Bergen – Historical heart of the western fjords

Bergen, or Bjørgvin (meaning 'the green meadow among the mountains') is believed to have been a trading post since 1020. Officially declared a city by King Olav Kyrre in 1070, Bergen continued to expand and prosper. In the early 13th century, Bergen took the helm as Norway’s capital – taking over from Trondheim – until power shifted to Oslo in 1299.

In 1360, influential German trade organisation, the Hanseatic League, chose Bergen as a key overseas post. You can learn about the merchants in the Hanseatic Museum. Their office in waterside district Bryggen was one of only four major foreign trading posts for the League’s empire, which straddled central and northern Europe. Colourful wood-clad Bryggen is the only one still standing.

The sale of stockfish (dried cod) brought huge wealth, and with it the merchants built great storehouses. The wooden structures have been beset by fire many times throughout the centuries but each time, the damaged buildings have been faithfully restored to the original style.

Bergen has also weathered outbreaks of the Black Death, a plundering by the piratical Victual Brothers (rogue traders), a dark involvement with the Atlantic slave trade, and falling to the Germans at the start of World War II.

Music has long flourished in Bergen. The city’s music scene was ignited by Norway’s most famous musical son, Edvard Grieg, who was born in Bergen in 1843. He went on to hold the country’s first ever music festival in here in 1898 – the very same year we began sailing in and out of Bergen’s port. It’s been the start and end point to many of our voyages ever since.

Bergen continues to be one of Norway’s busiest ports. It’s a hub for shipbuilding and a leader in the clean energy movement.

Nowadays, a large part of Bergen’s identity is also shaped by its university, located in the central Bergenhus borough. Its students inject optimism and a forward-thinking attitude. The burgeoning young population fuel and inspire a dynamic calendar of events, such as Gay Pride Parade and the Bergen International Festival – Scandinavia’s largest celebration of music and theatre.

Surrounded by an amphitheatre of mountains, Bergen sits within its own microclimate – a wet one. In fact, Bergen is the wettest city in Norway. Moist North Atlantic air is pushed up the mountains, condenses into clouds, and showers down on the city.

On average, this occurs around 230 days of the year and almost daily in September and October, which explains the stands for soaked umbrellas you’ll see at the entrance of most shops and restaurants in the city!

On the upside, those same mountains shelter the city from winds whistling in from the north and east. Consequently, even though Bergen is on the same latitude as Oslo on the other side of the country, it’s warmer than the capital in winter, with just an occasional dip into minus temperatures.

In summer, the city is too far south to see the Midnight Sun, but it still clocks in a respectable 19 hours of daylight around late June.

“If I had to choose a time to visit Bergen,” says local Gunvor Rasmussen, “I’d suggest spring or winter. In spring, music festivals such as Festspillene, Nattjazz, and Bergenfest are abundant. In December, the streets of Bryggen turn into a picturesque Christmas village.”