History of Bergen

The history of Bergen starts with King Olav Kyrre, who founded Bergen in AD 1070. The citis considered to have replaced Trondheim as Norway's capital in 1217 and in this period Bergen reached its peak under King Haakon Haakonsson, ruler of a large and internationally respected kingdom that included Greenland, Iceland, Hebrides, Orkney Islands and Isle of Man. Towards the end of the 13th century, Bergen became one of the Hanseatic League's most important bureau cities.

Hansa History

The main reason for Bergen's importance was the trade with dried cod from the northern Norwegian coast, which started around 1100 CE. By the late 1300s, Bergen had established itself as the center of the trade in Norway. The Saxon Hanseatic merchants lived in their own separate quarter of town, where Middle Saxon (“Middle Low German”) was used, 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.

Read more about the history of Bryggen:

Bryggen early history 1070 - 1360

The Hanseatic League 1360-1754

The Norwegian Kontor 1754 - 1899

Bergen at War

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 Saxon merchants to become Norwegian citizens or return home, heralding a decline in the Saxon 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 the 1830s, when Oslo became the biggest. Bergen retained its monopoly of trade with Northern Norway until 1789.

Bergen Burning

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 April 9, 1940, after a brief fight between German ships and Norwegian coastal artillery. On April 20, 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.