|
| |
1201
|
| |
Hordaland
|
| |
Midhordland
|
| |
Bergen
|
| |
Herman Friele ( H )
|
| |
2004
|
| |
215
|
| |
465
|
| |
445
|
| |
014
|
| |
2006
|
| |
2
|
| |
242,158
|
| |
519
|
| |
534
|
| |
80
|
| |
Neutral
|
| |
60 lat_min=22 lat_sec=16 lon_deg=5 lon_min=24 lon_sec=30
|
| |
32V utm_northing=6698166 utm_easting=0301993 geo_cat=city(237,430),adm2nd
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
wwwbergenkommuneno
|
is a
Municipality and city in the
County of
Hordaland ,
Norway .
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway. It is located on the south-western coast of Norway, between a group of mountains known collectively as ''
De Syv Fjell '' ("the seven mountains"). Bergen is also known as the gateway to the
Fjords of Norway.
The city of Bergen appeared in the 11th century. According to the sagas it was founded by
Olaf Kyrre . In modern times, the year AD
1070 has been decided upon as the year of foundation. It was considered to be Norway's capital in the 13th century until
1299 . Toward the end of the
Thirteenth Century , Bergen became one of the
Hanseatic League 's four most important bureaus. The reason for its importance was the trade in dried cod from the northern Norwegian coast, starting up around 1100. The German hanseatic merchants lived in their own separate quarter of town, where low German was spoken, enjoying exclusive rights to trade with the northern fishermen that each summer sailed to Bergen. Today, one still gets a feel of this at the quayside of Bergen called
Bryggen , today on the
UNESCO list of
World Heritage Sites .
In
1349 , the
Black Death was introduced to
Norway by the crew of an English ship arriving Bergen. In the 15th century the city was several times attacked by the
Victual Brothers , in
1429 they succeded in burning the royal castle and much of the city. In 1536, the king was able to force the German merchants to become Norwegian citizens or return home, heralding a decline in the German influence. In
1665 , the city's harbour was the site of the bloody
Battle Of Vågen , between English ships on the one side and Dutch ships supported by the city's garrison on the other.
Throughout the 15th and 16th century, Bergen remained the biggest city in the Nordic countries, and it remained Norway's biggest city until 1850, when overtaken by
Oslo . Bergen retained its monopoly of trade of Northern Norway until 1789.
In 1916 parts of the city centre were destroyed by a devastating fire, the last of many such fires throughout the city's history. During
World War II , the city was occupied on the first day of the German invasion on
9 April 1940 , after a brief fight between German ships and Norwegian coastal artillery. On
20 April 1944 , during the German occupation, a Dutch cargoship anchored off the
Bergenhus fortress, loaded with over 120 tons of explosives, blew up, killing at least 150 people and damaging historic buildings. The city was also subject to some allied bombing raids, aiming at German naval installations in the harbour. Some of these led to civilian casualties numbering over 100.
In 1972, Bergen was unified with neighbouring municipalities (Arna, Fana, Laksevåg and Åsane), thereby getting its present boundaries.
The oldest part of the city is on the north side of the bay of Vågen. Here you find
Bryggen , a number of old, wooden houses dating from the early 18th c., but still giving a medieval feel. The Saint Mary Church is the oldest church of Bergen, dating from around 1130. Two other churches, the Cathedral and the Korskirken church are also medieval, although modified later. The fortress of
Bergenhus has a number of interesting buildings, notably the
Haakon's Hall royal hall from the 1260s, and the
Rosenkrantz Tower , built around a medieval fortification in the 1560s.
A popular tourist attraction is the open air fishmarket on the harbour. Further down you find the main shopping area, rebuilt after a fire in 1916 in art nouveau and functionalism, around the main square Torgalmenningen. Several old quarters of white, wooden houses surround the centre, notably Nordnes, Marken and Sandviken. Nygårdshøyden is a quaint area with a large number of brick buildings from about 1900.
Visitors should not miss the ride with the
funicular up to Mount Fløyen, where one is rewarded with a splendid view over the city and the fabled seven mountains. The aquarium with seals, penguins and fish from the area is very popular.
Strolling around in Bergen will reveal areas with very differing architecture. Quaint wooden houses are abundant, and patched around central Bergen.
]]
Since
2000 , the city of Bergen is governed by a city government (''byråd'') based on the principle of
Parliamentarism . The government consists of 5 government members called commissioners, and is appointed by the city council, which is the supreme authority of the city. Since the local elections of
2003 the city has been ruled by a centre-right coalition of
Høyre (conservatives) ,
The Christian Democrats and
Venstre (liberals) . The conservative party member
Herman Friele has been mayor, while conservative
Monica Mæland is the leader of the city government, the most powerful political position in Bergen.
: ''See also:
Geography Of Norway ''
Bergen is renowned for its plentiful
Rainfall (and has been nicknamed the City of Rain), which makes up most of the 2250 mm (88 in) yearly average
Precipitation . For some years there were ''paraplyautomater'' (umbrella vending machines) installed in the streets, however, they did not turn out to be a success. A joke is told in Bergen about a tourist asking a local boy if it ever stops raining. "I don't know," replies the boy, "I'm only twelve." Bergen is one of the warmest cities in Norway, thanks to the
Gulf Stream . The warmest temperature ever recorded is 31.8°C in 1947, the coldest ever recorded is -16.3°C in 1987.
The , billionaire
Trond Mohn donated 250 million NOK to the University as research funding. Only months later (April 2005), he added an additional NOK 50 million. UiB has approximately 17,000 students and 2,500 staff.
Bergen University College {Link without Title} offers studies of high quality directed towards specific professions. The college is organised in 3 faculties: Faculty of Education, Faculty of Engineering, and Faculty of Health and Social Sciences. HiB has approximately 6,000 students and 600 staff.
Bergen is also home of the , the last (2004) of three Norwegian laureates of the
"Nobel Prize" In Economy , has studied and lectured at this school. NHH has approximately 2,800 students and 300 staff.
Main businesses in Bergen are:
- a large oil industry
- banking services
- TV industry ( TV 2 - the largest commercial TV station's headquarters)
- deep sea operations
- fishing operations
- large vessel harbour
- University (approx. 17 000 students)
- Bergen University College (6000 students)
- hotel services
- largest cruise vessel harbour in northern Europe
Bergen has an international
Airport ,
Bergen Airport, Flesland , with direct flights to many European cities. The
Bergensbanen Railway line runs east to
Voss ,
Geilo ,
Hønefoss and
Oslo .
Public Transportation is provided by
Gaia Trafikk and
Hardanger Sunnhordlandske Dampskipsselskap (HSD). Local train transport to
Arna is provided by
Norges Statsbaner . There is also a
Funicular (
Fløibanen ) and an
Aerial Tramway (
Ulriksbanen ). The
Tram system was closed in
1964 , although a museum-line still operates on
Møhlenpris . A modern
Light Rail line connecting the city-centre with
Nesttun and Bergen Airport is in the works and has been passed by
Stortinget . Among the fleet of about 450 buses are 8 trolleybuses (two of them are dual-mode buses), making Bergen the only city in north-west Europe to have them.
Eastbound, highway E16 run to
Voss ,
Valdres and
Oslo . Along the coast, highway E39 run south to Haugesund, Stavanger and Kristiansand, and north to
Førde ,
Ålesund ,
Molde and
Trondheim . Express buses ply both highways, as well as serving numerous other destinations.
The Norwegian coastal steamer
Hurtigruten originates in Bergen, running north to Trondheim, Bodø, Tromsø and Kirkenes. Passenger catamarans run from Bergen south to
Haugesund and
Stavanger , and north to
Sognefjorden and
Nordfjord . Car ferries connect to
Hanstholm and
Hirtshals in
Denmark ,
Newcastle in the
United Kingdom ,
Tórshavn on the
Faroe Islands , and
Reykjavík on
Iceland .
Bergen is also an important cultural centre in its region and in Norway, maybe best known for hosting the annual , following the British band tradition, and ''Janitsjar'' or
Wind Bands , which include both woodwind and brass instruments. Both of these types of bands tend to be quite competitive, and the Grieg Hall in Bergen is home to the annual Norwegian Brass Band Championships, which takes place in late winter.
In the late . Musicians and bands from Bergen include
Annie ,
Burzum ,
Erlend Øye ,
Kings Of Convenience ,
Röyksopp , and
Sondre Lerche .
Bergen has a small but thriving scene for contemporary art, most notably centered around
''BIT Teatergarasjen'' ,
''Bergen Kunsthall'' ,
United Sardines Factory, USF and
Bergen Center for Electronic Arts, BEK .
The biggest
Football team,
S.K. Brann , plays in the
Norwegian Premier League (
2006 ), while
Løv-Ham Fotball plays in
First Division . The biggest women's football team is
Arna Bjørnar .
- Trond Torleivsson Benkestok , nobleman ( 1490 – 1558 )
- Ludvig Holberg , playwright ( 1684 – 1754 )
- Ole Bull , violinist, composer ( 1810 – 1880 )
- Gerhard Armauer Hansen , leprosy researcher ( 1841 – 1912 )
- Edvard Grieg , composer, pianist ( 1843 – 1907 )
- Christian Michelsen , ship owner, prime minister ( 1857 – 1925 )
- Carl Joachim Hambro , politician, President of Parliament ( 1885 - 1964 )
- Nordahl Grieg , poet, author ( 1902 – 1943 )
- Roald Jensen , soccer player ( 1943 – 1987 )
- Helge Jordal , actor ( 1946 –)
- Terje Rød-Larsen , diplomat, sociologist ( 1947 -)
- Jan Eggum , singer, songwriter ( 1951 –)
- Sissel Kyrkjebø , singer ( 1969 –)
- Varg Vikernes , musician, arsonist, murderer ( 1973 –)
- Erlend Øye , musician ( 1975 –)
- Kurt Nilsen , musician ( 1978 –)
- Sondre Lerche , musician ( 1982 –)
- Espen Bakkis Stige Brakstad , drummer ( 1978 –)
Bergen has several
Sister Cities . They are:
>
