Museums / Memorials, Bergen

The Bryggen Museum is based on the findings of the archeological excavations of Bryggen between 1855 and 1972. The foundations of the oldest buildings in Bergen (from the 12th century) can be seen, as well some European ceramics, runic inscriptions and much more

These are a part of the Hanseatic Museum. Originally the only heated houses on the Wharf because of the firehazard. You are 60 degrees North, so you can imagine the cold, even with the gulf stream outside.

People with some knowledge of German might want to read the signs on the walls.

Many visitors come to Norway expecting to see a lot about Vikings everywhere. They then are surprised that Norwegians have not made a tourist industry out of this. You will of course find a few Viking souvenirs at the souvenir shop. But the Viking age is just one part of the Norwegian culture. The Vikings were those that travelled to other countries to conquere and explore. Those that didn't go were simply not called Vikings. The word Viking is also a verb and loosely means conqueror.

If you are interested in the historical part of the Vikings, you will find a Viking exhibition at The Cultural History Collections (museum)

For more info on Vikings, use the link below.

The Hanseatic Museum is one of the oldest and best preserved wooden buildings in Bergen, furnished in the style of the 1700. The museum show how was the life of the Hanseatic merchants in the town. Near the museum there is the Hanseatic Assembly Rooms where the Hanseatic merchants gathered for warm meals, held cour meetings and taught the apprentices.

The Bergen Art Museum is presents in three separate buildings next to the Lille Lungegarsvann Lake. In the Lysverket you can see Norwegian and international art from the 15th century untill the present day, including Russian icons, Dutch baroque paintings and much more; in the Rasmus Mayer Collection there is a collection of Norwegian masterpieces from the 18th century to 1915 with paintigs og Munch, Dahl, Tidemand and Gude. In Steberseb there are temporary exhibitions.

This houses one of the original Haneatic assembly halls. I'm personally fascinated by the indelible mark the Hanse left on European history, which not only included Bergen, but many different port cities in European countries. The German Hanse were a very powerful trade union and exerted their power mainly through capitalism as opposed to war.

A dark side of Bergen's history is the burning of witches. This stone is in memory of the public murders of 350 victims in the years from 1500-1750.

If I am not mistaken, this is the only instance in the world were a government has made an official apology for the witch-hunt.

West Norway Museum of Decorative Art

Permanent exhibitions: "People and Posessions", "The Treasury of Bergen" with the exquisit violin of the virtuoso Ole Bull, from 1562, is one of the world's oldest and most beautiful violins, The China Collection,changing exhibitions.