Bryggen

The Bryggen district, in Bergen

Bryggen is the oldest district of Bergen, famous throughout the world for its colourful wooden houses, listed as UNESCO world heritage. The Bergen audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this Hanseatic jewel, former merchant trading post on the edge of the port, absolute emblem of the town.

The Hanseatic wharf with colourful façades

You have understood it, here we are arrived at the heart of the subject: you contemplate now what you wanted to see of Bergen, its oldest district, the famous Bryggen, whose name means simply the wharf, or the quay, in Norwegian. Its silhouette represents on its own the image of the town. Bryggen is the former merchant district of Bergen, that was, in the Middle Ages, one of the main trading posts of the Hanseatic League, this powerful association of commercial towns of Northern Europe. The German merchants of the Hansa established there their offices, their lodgings and their warehouses, making of this quay the beating heart of the maritime trade of the town, notably the export of the dried fish. The district is composed of a tight alignment of high narrow wooden houses, with gabled façades painted in warm colours, ochre, red, yellow or white, separated by narrow passages. Several times ravaged by fires over the centuries, which was frequent for these wooden constructions, the district was systematically rebuilt according to the same ancestral plan, preserving its original appearance. Listed as UNESCO world heritage, Bryggen shelters today shops, artisan workshops, galleries and restaurants. A Hanseatic jewel and an emblem of the town, the Bryggen district is a must-see stop of the discovery of Bergen.

What to see

Here you wander in the oldest district of Bergen, whose name means the wharf, former trading post of the Hanseatic League where the German merchants held their offices and warehouses; its tight alignment of high narrow wooden houses with colourful gabled façades, rebuilt identically after each fire, is listed by UNESCO and shelters today shops, workshops and galleries. Bryggen is the emblem of Bergen. It is a must-see stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Bryggen district lies on the edge of the port, on the north bank of the bay of the Vågen, in the heart of Bergen, reachable on foot. It is a public open-air district, freely accessible, that shelters shops, workshops and restaurants with variable hours. You discover it by strolling along its façades and its passages.

Why is the Bryggen district famous in Bergen?

Because it is the oldest district of Bergen and its emblem: former trading post of the Hanseatic League whose name means the wharf, it aligns its high narrow wooden houses with colourful gabled façades, rebuilt identically after each fire; listed as UNESCO world heritage, it tells the role of the town in the great maritime trade of the North.

Where is the Bryggen district in Bergen?

On the edge of the port, on the north bank of the bay of the Vågen, in the heart of Bergen, in Norway.