Bryggen, Hanseatic commercial buildings in Bergen, Norway.
Bryggen is a waterfront complex with traditional wooden buildings with gabled roofs arranged in rows along narrow passages between Vågen harbor and Bergen city center. The structures feature deep narrow plots with internal courtyards and tight alleyways that create a distinctive spatial character.
The original settlement of these trading houses dates to 1070, though the current structures were rebuilt after the great fire of 1702. They preserve the medieval ground plan layout and show continuity of the Hanseatic trading post across centuries.
The former trading storage rooms now house workshops where textile artists, jewelers, and illustrators create their work in converted spaces. These craftspeople shape the daily rhythm of the place and bring its merchant past to life for visitors.
The site is accessible daily, though some areas present challenges for people with mobility restrictions due to the medieval layout and uneven surfaces. Comfortable shoes are recommended as the cobbled passages contain stairs and slopes throughout many sections.
The buildings maintain their original medieval ground plan with deep narrow plots, making them the oldest preserved commercial architecture of this type in Northern Europe. This unique spatial layout has been retained for centuries and offers insight into medieval trading practices.
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