City of Bergen in Norway

Bergen is Norway's second largest city. It's located in the western part of Norway.
As of 2012 the population is estimated to 267,000 people in the city and a little more than 392,000 in the larger metropolitan area.

Bergen is located by the ocean in the western part of Norway.

(Map of Norway taken from Google Earth)

Some areas in the center of Bergen

19th century Church	Theater of Bergen	Center of Bergen

What you will see in Bergen is a mixture of medieval architecture together with that of the 19th century.
Trade started in the 1020s with the city being founded in 1070.
Main area telling the story of the city's trade is the area of "Bryggen".

From 1100s to the arrival of the black-death in 1349 it had a rapid expansion. From the 14th century the city came under German control in the Hanseatic league, a trade network,
and was one of the primary stops for export of dry cod from further north in Norway.

A video made by others touring the city of Bergen as tourists:


The language of the city has a quite distinct dialect. Most noteably is the scarring "r" and the non-use of the female genero in nouns.

The city has a distinct number of very narrow streets with wooden housing.
The population is spread across the surrounding areas and most shopping is done outside of the city.
Night-life including pubs, theater, movies and restaurants are in the city center.

Being a city in the western part of the country, one of the main economic activities is related to the maritime industries.
Flesland is the main heliport sending and receiving workers in the oil industry, sending persons to and from the platforms and their residence.

Bergen is one of the main tourist cities in Norway from where you can access the famous fjords.
If it fits with your travelling schedule it is a city more worth a visit then the capital of Oslo.
Beyond the Fjords, the surrounding areas of Bergen is not of particular interest for the visitor.
However, taking train from Bergen to one of the mountain cities will give you a great view of Norwegian nature even if you return the same day.