Bergen, Norway

A photo of Bryggen

The municipality and city Bergen in the county of Hordaland, Norway, has 237,430 inhabitants as of January 1, 2004. Its administrative district covers 465 km².

Bergen is the second largest city in Norway. It is located on the south-western coast-line of Norway, between de syv fjell "seven mountains", according to folklore. Bergen is also known as the gateway to the fjords of Norway.

Founded as a city by Olav Kyrre in 1070 AD and considered to be Norway's capital until 1299, Bergen toward the end of the thirteenth century became one of the Hanseatic League's four most important cities. The trading activities and administration was located at the bay that forms the centre of Bergen, and the continuous quayside buildings of Bryggen are now on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. The city suffered greatly when the Black Plague was introduced in Sept. 1349 by crew-members on Hansa ships and spread to the rest of the country by the following summer.

Bergen is renowned for its plentiful rainfall. In average, it rains two out of three days. Yearly average rainfall is 2250 mm (88 inches). Its longest period of uninterrupted rain in recent years was from January 3, 1990 to March 26, 1990. There are vending machines for umbrellas on some streets.

Summer day in Bergen

The University of Bergen (http://www.uib.no/info/english/) is known for its strong marine biology and geology (petroleum) research. Recently the university was awarded three national centers of excellence (http://www.uib.no/sff/) in climate research, petroleum research and middle age studies. It is also home of the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration (http://www.nhh.no/index-e.html), a leading business school in Norway.

Industries in Bergen include deep sea shipping, fishing, academia, and services. The nearby Mongstad complex is the largest port in Norway, responsible for about 70% of all wet bulk.

Bergen has an international airport, Flesland, and has a railway line to Oslo.

Bergen is also an important cultural centre in its region and in Norway, maybe best known for hosting the annual Bergen International Festival (http://www.festspillene.no/eng/index.php) (Festspillene). Bergen was a European City of Culture in 2000. Other main cultural events includes Nattjazz (http://nattjazz.no/index.php) and Ole Blues (http://www.oleblues.net/english/index_main.asp?segment=2&id=9).

The local football team, S.K. Brann, plays in the Norwegian premier league (2004).

Ole Borneman Bull was born in Bergen in 1810. Ludvig Holberg was born there in 1684. The composer Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) was born and died in Bergen.

Bergen has several sister_cities. They are

• Gothenburg, Sweden
• Turku, Finland
• Århus, Denmark
• Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom
• Seattle, Washington, United States
• Asmara, Eritrea

External links

• City of Bergen official website (http://www.bergen.kommune.no/)
• The World Heritage City Bergen (http://www.bergen.kommune.no/info/world_heritage_city.html)
• Bergen Guide (http://www.bergen-guide.com/)
• svartedauen (http://home.online.no/~olhov/dauen.html)

da:Bergen de:Bergen eo:Bergen (Norvegio) he:ברגן la:Berga nl:Bergen (Noorwegen) ja:ベルゲン no:Bergen ro:Bergen, Norvegia sv:Bergen