TRAVEL ABROAD


The best of Bergen A


The fjords are Scandinavia’s top tourist attraction, and Bergen opens the door to a virtual kingdom of fjords WORDS ARCHIE MACKENZIE IMAGES WWW.VISITBERGEN.COM


s one of Norway’s most beautiful cities and the gateway to the fjords, Bergen has attracted travellers from all parts of the


world for centuries. In its early years the city grew up around its colourful harbour and was the hub of commerce, seafaring and craftsmanship. Surrounded by mountains with extensive


Clockwise from main: View of Bergen; Naeroyfjord; A couple wandering along Bryggen; Statsraad Lehmkuhl; The all new Fløibanen.


views of the sea and the famous fjords, this is a city with maritime associations for almost 1,000 years. So important was Bergen by the 13th century that the Hansas – the German medieval guild of merchants, or Hanseatic League, opened one of their four European offices in the wharf or original harbour area known as the Bryggen. Today, the Bryggen is a Unesco World Heritage site with its colourful gabled warehouses and wooden paved alleys. The Bryggen was a major centre of trade in fish and grain at one time but has now graduated


140 WWW.SCOTTISHFIELD.CO.UK


into a maze of old buildings, some operating as shops and restaurants and museums. Today it is a mecca for tourists as tradition and history lie side by side with a vibrant cultural scene. The legacy of the Hanseatic period goes hand in hand with Bergen’s present status as European City of Culture. Although not large by European standards,


Bergen is full of attractions for the interested traveller and is easily reached from Scotland, with daily flights from Edinburgh and Aberdeen with Wideroe Airlines in under two hours. A must do on any trip to Bergen is to take the Floi- banen funicular to the top of Mount Floyen, the city’s best viewpoint with spectacular views. Mount Floyen is also the gateway to a network


of walking paths for the more energetic, and it also houses the famous Floien Folkerestaurant which opened in 1925.


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