(Redirected from Bjørgvin)
is a city, a municipality, and a former county, in the county of
Hordaland,
Norway.
The
Norwegian city of 'Bergen' was separated from Hordaland as a county of its own in 1831. It was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 (see
formannskapsdistrikt). The rural municipality of
Bergen landdistrikt was merged with Bergen January 1, 1877
[1]. The rural municipality of
Ã…rstad was merged with Bergen July 1, 1915. The rural municipalities of
Arna,
Fana,
Laksevåg and
Ã…sane were merged with Bergen
January 1,
1972. The city lost its status as a separate county the same date
. Bergen was the largest city in Norway until
1840 (when it was passed by
Oslo).
The city is located on the south-western coast of Norway, in the county of Hordaland, with its centre situated between a group of mountains known collectively as ''de syv fjell'' ("the seven mountains"), although the number of mountains is a matter of definition. The first to name them "the seven mountains" might have been
Ludvig Holberg[2], inspired by the
seven hills of Rome. Bergen is recognized as the unofficial capital of the region known as West Norway, and recognized and marketed as the gateway city to the world famous
fjords of Norway and for that reason it has become Norway's largest - and one of Europe's largest -
cruise ship ports of call
[3]. Bergen's inter-municipal harbour is by far Norway's largest port and one of Europe's largest ports, according to the inter-municipal company Port of Bergen
[4].
In
August 2004, ''
Time'' magazine named the city one of Europe's 14 "secret capitals"
[5], where Bergen's capital reign is acknowledged within maritime businesses and activities such as aquaculture and marine research, with the Institute of Marine Research (IMR) (the second-largest in Europe) as the leading institution. Bergen is the main base for the
Royal Norwegian Navy (at
Haakonsvern) and its international airport
Flesland is the main heliport for the huge Norwegian North Sea oil and gas industry, from where thousands of offshore workers commute to their work places onboard oil and gas rigs and platforms.
Bergen was one of nine European cities honoured with the title
European City of Culture in 2000.
[6]
History
The Haakons Hall and the Rosenkrantz Tower
The city of Bergen is thought to have been founded by king
Olav Kyrre, son of
Harald Hardråde, in
1070 AD, celebrating it's 900th anniversary in 1970. It is considered to have replaced
Trondheim as Norway's capital in
1217, and that Oslo became capital in
1299. Towards the end of the
thirteenth century, Bergen became one of the
Hanseatic League's most important bureau cities
[7].
The main reason for Bergen's importance was the trade with dried cod from the northern Norwegian coast
[8], starting up around 1100. The
Frisian and
German Hanseatic merchants lived in their own separate quarter of town, where
Frisian and
Low German was spoken, 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.
[9]
In
1349, the
Black Death was introduced to
Norway by the crew of an English ship arriving in Bergen
[10]. In the 15th century the city was several times attacked by the
Victual Brothers[11], and in
1429 they succeeded in burning the royal castle and much of the city. In 1536, the king was able to force the Frisian and German merchants to become Norwegian citizens or return home, heralding a decline in the German influence. In
1665, the city's harbour was the site of the bloody
Battle of VÃ¥gen, 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 1850, when it was bypassed by
Oslo. Bergen retained its monopoly of trade with Northern Norway until 1789.
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
9 April 1940, after a brief fight between German ships and Norwegian coastal artillery. On
20 April 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.
[12]
Toponymy
The
Norse forms of the name were ''Bergvin'' and ''Bjørgvin''. The first element is ''berg'' n or ''bjørg'' f 'mountain' - the last element is ''vin'' f 'pasture, meadow'. The meaning is then 'the meadow among the mountains'.
[13] (A suitable name: Bergen is often called 'the city among the seven mountains'.)
There are about one thousand names in Norway composed with the element ''-vin'', which are pronounced with the second tone. The only exception is the name ''Bergen'' (which is pronounced with the first tone). The cause of this is probably the German influence in the city.
In 1918 there was a campaign to reintroduce the Norse form ''Bjørgvin'' as the name of the city. This was turned down - but as a compromise the name of the diocese was changed to ''
Bjørgvin bispedømme''.
Geography
Bergen is located on the south-western coast of Norway, in the county of Hordaland. Its city centre is situated between a group of mountains known collectively as ''
de syv fjell'' ("the seven mountains"), describing the mountains
Ulriken,
Fløyen,
Løvstakken and
Damsgårdsfjellet, as well as three out of
Lyderhorn,
Sandviksfjellet,
Blåmanen,
Rundemanen, and
Askøyfjellet. These seven mountains are, however, only a few of the mountains located within the borders of the Bergen municipality.
Gullfjellet is the highest mountain in Bergen, at 987 metres above sea level.
[14] Bergen, as well as neighbour municipality
Os and a part of
Samnanger, is located on the Bergen peninsula in mid-western Hordaland.
Bergen borders the municipalities
Meland and
Osterøy to the north,
Vaksdal and
Samnanger to the east,
Os to the south, and
Sund,
Fjell and
Askøy to the west.
Cityscape
White wooden houses in Bergen.
The oldest remaining part of the city is on the north side of the bay of VÃ¥gen. ''
Bryggen'', the product of rebuilding after a fire in 1702, is in this area. The buildings that form Bryggen were done in the style of the medieval buildings that stood on the site prior to the fire
. ''Saint Mary's Church'' is the oldest building in Bergen, parts of it dating from around 1130
. The altar piece of the church is the oldest ornament preserved. It dates back to the Hanseatic period, probably the
15th century, when the church was used by the German hanseats as their parish church. Much of the interior was replaced during a restoration of the church in the second half of the 18th century.
.
Two other churches, the cathedral (''Domkirken'') and the Korskirken church are also medieval, although modified later. The ''
Bergenhus fortress'' has several interesting buildings, notably ''
Haakon's Hall'', a royal hall dating from 1261
, and the ''
Rosenkrantz Tower'', built around a medieval fortification in 1563
.
An open air fishmarket is located along the inner harbour of VÃ¥gen. Further south is the main shopping area, rebuilt after a fire in 1916 in art nouveau and functionalist style, around the main square
Torgallmenningen. Several old quarters of white, wooden houses are scattered in and around the centre, most notably in ''
Nordnes'', ''
Marken'' and ''
Sandviken''. ''
Nygårdshøyden'' is a quaint area with a large number of buildings dating from late
19th century, many with
neoclassical facades. Some parts of Bergen were rebuilt after
World War II, rectifying damage due to bombing, the
1944 explosion accident, and thoughtless urban planning
[15]. Whole blocks of ancient wooden houses have been demolished in the city centre, most recently in ''Nøstet'' and ''Krinkelkroken'', due to a lack of maintenance of the buildings.
[16]
Mount
Fløyen (320 metres above sea level
[17]) and Mount
Ulriken (643 metres above sea level
[18]) are connected to the city centre with a
funicular and a
cable car, respectively. The mountains, as well as the areas that surround them, are popular hiking areas for locals as well as tourists.
A
penguin under water in Bergen Aquarium.
The
Bergen Aquarium, housing
fish, marine
invertebrates,
seals and
penguins, as well as
reptiles and
monkeys, is located at the tip of the Nordnes
peninsula.
Administration
{| {| class=wikitable align="left"
|colspan="2" | 'Bergen city council 2003-2007'
|-
|
Conservative Party (conservatives)||18 (14)
|-----
|
Labour Party (social democrats)||16 (20)
|-
|
Progress Party (radical right wing/liberal conservatives) ||11 (13)
|-----
|
Socialist Left Party (social democrats) ||8 (5)
|-
|
Red Electoral Alliance (revolutionary socialists) ||4 (4)
|-----
|
Christian Democratic Party (christian democrats)||4 (7)
|-
|
Pensioners Party (pensioners' party/conservatives) ||2 (1)
|-----
|
Liberal Party (social liberals) ||2 (2)
|-
|
Centre Party (centrists) ||1 (1)
|-----
|Independent ||1
|-
|'Total' ||'67'
|}
Map of the boroughs of Bergen
Since
2000, the city of Bergen is governed by a city government (''byråd'') based on the principle of
parliamentarism. The government consists of 5 government members called commissioners, and is appointed by the city council, which is the supreme authority of the city. Since the local elections of
2003 the city has been ruled by a centre-right coalition of
Conservatives,
Christian Democrats and
Liberals. The conservative party member
Herman Friele is
mayor, while conservative
Monica Mæland is the leader of the city government, the most powerful political position in Bergen.
Boroughs
Bergen is divided into 8 boroughs
[19], as seen on the map to the right. Going clockwise, starting north, the boroughs are
Ã…sane,
Arna,
Fana,
Ytrebygda,
Fyllingsdalen,
Laksevåg,
Ã…rstad and
Bergenhus. The city centre is located in Bergenhus. Parts of Fana, Ytrebygda, Ã…sane and Arna are not part of the Bergen urban area, explaining why the municipality has approximately 20,000 more inhabitants than the urban area.
Climate
Climate diagramme for Bergen
: ''See also:
Geography of Norway''
Bergen has been nicknamed ''Regnbyen'', which means The City of Rain, for the plentiful
rainfall it's renowned for - annual
precipitation is 2250 mm (88 inches) on average
[20]. This is due to the fact that the city is surrounded by mountains, which the clouds can not easily get over. Rain fell every day between 25 October 2006 and 20 January 2007, 89 consecutive days. In the winter, Bergen is one of the warmest cities in Norway, thanks to the
Gulf Stream; 10°C and rain can happen in both January and July. The highest temperature ever recorded was 31.8°C, a record that dates back to 1947
[21]. The lowest ever recorded is -16.3°C in 1987.
The high amount of precipitation is often used in the marketing of the city, and figures to a degree on postcards sold in the city. For a period of time there were umbrella vending machines in the city, but these did not turn out to be a success
[22].
Climate change
''See also:
Hatlestad slide''
Damaged house after the 2005 slide
In recent years, precipitation and winds have increased in the city. In late 2005, heavy rains caused floods and several landslides, the worst of which killed three people on September 14. It is predicted by meteorologists that severe storms, and as a consequence landslides and floods, will become more powerful in the area and in surrounding counties in coming years.
[23] As a response, the municipality created a special 24-man rescue unit within the fire department to respond to future slides,
[24] and neighborhoods considered at risk of slides were surveyed in 2006.
[25]
Another concern is the rising sea levels brought about by
global warming. Already today, Bryggen is regularly flooded at high tide, and it is feared that as sea levels rise, floods will become a major problem in Bergen. Floods will in the future reach the old fire station in Olav Kyrres Gate, as well as the railroad tracks leading out of the city.
[26] It has therefore been suggested by among others Stiftelsen Bryggen, the foundation responsible for preserving the UNESCO site, that a sea wall, built so that it could be raised and lowered as demanded by the tides, be built outside the harbour to protect the city.
[27]
Another effect of recent years' weather conditions in the area is that skepticism among Norwegians to global warming has been reduced.
[28]
Education
Schools
There are 64 elementary schools, 18 lower secondary schools and 20 upper secondary schools in Bergen, as well as 11 combined elementary/lower secondary schools.
Bergen Katedralskole (
Latin: ''Scholae Bergensis Cathedralis'') is believed to have been founded in
1153 by
Pope Adrian IV (then known as ''Nicholas Breakspear''), thus making it Bergen's oldest school and one of the oldest schools in Norway. The school moved to its present location in 1840, and the old building was left mostly unused until the School Museum of Bergen moved into the building in 2003
[29]. Since
1972 the school is a regular
upper secondary school (similar to a
high school in the
United States and the
United Kingdom).
University of Bergen
The
University of Bergen (
Norwegian: ''Universitet i Bergen'') has approximately 16,000 students and 3,000 staff
[30], making it the third largest university after the
University of Oslo and the
Norwegian University of Science and Technology. The university is known for its strong marine biology and geology (petroleum) research. Recently the university was awarded three national centres of excellence in climate research, petroleum research and medieval studies. In December
2004, billionaire
Trond Mohn donated 250 million NOK to the University as research funding
[31]. In addition, he has given the university several individual gifts of 50 million NOK.
[32][33]
Høgskolen i Bergen
Bergen University College (''Høgskolen i Bergen'', approximately 6,000 students and 600 staff
[34]) offers studies directed towards specific professions. The college is organised in 3 faculties: the Faculty of Education, the Faculty of Engineering, and the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences.
Other education and research institutions
Bergen is home of the
Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration (''Norges Handelshøyskole'', approximately 2,700 students and 350 staff
[35]), a leading school of business and economics in Norway
[36].
Finn E. Kydland, the last (2004) of three Norwegian laureates of the
Economy Nobel Prize[37], has studied and lectured at this school.
The
Bergen School of Architecture (''Bergen Arkitekt Skole''), founded in 1986 by architect Svein Hatløy, has alternative programs, with graduants like 3RW arkitekter and Tommie Wilhemsen.
The
Bergen National Academy of the Arts (''Kunsthøgskolen i Bergen'', approximately 300 students and 100 staff
[38]) is one of the two independent institutions of higher learning in the visual arts and design in Norway. Students can take a three-year Bachelor degree and a two-year Master degree in the following areas: Visual Art; Interior Architecture; Furniture Design; Room Design; Visual Communications; Photography; Printmaking; Ceramics and Textiles.
The
Naval Academy (''Sjøkrigsskolen'') of the
Royal Norwegian Navy is located at Laksevåg in Bergen.
The
Chr. Michelsen Institute (''Christian Michelsens Institutt'') is located in Bergen. Founded in 1930 it has become one of Scandinavia's major independent research institutes on human rights and development issues.
Since 1900, the Norwegian Fisheries Investigations (''Norske Fiskeriundersøgelser'') was located in Bergen. Today this is known as the
Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (''Havforskningsinstituttet''), an internationally renowned institution for marine research.
Economy
The shopping street Strandgaten
Bergen is host to part of the country's large oil industry, as well as deep sea operations and the headquarters of the
TV 2 television channel. Its harbours is used by everything from small pleasure vessels to cruise ships and cargo vessels, and is the base of many of the country's fishing vessels.
Tourism is an important income source for the city. More than 2,2 million people visit the city annually, to the point where the hotels in the city may be full at times, especially during the
Bergen International Festival.
Transportation
Bergen has an international
airport, Bergen Airport, Flesland, with direct flights to European cities. The
Bergensbanen railway line runs east to
Voss,
Geilo,
Hønefoss and
Oslo.
The
E16 road to Oslo passes through the
Lærdalstunnelen, the longest road tunnel in the world
[39].
Public transportation is provided by the transportation company
Tide, the result of a merger between ''Gaia'' and ''HSD''. Among the fleet of buses are 8
trolleybuses (two of which are dual-mode buses). Local train transport to
Arna is provided by
Norges Statsbaner. There is a
funicular (
Fløibanen) and an
aerial tramway (
Ulriksbanen). The city's
tram system was closed in
1965, although a museum line still operates on
Møhlenpris. The construction of a modern
light rail line connecting the city centre with
Nesttun and Bergen Airport has been approved by
Stortinget and is underway
[40]. Express buses go to all larger destinations in Norway.
Coastal Express ''MS Midnatsol''
The Norwegian coastal steamer service
Hurtigruten originates in Bergen, running north to Trondheim, Bodø, Tromsø and Kirkenes. Passenger catamarans run from Bergen south to
Haugesund and
Stavanger, and north to
Sognefjorden and
Nordfjord. Car ferries connect to
Hanstholm,
Hirtshals and
Copenhagen in
Denmark,
Lerwick,
Scrabster and
Newcastle in the
United Kingdom,
Tórshavn on the
Faroe Islands, and
Seyðisfjörður on
Iceland.
Culture and sports
Bergen is an important cultural centre in its region and in Norway, maybe best known for hosting the annual Bergen International Festival (''Festspillene i Bergen''). The city is home of the
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, which was founded in 1765 and is one of the world's oldest orchestral institutions
[41]. The orchestra performs regularly at the 1,500 seat
[42] Grieg Hall. Bergen was a
European Capital of Culture in
2000[43]. Other main cultural events include ''Nattjazz'' and ''Bergenfest'' (formerly ''Ole Blues''
[44]).
There are numerous amateur bands in Bergen and the surrounding communities, performing regularly throughout the city. They generally fall within two distinct categories:
brass bands, following the British band tradition, and ''Janitsjar'' or
wind bands, which include both woodwind and brass instruments. Both of these types of bands tend to be quite competitive, and the Grieg Hall in Bergen is home to the annual Norwegian Brass Band Championships, which takes place in late winter.
Bergen has two fairly large newspapers,
Bergens Tidende and
Bergensavisen.
Markens and Mathismarkens buekorps at Bryggen
Bergen is home to
Buekorps, a prominent feature in the city's
Constitution Day celebrations. Buekorps consists of a parade in the streets with wooden sticks shaped as guns or crossbows, sabres and even halberds, to a military snare sounded by several drummers. The performers are usually boys between 7 and 16 years of age, but older veterans can be seen. There are buekorps for girls and for both girls and boys as well. Buekorps are regarded with warmth by some, whilst others dislike it due to its militarised appearance or the dominant sound of the drumming.
In the late
1990s and early
2000s several pop, rock and
black metal artists from Bergen became famous, at home as well as abroad. Many of these were connected to the small record label ''Tellé''. In the domestic press this became known as the
Bergen Wave. Musicians and bands from Bergen include
Annie,
Burzum,
Enslaved,
Gorgoroth,
Immortal,
Erlend Øye,
Kings of Convenience,
Röyksopp,
Sondre Lerche,
Nazgûl and
Datarock.
[45][46]
Bergen has a small but thriving scene for contemporary art, most notably centred around ''BIT Teatergarasjen'', ''Bergen Kunsthall'', United Sardines Factory, USF and Bergen Center for Electronic Arts, BEK.
The city's most successful
football team,
Brann, plays in the
Norwegian Premier League[47], while
Løv-Ham plays in the Norwegian
first division[48].
Famous people from Bergen
Main articles: Famous people from Bergen
:''See also (category)
★ Trond Torleivsson Benkestok, nobleman (1490–1558)
★ Dorothe Engelbretsdotter, author (1634–1713)
★ Ludvig Holberg, playwright (1684–1754)
★ Johan Sebastian Welhaven, author, poet (1807–1873)
★ Ole Bull, violinist, composer (1810–1880)
★ Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy researcher (1841–1912)
★ Edvard Grieg, composer, pianist (1843–1907)
★ Amalie Skram, author (1846–1905)
★ Christian Michelsen, ship owner, prime minister (1857–1925)
★ Carl Joachim Hambro, politician, President of Parliament (1885-1964)
★ Arnulf Øverland, author (1889–1968)
★ Tryggve Gran, aviator (1889–1980)
★ Nordahl Grieg, poet, author (1902–1943)
★ Torborg Nedreaas, author and winner of the Kritikerprisen (1906-1987)
★ Leif Andreas Larsen, a.k.a. ''Shetland Larsen'', naval officer (1906–1990)
★ Karsten Solheim, golf equipment manufacturer (1911–2000) (emigrated to the United States as a child) |
★ Roald Jensen, football player (1943–1987)
★ Helge Jordal, actor (1946–)
★ Terje Rød-Larsen, diplomat, sociologist (1947–)
★ Gunnar Staalesen, author (1947-)
★ Jan Eggum, singer-songwriter (1951–)
★ Terje Hauge, football referee (1965–)
★ Sissel Kyrkjebø, singer (1969–)
★ Roger Tiegs, musician (1972–)
★ Olve Eikemo (Abbath), musician (1973–)
★ Varg Vikernes, black-metal musician (1973-)
★ Eirik Glambek Bøe, musician (1975–)
★ Erlend Øye, musician (1975–)
★ Kurt Nilsen, musician (1978–)
★ Sondre Lerche, musician (1982–)
★ Christine Guldbrandsen, singer (1985–) |
Edvard Grieg
composer, pianist
(
1843–
1907)
Christian Michelsen
ship owner, prime minister
(
1857–
1925)
Gunnar Staalesen
author
(
1947-)
Sondre Lerche
musician
(
1982–)
Twin cities
Bergen has several
sister cities. They are:
★
Gothenburg,
Sweden
★
Turku,
Finland
★
Ã…rhus,
Denmark
★
Newcastle upon Tyne,
England
★
Seattle, Washington,
United States
★
Asmara,
Eritrea
★
Ilha de Moçambique,
Mozambique
References
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. European Capitals of Culture 2000 - 2005
7. Castle and City: Through historical Bergen, , Robert, Kloster, , ,
8.
9.
10. The Black Death in the Fourteenth Century, , Justus Friedrich, Carl Hecker, , ,
11. A History of the Vikings, , Thomas, Downing Kendrick, , ,
12.
13. Kulturhistorisk vegbok Hordaland, , Nils Georg, Brekke, Hordaland Fylkeskommune, ,
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23. I værgudenes vold, Dagsavisen, Feb. 4, 2006, retrieved July 1, 2007
24. Bergen oppretter egen rasgruppe, Nov. 14, 2005, retrieved May 18, 2007
25. Rasfare sjekkes i hele kommunen, Aftenposten, Sept. 28, 2005, retrieved May 18, 2007
26. Bergen går våt fremtid i møte, Aftenposten, April 22, 2007, retrieved July 13, 2007
27. Sluse kan redde Bryggen, Bergens Tidende, Dec. 6, 2006, retrieved July 1, 2007
28. Klimaskepsisen fordampa i rekordvarmt år, Bergens Tidende, Jan. 2, 2007, retrieved July 1, 2007
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
External links
★ Municipality website in '
Norwegian' and '
English'
★
The World Heritage City Bergen
★
Bergen Guide
★
العربية
ä¸å›½
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिनà¥à¤¦à¥€
Italiano
日本語
Português
РуÑÑкий
Español
