The Bryggen Wharf area in Bergen

The Bryggen Wharf area in Bergen

The Bryggen area is an old harbor district in Bergen. This historic site reveals that it was once a key hub of the Hanseatic League’s trading empire from the 14th to the mid-16th century. A series of fires (the last one occurred in 1955) destroyed the beautiful wooden houses in the Bryggen area, but its main structures have been preserved.

The spatial layout of the Bryggen area was determined by its function as a port to meet the needs of maritime trade. It consists of multiple rows of parallel buildings with gabled roofs facing the water, separated by passageways. These passageways served as courtyards where goods unloaded from merchant ships were initially stacked before being distributed to various warehouses. Today, the Bryggen area has 62 buildings. Most of the wooden structures are covered with protective boarding, and feature external staircases and corridors on the passageway side. In the central part of the block, several buildings were constructed to serve as “safe” spaces to protect valuable goods from fire damage.

Although the current buildings were constructed after the great fire of 1702, the Bryggen area still retains the characteristics of a medieval harbor. As a harmoniously functional ancient district, Bryggen reveals the spatial use of merchants in the Hanseatic Quarter — a northern urban quarter distinct from those of Lübeck and Novgorod.

Why Bryggen is a must-visit: One of Norway’s most unique urban structures