Vågen
Created | Updated Jul 31, 2003
Vågen - the cradle of Bergen, is the part of Byfjorden that stretches from Nordnespynten and Skoltegrunnskaien to Vågsbunnen with Fisketorget and Zachariasbryggen. King Olav Kyrre and his men used Vågen as their haven on the way to the king's farm on Alrekstad.
By the sides of this haven a small village developed, and was named Biorgvin, which means "the meadow by the mountain". Vågen was necessary for the foundation of Bergen and its growth into an important European centre of commerce. Vågen was strategically placed as a traffic junction for trade with fish from northern Norway to the continent and England. It was rarely covered in ice, and suitable for handling of goods. Ships from northern Norway and Europe met here, and fish was traded for grain. The nucleus of the old town was the eastern bank from Holmen to Korskirken, where Bryggen with its more than 30 wharfside sheds was constructed. Bryggen was in principle already shaped when Bergen became a city in 1276. The western part of the town were not developed until the 15th century.
Remains of shells, oysters and fishing tackle have been found in excavations, showing that fishing occurred on Vågen. There are even records of shoals of herring, and in the days of Absalon Beyers in the 16th century, fishing nets were thrown from Finnegården. An old saying proclaimes that "Bergen wasn't founded by Olav Kyrre, it was founded by the stockfish." It was here, along Vågen with Bryggen, its wharfside sheds and the hansa traders, that Bergen grew to be a city of commerce. Today Vågen, Fisketorget, Vågsbunnen and the popular restaurant house Zachariasbryggen is a central part of Bergen's urban environment. Tourists has to visit this part of historical Bergen to claim that they have really seen the city between the seven mountains.
Bryggen is one of the most important tourist attractions in Bergen, and it is honoured to be one of the four Norwegian contributors to UNESCO's list of the world's historical heritage. The SAS hotel was finished in 1982. The middle age frontage towards Vågen was completed with "old" wooden houses on the north side, and the architect modelled the rest of the building after the rows of houses stretching towards Øvregaten. The importance of Bergen as an old centre of commerce and a modern tourist town was celebrated during the hansa days in the spring of 1996.
From the 11th century Bryggen was a piece of Germany on the western coast of Norway. The "colonization" by the hansa traders led to the name "German wharf", but in 1945 the middle-age name came back into use.
By the sides of this haven a small village developed, and was named Biorgvin, which means "the meadow by the mountain". Vågen was necessary for the foundation of Bergen and its growth into an important European centre of commerce. Vågen was strategically placed as a traffic junction for trade with fish from northern Norway to the continent and England. It was rarely covered in ice, and suitable for handling of goods. Ships from northern Norway and Europe met here, and fish was traded for grain. The nucleus of the old town was the eastern bank from Holmen to Korskirken, where Bryggen with its more than 30 wharfside sheds was constructed. Bryggen was in principle already shaped when Bergen became a city in 1276. The western part of the town were not developed until the 15th century.
Remains of shells, oysters and fishing tackle have been found in excavations, showing that fishing occurred on Vågen. There are even records of shoals of herring, and in the days of Absalon Beyers in the 16th century, fishing nets were thrown from Finnegården. An old saying proclaimes that "Bergen wasn't founded by Olav Kyrre, it was founded by the stockfish." It was here, along Vågen with Bryggen, its wharfside sheds and the hansa traders, that Bergen grew to be a city of commerce. Today Vågen, Fisketorget, Vågsbunnen and the popular restaurant house Zachariasbryggen is a central part of Bergen's urban environment. Tourists has to visit this part of historical Bergen to claim that they have really seen the city between the seven mountains.
Bryggen is one of the most important tourist attractions in Bergen, and it is honoured to be one of the four Norwegian contributors to UNESCO's list of the world's historical heritage. The SAS hotel was finished in 1982. The middle age frontage towards Vågen was completed with "old" wooden houses on the north side, and the architect modelled the rest of the building after the rows of houses stretching towards Øvregaten. The importance of Bergen as an old centre of commerce and a modern tourist town was celebrated during the hansa days in the spring of 1996.
From the 11th century Bryggen was a piece of Germany on the western coast of Norway. The "colonization" by the hansa traders led to the name "German wharf", but in 1945 the middle-age name came back into use.
