BERGEN– A P L A C E A P A R T

© Skyline AS

© Skyline AS 2007Graphic design and production: Knudsen Grafisk AS

ISBN 978-82-91385-42-6

Photo: Oddbjørn MonsenText: Erling T. Gjelsvik

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“Bergen is, much like Noah’s Ark, a Gathering-Ground for allliving Creatures.They come as a Flood, as it were a commonFatherland, not only from close at Hand, but from far Afield.”

These are the words of that famous Bergenite, LudwigHolberg, and he is right.The city between the seven mountainshas always welcomed strangers. From time immemorial theold harbour of Vågen has embraced people from all corners ofthe world. From Germany, from the Netherlands, from Britainthey came, seamen, traders and craftsmen. Many of them sett-led down, and are the reason why the urban culture and per-sonality of Bergen differs in so many respects from the rest ofNorway. Bergen is a place apart, and the Bergenites are proudof it.

There have been many attempts to explain the glib self-confidence that is the city’s trademark. Other Norwegians seeBergenites as self-assertive – to the point of being much toofull of themselves.This phenomenon may be traced to thecity’s historical class structure. Unlike Oslo, Bergen never hada bourgeois West Side and a proletarian East Side. Poor andrich lived side by side and knew each other personally – forbetter, for worse.This may have produced both a kind of jovial“peaceful coexistence” and some spectacular verbal collisions,the combination creating a culture of rapier-like retorts.

Once when the late King Olav was being shown around theBergen excavations, he asked the then mayor Knut Tjønnelandhow old the city was.“That,Your Majesty, is a question ofappropriations,” replied Tjønneland,“The deeper we can affordto dig, the older the city gets.”

In fact, no one knows for sure how long the settlement be-tween Vågsbunnen and Holmen, where Bergenhus Fortressnow stands, has had an urban character. Official status wasachieved in 1070, when Bjørgvin, as the town was then called,was given a royal charter by Olav III “Kyrre” (the Peaceful).

In the Middle Ages Bjørgvin was the royal seat, and one ofEurope’s most important harbours.The Hanseatic Leagueestablished itself in Bergen as early as the 1200s, and after theBlack Death – which tipped Norway into a long period ofdecline – the German merchants acquired almost completecontrol over the lucrative stockfish (dried cod) trade withNorth Norway.Their “Kontor” on the Hanseatic Wharf, wasthe northern outpost of the Hansa’s chain of trading stations.

Hanseatic control was so overwhelming that the city nowbears the German name and not the original Norwegian one.As an economic elite with considerable privileges, theHanseatic merchants were “a state within a state”.They consi-dered themselves beholden solely to the Hansa’s own regulati-ons, and often rode roughshod over Norwegian law.This arro-gance caused many conflicts. On the other hand, it was fromthe Germans that the Norwegian population learnt a bit aboutwheeling and dealing.

The German “Kontor” on the Hanseatic Wharf was closed in1754, the last of its kind in Europe.

Even after the decline of the Hansa, Bergen remained a city ofinternational importance. During the Dano-Norwegian Uniononly Copenhagen was bigger, but as a port city Bergen puteven the capital in the shade. Not until well into the 19th cen-tury was Bergen overtaken in size and importance byNorway’s new capital, Kristiania (now Oslo).

For most of their history the people of Bergen have builtalmost exclusively in wood.At regular intervals large parts ofthe city have accordingly been burnt to the ground.The last ofthese great conflagrations was in 1916, when practically thewhole centre was destroyed. During the Second World WarBergen was heavily used as a German naval base, and explosi-ons and Allied bombing caused much destruction.The impres-sion received by many visitors, that much of the historic cityhas been preserved for posterity, is not in fact accurate.

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In the course of the 20th century no other major Norwegiantowns suffered equivalent destruction.

In a certain sense the recurrent disasters may be said to havebeen a blessing in disguise; Bergen has always been able torenew itself with a fanfare.The uniform, carefully regulatedappearance of the modern centre is thanks to the groundhaving been cleared for the urban planners by fire and bomb.

The broad firebreaks, called the “commons” (streets andsquares with “allmenning” in the name) ensured that firessooner or later met defeat. Despite all this, however, a surpri-sing number of the old wooden districts are still intact.Thelabyrinth of twisting alleys allows us to experience the intima-te charm of the old days as a living reality, not least becausethe old houses are generally taken care of with great devotion.

The contrast between the white-painted houses climbing upthe hillside and the mountain walls that rise even higher abovethem – the human enclosed by the natural – is what makesBergen one of the most eye-catching cities in the world.

To say that the Bergenites are fond of their city is a massiveunderstatement.They love it with a mighty passion, the waythe Parisians love Paris and the Romans love Rome.Whowould doubt this after hearing a gathering of Bergenites singtheir city anthem with proud voices, sometimes with a tear intheir eyes and always standing? Nowhere in Norway is localpatriotism so strong.The fact that Brann is probably Norway’smost abused football team – abused by its own – is irrefutableproof of the truth of the Bible’s words,“Whom he loveth, hecorrecteth”.

A true Bergenite will parry any accusation of chauvinism,however, by asserting that it is impossible not to be seducedby Bergen, and it is difficult to contradict him…. let us say on aMay evening, when you climb up through the alleys that leadyou past the old Skansen firewatch station to the belvedere ofFjellveien, and then take one of the many forest footpaths thatalways bring you out on Mount Fløien. Looking out overBergen through the sheer curtain of newly-sprung leaves, as

the sun sets in the Atlantic ocean, is an experience that canbring a lump to the throat even of a non-Bergenite.

Bergen has given birth to many of Norway’s foremost artists,and others have made their home here.The dramatist LudvigHolberg, the violinist Ole Bull, the composer Edvard Grieg andthe novelist Amalie Skram were born here, while Henrik Ibsenand the poet and pamphleteer Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson spentcrucial years of their lives in the city. Bergen is proud of beinga leading city of the arts, first and foremost for music.TheBergen Festival in May is an annual high-point, and the statusas one of the European Cities of Culture in 2000 reinforcedthe ambition to be a world-class cultural powerhouse.

Modern Bergen is considerably more than the compact, tradit-ional city core between the seven mountains.A number ofmunicipal mergers have resulted in a city land area of as muchas 265 square kilometres, of which much is wilderness.Together, Bergen and its neighbouring districts make up anexciting mixture of expansive city, traditional agriculture andastounding natural scenery.There are a vast number of attrac-tive leisure destinations at a very short distance from the citycentre; this ready accessibility of mountain and fjord is one ofthe reasons Bergenites feel so privileged.

Most people are more than willing to share this privilege withvisitors. In fact, few things please a Bergenite as much as thechance to show off the best of his city. It is in this spirit thatthe book you are now holding was created.

But we all know that Bergenites were born with webbed feetand were given an umbrella at baptism.This being so, there isone feature of this book that may seem surprising.When thepictures were taken, over several periods in 2000, the weathergods were in a very strange mood indeed – for the photo-grapher never saw a single rainy day to immortalise. In a citywith an average of more than 2000 mm rain per year, this wasquite an accomplishment.

Erling T. Gjelsvik

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Bergen has always faced the sea.Its ships have put out from Vågen in every direction, and asteady stream of seafarers has flowed in the opposite direc-tion, setting their unmistakeable stamp on the city.

And of course Bergen has its own flagship. For many yearsthe “Statsraad Lehmkuhl” was a training ship, and a goodnumber of Bergenites got their sea-legs on her decks. She isa steel-built barque from Bremerhaven anno 1914.

Now as always the “Statsraaden” is an ornament to the har-bour and a welcome participant in international tall-shipraces.

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The capital of the fjord country has from ancient times been amercantile and maritime city. Bergen grew up around Vågen, whichhas always been a hive of activity.

They are all berthed there: express catamarans that rush up anddown the coast, passenger ferries to England and Denmark,warships showing the flag, cruise liners, North Sea supply ships,trawlers, and veteran sailships.

In recent years the harbour has been dominated by a growingarmada of leisure craft, particularly in the summer months. Bergen isa popular destination for yachtsmen from all over the world.

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“Strandsiden” used to be the “Norwegian” section of the harbour,where in the 16th century native Bergen merchants began to givethe Hanseatics a run for their money. However, all the old buildingsperished in the conflagration of 1916, and the new Strandkaien tookshape. Its row of traditional shops and stores play their part in ensu-ring there is always life and colour around the harbour.

In the tourist season the ferryboat “Vågen” shuttles between theFishmarket and the Aquarium.

Bergenites like to keep their maritime roots well-watered. Here isthe monument to the city’s seafarers through the ages.