The Hanseatic Museum

The Hanseatic Museum, in Bergen

The Hanseatic Museum of Bergen plunges the visitor into the history of the Hanseatic League, inseparable from the town. The Bergen audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this museum installed in an authentic merchant's house, which tells the merchant past and the role of Bergen in the great trade of the North.

The memory of the Hanseatic League

Here we are now in front of the entrance of the famous Hanseatic Museum of Bergen. Its visit, paid for adults but free for children, is an excellent way to plunge into the history of the town, inseparable from its position in the Hanseatic League. This league was a powerful association of merchant towns of Northern Europe that, from the Middle Ages to the modern era, dominated the maritime trade of the North Sea and the Baltic. Bergen was one of its main trading posts, and the German merchants of the Hansa established there a prosperous merchant district, in the heart of Bryggen, from where they exported notably the dried fish. The museum is installed in one of these authentic wooden merchant's houses, remarkably preserved, that allows to discover the conditions of life and work of the merchants and their employees at this era: the offices, the cramped lodgings, the warehouses and the objects of everyday life are reconstituted there with care. The visit brings back to life in a lively and concrete way this essential part of the history of Bergen and of European trade. A museum of history and a witness of the Hanseatic past, the Hanseatic Museum is a fine stop of the discovery of Bergen.

What to see

Here you discover the history of the Hanseatic League, inseparable from Bergen, in an authentic wooden merchant's house remarkably preserved in the heart of Bryggen; this powerful association of merchant towns dominated the trade of the North, and the museum reconstitutes with care the offices, cramped lodgings and warehouses that bring back to life the conditions of life of the merchants. The Hanseatic Museum is a witness of the Hanseatic past of Bergen. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Hanseatic Museum lies in the heart of the district of Bryggen, on the edge of the port of Bergen, reachable on foot. The visit is paid for adults and free for children, and follows its own hours and conditions, which vary according to the season. It is best to check them before coming.

What is the Hanseatic Museum of Bergen?

A museum installed in an authentic wooden merchant's house in the heart of Bryggen, that plunges the visitor into the history of the Hanseatic League, inseparable from Bergen; this powerful association of merchant towns dominated the trade of the North, and the museum reconstitutes with care the offices, cramped lodgings and warehouses that bring back to life the conditions of life of the merchants.

Where is the Hanseatic Museum in Bergen?

In the heart of the district of Bryggen, on the edge of the port of Bergen, in Norway.