world reviewer
The city of Bergen has existed for nearly a thousand years, since 1070. Its famous wharf, Bryggen, is a World Heritage site because of its well-preserved wooden buildings which have survived terrible fires throughout the centuries. The medieval structures were used to store goods in medieval times and were vital to the thriving trade industry. The nearby Hanseatic Museum illuminates Bergen’s vibrant history of a commerce-filled and sea-fairing medieval life.
Written by 
Sarah Clise.
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Bryggen
Bryggen, the old wharf of Bergen, is a reminder of the town’s importance as part of the Hanseatic League’s trading empire from the 14th to the mid-16th century. Many fires, the last in 1955, have ravaged the characteristic wooden houses of Bryggen. Its rebuilding has traditionally followed old patterns and methods, thus leaving its main structure preserved, which is a relic of an ancient wooden urban structure once common in Northern Europe. Today, some 62 buildings remain of this former townscape.
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