Bryggen (''the dock''), also known as Tyskebryggen (, ''the German dock''), is a series of

Hanseatic The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=German language, Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Norther ...

heritage commercial buildings lining up the eastern side of the Vågen harbour in the city of

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 ...

. Bryggen has been on the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

list for

World Cultural Heritage 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 h ...

sites since 1979. The city of Bergen was founded around 1070 within the boundaries of Tyskebryggen. Around 1350 a ''

Kontor A ''kontor'' () was a foreign trading post of the Hanseatic League. In addition to the major ''kontore'' in London (the Steelyard), Bruges, Bergen (Bryggen), and Novgorod (Peterhof), some ports had a representative merchant and a warehouse. E ...

'' 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 ...

was established there, and Tyskebryggen became the centre of the Hanseatic commercial activities in Norway. Today, Bryggen houses museums, shops, restaurants and pubs.

History

Bergen was established before 1070 AD.Bergen – historie
/ref> In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, the Bryggen area encompassed all buildings between the sea and the ''Stretet'' ('' Øvregaten'') road, from Holmen in the north to Vågsbunnen in the south.Bryggen i Bergen
/ref> According to the

Saga is a series of science fantasy role-playing video games by Square Enix. The series originated on the Game Boy in 1989 as the creation of Akitoshi Kawazu at Square (video game company), Square. It has since continued across multiple platforms, ...

s, the city was founded within this area. One of the earliest pier constructions has been dated to around 1100, and the existing buildings are of a much later date, with only Schøtstuene and some buildings towards Julehuset being originals from 1702.- Bryggen er mer enn bergensere flest ser
Bryggen is more than most Bergensers can see/ref> Around 1350, an office of the

was established in Bryggen. As the town developed into an important trading centre, the wharfs were improved and the buildings of Bryggen were gradually taken over by the Hanseatic merchants. The warehouses were used to store goods, particularly stockfish from northern Norway, and

cereal A cereal is any Poaceae, grass cultivated for the edible components of its grain (botanically, a type of fruit called a caryopsis), composed of the endosperm, Cereal germ, germ, and bran. Cereal Grain, grain crops are grown in greater quantit ...

from

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. In 1702, the buildings belonging to the Hanseatic League were damaged by fire.Det tyske kontor
he German ''kontor''/ref> They were rebuilt, and some of these were later demolished, and some were destroyed by fire. In 1754, the operations of the office at Bryggen ended, when all the properties were transferred to Norwegian citizens. Throughout history, Bergen has experienced many fires, since most of its houses were traditionally made from wood. This was also the case for Bryggen, and as of today around a quarter were built after 1702, when the older wharfside warehouses and administrative buildings burned down. The rest predominantly consists of younger structures, although there are some stone cellars that date back to the 15th century. Parts of Bryggen were again destroyed in a fire in 1955. A thirteen-year archaeological excavation followed, revealing the day-to-day runic inscriptions known as the

Bryggen inscriptions The Bryggen inscriptions are a find of some 670 medieval runic inscriptions on wood (mostly pine) and bone found from 1955 and forth at ''Bryggen'' (and its surroundings) in Bergen, Norway. It has been called the most important runic find in the ...

. The

Bryggen museum Bryggens Museum is a museum located in Bergen, Norway. During 1955, parts of the historic district of Bryggen were ravaged by a fire. During subsequent archaeological excavations a number of objects were uncovered, providing an insight into com ...

was built in 1976 on part of the site cleared by the fire.

Architectural heritage

Bryggen was listed as a UNESCO

World Heritage 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 h ...

Site in 1979, by Criterion (iii): ''Bryggen bears the traces of social organization and illustrates the use of space in a quarter of Hanseatic merchants that dates back to the 14th century. It is a type of northern “fondaco”, unequalled in the world, where the structures have remained within the cityscape and perpetuate the memory of one of the oldest large trading ports of Northern Europe''. Notable houses at Bryggen include Bellgården (a 300-year-old building), Svensgården, Enhjørningsgården, Bredsgården, Bugården, Engelgården. The oldest and tallest building in the area is St Mary's Church. Streets include Jacobsfjorden.Velkommen som kremmer - Det kommer ingen ridder i skinnende rustning for å redde Bryggen. Du må redde den selv.
elcome as a shopkeeper - No knight in shining armour will come to save Bryggen. You must save it yourself./ref> Museums include

Bryggens Museum Bryggens Museum is a museum located in Bergen, Norway. During 1955, parts of the historic district of Bryggen were ravaged by a fire. During subsequent archaeological excavations a number of objects were uncovered, providing an insight into com ...

and

Hanseatic Museum and Schøtstuene Hanseatic Museum and Schøtstuene (''Det Hanseatiske Museum og Schøtstuene'') is a museum in the city of Bergen, Norway. History The main part of the museum is located in Finnegården, one of the conserved wooden buildings on Bryggen in Berg ...

References

Bryggen, Bergen, Noruega, 2019-09-08, DD 118-121 PAN.jpg, Panorama Bergen.JPG, Bryggen Bergen bryggen panorama.jpg, Bergen harbour panorama Bergen by night.jpg, Bryggen by night BergenBryggen.ogv, Short video of a walk through Bryggen Bryggen, Bergen, Noruega, 2019-09-08, DD 114.jpg

{{Neighbourhoods of Bergen Buildings and structures in Bergen World Heritage Sites in Norway Trading posts of the Hanseatic League Tourist attractions in Bergen 18th-century architecture Articles containing video clips