensk or Bergen dialect is a dialect of Norwegian used in Bergen, Norway. It is easy for Norwegians to recognise, as it is more distinguishable from other dialects in Vestland than, for example, the Stavanger dialect (''Stavangersk'') from ...
is the native dialect of Bergen. It was strongly influenced by Low German-speaking merchants from the mid-14th to mid-18th centuries. During the Denmark–Norway, Dano-Norwegian period from 1536 to 1814, Bergen was more influenced by Danish language, Danish than other areas of Norway. The Danish influence removed the female grammatical gender in the 16th century, making Bergensk one of very few Norwegian dialects with only two instead of three grammatical genders. The Rs are uvular trills, as in French, which probably spread to Bergen some time in the 18th century, overtaking the alveolar trill in the time span of two to three generations. Owing to an improved literacy rate, Bergensk was influenced by Norwegian Bokmål, riksmål and bokmål in the 19th and 20th centuries. This led to large parts of the German-inspired vocabulary disappearing and pronunciations shifting slightly towards East Norwegian.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1986, 1986 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest took place in Bergen. Bergen was the host city for the 2017 UCI Road World Championships. The city is also a member of the Creative Cities Network, UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the category of gastronomy since 2015.
Music
Bergen has been the home of several notable alternative bands, collectively referred to as the Bergen Wave. These bands include Röyksopp and Kings of Convenience on the small, Bergen-based record label Tellé Records, as well as related side-projects, such as The Whitest Boy Alive and Kommode, on independent labels. Other internationally well-received artists also originating from Bergen include Aurora (singer), Aurora, Sondre Lerche, Magnet (musician), Magnet, Kygo, Boy Pablo and Alan Walker (music producer), Alan Walker. Bergen is also known as the "black metal capital of Norway", due to its role in the early Norwegian black metal scene and the amount of acts to come from the city in the early 1990s.
Bergen is also the birthplace of composer Edvard Grieg.
Street art
Bergen is considered to be the street art capital of Norway. Famed artist Banksy visited the city in 2000 and inspired many to start creating street art. Soon after, the city brought up the most famous street artist in Norway: DOLK (artist), Dolk. His art can still be seen in several places in the city, and in 2009 the city council choose to preserve DOLK (artist), Dolk's work "Spray" with protective glass. In 2011, Bergen council launched a plan of action for street art in Bergen from 2011 to 2015 to ensure that "Bergen will lead the fashion for street art as an expression both in Norway and Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and S ...
".
The Madam Felle (1831–1908) monument in Sandviken, is in honour of a Norwegian woman of German origin, who in the mid-19th century managed, against the will of the council, to maintain a counter of beer. A well-known restaurant of the same name is now situated at another location in Bergen. The monument was erected in 1990 by sculptor Kari Rolfsen, supported by an anonymous donor. Madam Felle, civil name Oline Fell, was remembered after her death in a popular song, possibly originally a folksong, "Kjenner Dokker Madam Felle?" by Lothar Lindtner and Rolf Berntzen on an album in 1977.
Neighbourhoods
The traditional neighbourhoods of Bergen include Bryggen
Bryggen (''the dock''), also known as Tyskebryggen (, ''the German dock''), is a series of Hanseatic heritage commercial buildings lining up the eastern side of the Vågen harbour in the city of Bergen, Norway. Bryggen has been on the UNESCO lis ...
, Eidemarken, Engen, Fjellet,
Kalfaret, Ladegården, Løvstakksiden, Marken, Minde, Bergen, Minde,
Møhlenpris, Nordnes, Nygård, Norway, Nygård, Nøstet, Sandviken, Norway, Sandviken,
Sentrum, Skansen, Skuteviken, Strandsiden, Stølen, Sydnes,
Verftet, Vågsbunnen, Wergeland, and Ytre Sandviken.
''Grunnkretser''
The various addresses in Bergen, each belong to one of the various ''grunnkrets''.
International business
Each year Bergen sells the Christmas tree, Christmas Tree seen in Newcastle's Haymarket as a sign of the ongoing friendship between the sister cities. The Nordic friendship cities of Bergen, Gothenburg, Turku and Aarhus arrange inter-Nordic camps each year by registering tenth grade school classes from each of the other cities to school camps, for a profit. Bergen received a totem pole as a gift of friendship from the city of Seattle on the city's 900th anniversary in 1970. It is now placed in the Nordnes Park and gazes out over the sea towards the friendship city far to the west.
Sister (town) cities
Planned partner city relations:
* Nagykovácsi, Hungary (2022)
Notable people from Bergen
*List of people from Bergen
References
Bibliography
External links
*Municipality website in '
Norwegian
'' and '
English
''
{{Authority control
Bergen,
Municipalities of Vestland
Populated coastal places in Norway
1070 establishments in Europe
Populated places established in the 11th century
Port cities and towns in Norway
Port cities and towns of the North Sea
Former capitals of Norway
Viking Age populated places
Trading posts of the Hanseatic League
11th-century establishments in Norway