Bergen Handelsgymnasium (BHG) was an

upper secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland 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 ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. Established in 1904, it was one of the oldest gymnasia in the country. The school was known to have high admission requirements and able pupils. Furthermore, the school was known for its projects regarding internationalization, differentiation and interdisciplinarity. It closed for good in June 2014.

History

Bergens Handelsgymnasium was established in 1904. Its architect was

Jens Zetlitz Monrad Kielland Jens Zetlitz Monrad Kielland ( – ) was a Norwegian architect, professor and author. Personal life Jens Kielland was a member of the prominent Kielland family. He was born in Stavanger to parish priest and politician Jacob Kielland (1841� ...

, a nephew of the novelist

Alexander Kielland Alexander Lange Kielland (; 18 February 1849 – 6 April 1906) was a Norwegian realistic writer of the 19th century. He is one of the so-called "The Four Greats" of Norwegian literature, along with Henrik Ibsen, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson and ...

. In 1976, Hordaland County Council took over the running of the school. In 2006, the school won a

Holberg Prize The Holberg Prize is an international prize awarded annually by the government of Norway to outstanding scholars for work in the arts, humanities, social sciences, law and theology, either within one of these fields or through interdisciplinary ...

, with a project on school lunches. The same year, the school was threatened with being shut down and merged into a new, larger school, but it was later decided that this will not be done. The Media and Communication study program at the school was one of the most popular in the county. Data from 2011 show that the school holds 275 girls and only 179 boys.

Location

The school is one of three upper secondary schools in the inner-city of Bergen, situated about 100 meters from the Bergen Railway Station. It is recognized by the characteristic façade covered in

ivy ''Hedera'', commonly called ivy (plural ivies), is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern Africa and ...

School revue

Every year, a

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own duri ...

was arranged in the name of the pupils. Auditions were held, where only a few are picked. The revue is regarded as one of the large revues in upper secondary schools in Bergen. The revue had its own band, dancers, actors, technicians, photographers, script writers and financial managers.

People

Alumni

Herman Friele Herman Friele (born 21 August 1943) is a Norwegian businessman and politician for the Conservative Party. He has been chairman of the coffee manufacturer Friele since 1981, as the seventh generation Friele in charge of the company. He was the ...

, politician *

Arne Skauge Arne Skauge (born 27 January 1948) is a Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party, who served as parliamentary representative for Hordaland Hordaland () was a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark, and Rogalan ...

, politician *

Svein Alsaker Svein Alsaker (born 11 March 1940 in Bergen) is a Norwegian politician for the Christian Democratic Party. He was a member of the Norwegian Parliament from 1985 until 1993. He was also a County Governor for both Finnmark and Hordaland counties ...

, politician *

Audun Lysbakken Audun Bjørlo Lysbakken (born 30 September 1977) is a Norwegian politician and the current leader of the Norwegian Socialist Left Party (Norway), Socialist Left Party. His career in national politics began when he was elected to the Norwegian par ...

, politician *

Sissel Kyrkjebø Sissel Kyrkjebø (; born 24 June 1969), also simply known as Sissel, is a Norwegian soprano. Sissel is considered one of the world's top crossover sopranos. Her musical style ranges from pop recordings and folk songs, to classical vocals and op ...

, singer

Staff

Nils Handal Nils Kristoffer Handal (18 June 1906 – 28 December 1992) was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. Career He was born in Bergen as a son of custodian Ole Monsen Handal (1876–1963) and Martha Malene Sjursen (1875–1965). He enrolled a ...

, politician * Ivar Navelsaker, military officer

References

External links

Official website
Educational institutions established in 1904 Schools in Bergen Secondary schools in Norway 1904 establishments in Norway Hordaland County Municipality {{Norway-school-stub