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Bergen is the second largest city in Norway in the county of Hordaland, Norway. The population of Bergen proper (municipality) is 242,854 as of April 1st, 2006 according to Statistics Norway. The city is divided into 8 boroughs, Arna, Bergenhus, Fana, Fyllingsdalen, Laksev g, ... more »
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Hotels Bergen is the second largest city in Norway in the county of Hordaland, Norway. The population of Bergen proper (municipality) is 242,854 as of April 1st, 2006 according to Statistics Norway. The city is divided into 8 boroughs, Arna, Bergenhus, Fana, Fyllingsdalen, Laksevåg, Ytrebygda, Årstad and Åsane. The metropolitan area of Bergen has a population of 369,099 inhabitants as of January 1st 2006 according to Statistics Norway
The city is located on the south-western coast of Norway, in the county of Hordaland, with its center situated between a group of mountains known collectively as de syv fjell ("the seven mountains"). Bergen is recognized as the unofficial capital of the region known as West Norway, and also recognized and marketed as the gateway city to the world famous fjords of Norway and for that reason it has become Norway's largest – and one of Europe's largest cruise ship ports of call. Furthermore Bergen's inter-municipal harbour is by far Norway's largest port and also one of Europe´s largest ports according to the inter-municipal company Port of Bergen, handling more than 50% of all cargo handled in Norway in 2005.
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 are patched in and around the centre, notably in Nordnes, Marken and Sandviken. Nygårdshøyden is a quaint area with a large number of buildings from about 1900, many with neoclassical facades. Some parts of Bergen have been rebuilt after WWII due to English bombing, an explosion accident and unthoughtful city planning. Whole blocks of ancient wooden houses are still regularly demolished in the city centre, most recently in Nøstet and Krinkelkroken. Strolling around in Bergen will generally reveal areas of very differing architecture.
The city of Bergen was founded by king Olav Kyrre in the year 1070 AD. Bergen celebrated its 900th anniversary in 1970. It was considered to be Norway's capital in the 13th century until 1299. Towards the end of the thirteenth century, Bergen became one of the Hanseatic League's most important bureau cities. The main reason for Bergen´s importance was the trade with 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 in Bergen. In the 15th century the city was several times attacked by the Victual Brothers, and in 1429 they succeeded 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 centuries, 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), abolishing its county status and getting its present boundaries.
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 1965, 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.
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Eastbound, highway E16 runs to Voss, Valdres and Oslo. Along the coast, highway E39 runs 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 service 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, Lerwick and Newcastle in the United Kingdom, Tórshavn on the Faroe Islands, and Seyðisfjörður on Iceland.
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Bergen is also an important cultural centre in its region and in Norway, maybe best known for hosting the annual Bergen International Festival (Festspillene i Bergen). The city is home of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, which was founded in 1765 and is one of the world's oldest orchestral institutions. The orchestra performs regularly at the 1,500 seat Grieg Hall. Bergen was a European Capital of Culture in 2000. Other main cultural events include Nattjazz and Bergenfest (formerly Ole Blues).
In addition, there are numerous amateur bands in Bergen and the surrounding communities, performing regularly throughout the city. They generally fall within two distinct categories: brass bands, 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.
Bergen is also home to Buekorps, a prominent feature in the city's Constitution Day celebrations.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s many pop and rock artists from Bergen became famous, at home and abroad. Many of these were connected to the small record label Tellé. In the domestic press this became known as the Bergen Wave. 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.
* Bergen is renowned for its plentiful rainfall (and has been nicknamed the City of Rain or the Seattle of Europe), 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. 10°C and rain can happen both in January and July. The warmest temperature ever recorded is 31.8°C in 1947, the coldest ever recorded is -16.3°C in 1987.
Temperature - Yearly Average
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Distances are calculated as the crow flies, and are provided as an aid in planning only.
* This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Source wikipedia.
