| Bergen, Norway |
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Information AboutBergen, Norway |
is a city, a municipality, and a former county, in the county of Hordaland , Norway . The Norwegian city of Bergen was separated from Hordaland as a county of its own in 1831. It was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 (see Formannskapsdistrikt ). The rural municipality of Bergen Landdistrikt was merged with Bergen January 1, 18771. The rural municipality of Årstad was merged with Bergen July 1, 1915. The rural municipalities of Arna , Fana , Laksevåg and Åsane were merged with Bergen January 1 , 1972 . The city lost its status as a separate county the same date. Bergen was the largest city in Norway until 1840 (when it was passed by Oslo ). The city is located on the south-western coast of Norway, in the county of Hordaland, with its centre situated between a group of mountains known collectively as ''de syv fjell'' ("the seven mountains"), although the number of mountains is a matter of definition. The first to name them "the seven mountains" might have been Ludvig Holberg 2, inspired by the Seven Hills Of Rome . Bergen is recognized as the unofficial capital of the region known as West Norway, and recognized and marketed as the gateway city to the world famous Fjord s of Norway and for that reason it has become Norway's largest - and one of Europe's largest - Cruise Ship ports of call3. Bergen's inter-municipal harbour is by far Norway's largest port and one of Europe's largest ports, according to the inter-municipal company Port of Bergen4. In August 2004 , '' Time '' magazine named the city one of Europe's 14 "secret capitals" 5, where Bergen's capital reign is acknowledged within maritime businesses and activities such as aquaculture and marine research, with the Institute of Marine Research (IMR) (the second-largest in Europe) as the leading institution. Bergen is the main base for the Royal Norwegian Navy (at Haakonsvern ) and its international airport Flesland is the main heliport for the huge Norwegian North Sea oil and gas industry, from where thousands of offshore workers commute to their work places onboard oil and gas rigs and platforms. Bergen was one of nine European cities honoured with the title European City Of Culture in 2000. 6 HISTORY The city of Bergen is thought to have been founded by king Olav Kyrre , son of Harald Hardråde , in 1070 AD, celebrating it's 900th anniversary in 1970. It is considered to have replaced Trondheim as Norway's capital in 1217 , and that Oslo became capital in 1299 . Towards the end of the Thirteenth Century , Bergen became one of the Hanseatic League 's most important bureau cities7. The main reason for Bergen's importance was the trade with dried cod from the northern Norwegian coast8, starting up around 1100. The Frisian and German Hanseatic merchants lived in their own separate quarter of town, where Frisian and Low German was spoken, enjoying exclusive rights to trade with the northern fishermen that each summer sailed to Bergen. Today, Bergen's old quayside, Bryggen is on UNESCO 's list of World Heritage Sites .9 In 1349 , the Black Death was introduced to Norway by the crew of an English ship arriving in Bergen10. In the 15th century the city was several times attacked by the Victual Brothers 11, and in 1429 they succeeded in burning the royal castle and much of the city. In 1536, the king was able to force the Frisian and 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 centuries, Bergen remained one of the largest cities in Scandinavia , and was Norway's biggest city until 1850, when it was bypassed by Oslo . Bergen retained its monopoly of trade with 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, the Dutch cargoship Voorbode 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 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), abolishing its County status and getting its present boundaries.12 ]] Toponymy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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