History of Bergen
Bergen Hanseatic Museum is a low-profile rough-timber house originally built in 1704. Unlike the elaborate, gold dominance of the Hanseatic merchant houses in Gdansk, the Bryggen house had sunken wooden floors, dormitory beds shared by journeymen and apprentices, thick wooden furniture and cabinets of expressive landscape paintings and floral artwork, all sitting in a gloomy interior due to the forbiddance of heating and lighting to prevent fire in the old days.
The house speaks of the humble existence of a Hanseatic League merchant and his entourage during Bryggen's golden age of trading.
Hansas is a guild of northern German merchants. They were granted exclusive rights to trade with the northern fishermen who sailed to Bergen each summer, on condition that Hansas merchants lived in their own separate quarter of town. For centuries, Bryggen, the German quarter in Bergen, remained a men's community. Hansas were unmarried and had to live in celibacy as long as they lived in the area.
I was fascinated by Bergen's rich history and could have done more cultural exploration about the friendship between great violinist Ole Bul (1810-1880), the world-famous Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) for his Piano Concerto in A Minor and my favorite playwright Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906), who shook the world with A Doll's House - how they met, admiring one another and working together.
The Hurtigruten story is somewhat a continuation of Bergen's history as a trading port.
In the late 19th century, the Norwegian government commissioned Richard With to establish a safe trade route to link the southern and northern regions of Norway.
In 1893, With and his friend Anders Holthe successfully launched the regular service of steamer DS Vesteraalen, first departing Trondheim to Hammerfest and later from Bergen to Kirkenes in only seven days. With called this new connection "Hurtigruten", meaning the fast route.
Continuing a long tradition, Hurtigruten ships still carry freight, mail and passengers from port to port.
