Bergen invites visitors to step back in time

Bergen is a city where history is kept alive in museums, galleries and in the old parts of town.

The Hanseatic wharf in Bryggen, the Fish Market, Norway's most famous composer Edvard Grieg's home at Troldhaugen, Rasmus Meyer's art collection, the Aquarium and Old Bergen are among the few attractions that draw thousands of visitors to this city of cul ture, listed as a World Heritage city.

The very first buildings in Bergen were built alongside the harbour called Bryggen. Once destroyed by a fire, Bryggen was rebuilt. Sixty one houses have been preserved. The Hanseatic Museum here provides a glimpse into the Hanseatic merchants of the past with its display of an 18th century trader. The 'Hansas' were a group of Ger man merchants who set up their offices in Bryggen.

Old Bergen, too is an open air museum of some 40 wooden houses built on squares, streets and narrow alleys, like it used to be in the ancient times. The interiors show town-life as it was in the 18th and 19th century, for instance a bakery, dentist, photographer, jeweller, shopkeeper, official, sailor and others.

Of course, the biggest lure of all, are the fjords of Norway, and cruise ships call over regularly at Bergen, known as the 'gateway to the fjords'. The city is surrounded by fjords.

Ole Warberg, head of Bergen's Tourist Board describes it as a place that combines, nature, culture and city life.

Bergen is a 'big town with small town charms'.