Vågsbunnen: The Development of Bergen City Centre
Explore the district of Vågsbunnen, where the city centre of Bergen was built up from the 13th century to the present day! Along the walk, you’ll see some of the oldest homes, churches, and gardens in Bergen.
Vågsbunnen Historical Overview
Welcome to this self-guided walk through Vågsbunnen, the name of the district that today comprises where Bergen’s city centre was from the 14th to early 20th century. This district has an original street plan and many original buildings from 1702 onwards. On our walk, we’ll learn about how the people in Bergen developed Vågsbunnen into a city centre to get away from the Hanseatic merchants at Bryggen.
The area Vågsbunnen used to be a shallow cove that ended in a marsh area. Over time, the wetland area was replenished by natural sludge and illegal garbage dumping, not least by the craftsmen who settled here. Vågsbunnen is one of Bergen’s earliest districts: while merchants settled along Bryggen, the craftsmen settled in this area. Archaeological research shows that the earliest settlement in Vågsbunnen was close to the two churches, which were both by the waterfront. Vågsbunnen became a popular district for shoemakers. Large amounts of leather and tannery waste have been found in the soil.
Vågsbunnen became known as a district for craftsmen: Kong Oscars Gate used to be called Tailors Street, and we still have Shoe Street (Skostredet) today. Eventually, merchants from England and Scotland settled on the shoreline of the bay and established small trading businesses there. From 1490, the trading district was taken over by Dutch merchants in an attempt to compete with the Hanseatic League.
Bergen has suffered from many fires (lots of buildings in wood and little regulation will do that), and after a fire in the 1550s, the area turned more into a residential area for craftsmen and the bourgeoise. The governors were tired of the Hanseatic League, so Bergen’s commercial and political centre was moved away from Bryggen to Vågsbunnen. The bay was further filled in using stone from ruined churches, and new commercial buildings were built. The two main ‘allmenningen’ – or wide streets – are from this time.
The fire of 1702 was the last major fire to destroy Vågsbunnen. Besides the stone cellars and churches, nothing remains from before 1702. After this fire, the area was further developed into an upper-class district. But this didn’t last long; in the 19th century, the bourgeoisie began to move to wider, greener districts like Kalfaret and Nygård. Meanwhile, the houses in Vågsbunnen were divided into apartments and inn, and the district became a little rough and overcrowded. Masonry was (finally) introduced, and new brick tenements went up.
Meanwhile, Bergen was becoming industrialised. The Lungegård Lake was split in two and heavily filled in to make way for the construction of industrial plants, the train station, and the library. After the last major fire in 1916, the Little Lungegård Lake was further filled in to make a lovely park: Byparken.
Today Vågsbunnen is still a popular area for bars, cafes, vintage shops and tattoo parlours. It’s a safe district to walk around, but it can feel a little rough in some areas. Still, no other place in Bergen has such a diverse history. Let’s begin our walk!
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The walk: Vågsbunnen
Holberg Statue
We are now standing on water! Yes, this square we are on – Vågsallmenningen – was water 1,000 years ago. What an appropriate place to begin our Walking on Water tour. Across the street, where the fish market is, is where the current shoreline of Vågen (the bay) ends. However, when Bergen was founded over 950 years ago, most of what is today the city centre was actually water. Over the centuries, the bay and lake area have gradually filled in to allow for the development of a city centre. That is what we’ll see today.
Vågsallmenningen was filled in during the 1550s and the layout is pretty much the same today. Of course, most of the buildings are much newer. On this walk, almost all the buildings we’ll see are from after the fire of 1702. That was Bergen’s largest fire when 90% of the city burned down. The city has always used timber as a primary building material, and Bergen is best described as ‘self-grown’. There were no real street regulations until the mid-19th century. Hence, the fires. Small wooden houses close together without much planning.
The statue here is of Ludvig Holberg. He was a Danish-Norwegian playwright, historian and philosopher from Bergen. He is known for his comedy plays, and his writings on common law were used by Danish law students for 200 years. While born in Bergen, he spent almost all his life in Copenhagen. Still, we claim him as our own. Edvard Grieg’s Holberg Suite is named after him. The statue is from the mid-19th century and is regarded as one of the finest in Bergen.
Korskirkeallmenningen
When walking around Bergen, “allmenningen” is a word you’ll see often. It refers to a wide, open street designed to prevent fires from spreading rapidly between buildings. Most of Bergen’s main streets end in this long word all-men-ing-en. These were Bergen’s only real form of street regulation, and the oldest ones go back to the 14th century. Most, however, are from the 16th century. Including this one.
If we were standing here in the 1200s, we’d be standing on swampland. The church – Korskirken – would be where we see it today. It stood on a small headland by the water; the tower stands on solid rock. From the 13th century, German shoemakers began to settle to the right of the church. After a fire in 1582, the swamp was filled in. For a time, it was one of the city’s most prominent areas with beautiful houses and linden trees lining the street. Most of the buildings today are from modern times.
Korskirken
Korskirken is one of the earliest Bergen churches. It was likely built in wood but replaced with a stone church before 1180 when it’s first mentioned in the old Sagas. Sadly, the church has burned down in 17 of Bergen’s fires. It’s always been rebuilt in a Romanesque style, but the floorplan has changed over time. Today it is a cruciform church.
On the northern side of the church, it’s possible to see the monogram of Danish-Norwegian King Christian IV. The portal shows damage from the fires. On the other side of the church is a memorial commemorating the dead at the Battle of Alvøen, which took place during the Napoleonic Wars.
The church no longer operates as a regular church. Today it is a missionary church that helps the homeless and those struggling with drug and alcohol abuse.
Hollendergaten
Hollendergaten is one of the first merchant settlements for this part of town. Originally, merchants settled along the east side (Bryggen) and west side (Nordnes peninsula). Archaeological research shows that the street follows the shoreline from the 1000s. The first people to settle here were English merchants in the late 1200s or early 1300s. Over time, the English left and the Dutch settled into Bergen in an attempt to outperform the Hanseatic merchants. The name Hollendergaten means ‘Dutch Street’ and the name is from 1490.
In the 1600s and 1700s, Hollendergaten became a distinguished street. Many of Bergen’s bourgeoise families lived here. In the 1800s, the bourgeoise moved into new, spacier suburbs Kalfaret and Nygård. The houses here were broken up into cramped apartments and inns.
The side we have entered today has the church missionary (Kirkens Bymisjon), plus a hostel for the homeless (no. 15). You may see people sitting around but don’t worry – they are harmless.
Smalgangen
Smalgangen – ‘the Narrow Aisle’ – is first mentioned on maps from 163 but is far older. It’s a great example of what the streets in Bergen used to look like. Streets were narrow like this so as many businesses as possible could be on the bay. Smalgangen connected Hollendergaten with the piers on the bay. Look up at the first stone building on the left (in the alley). In iron, it has the date “1609” marked as well as the initials “HD”. This is one of the few houses preserved from 17th century Bergen. Further down the alley is a plaque in the wall with the inscription “Herman Schreuder Margrethe Schreuder”. There’s no date, but merchant Herman Schreuder was known to live here in the late 1600s. The plaque was discovered during an excavation in 1937 and has been placed on a 17th century stone cellar.
Hollendergaten 12
The white stone building on the street corner is one of the oldest houses in Bergen. A lot of people skip it when walking here because wooden buildings are more unique, but this beauty gives you an idea into what houses looked like in the 1600s if they followed the rules and built with stone instead of wood!
Hollendergaten 10
As the city was built up, plots had to be narrow due to the lack of available land and high demand of being close to the piers. Hollendergaten 10 is a typical example of plot size, and it has had this shape since the 1500s. The wooden part is from after the 1702 fire. As with many houses here, it was originally one storey: the second was added in 1847.
Today the building is protected and since 1948 it has been a printing press. You’ll notice it has an exterior sign of a book. This is an ancient custom in Bergen. For a very long time, most people couldn’t read, so the businesses would not have names out the front but instead these signs. For example, bakers had pretzel signs. This book shows that this business is a printing press.
There is a beautiful portal on the house, and on the steps, you’ll see a lion. This is supposed to reflect the coat of arms and therefore represents the king. This ties into one of the most stories from this street – that of Dyveke from Amsterdam.
Hollendergaten 7
The cellar underneath is from the 1500s or 1600s. Between this house and its neighbour is a narrow alley called “Dyvekegangen”. This is the narrowest alley in Bergen: 90cm wide! Head halfway down it and turn left – you’ll see the original entrance into the cellar. There is a bit of a smell here – today the building is a wine bar. On the exterior are two signboards. One depicts King Christian III, and one depicts Dyveke. Dyveke and her mother lived in this street, and Dyveke was the mistress of King Christian III. The story is fascinating: I’ve included it at the back of this guide.
Bryggesporen
The little stretch of road to your left is called Bryggesporen, while the road to your right is called Kong Oscars Gate. ‘Brygge’ means ‘quay’, while ‘spord’ refers to something compressed. ‘Spord’ is a medieval word, and it marks the place where the seafront of Bryggen ended and twisted into a narrow, southbound street.
The orange/red brick building across the street has been a bakery since at least 1675 – though the building has changed over time. This area was an area where people of various crafts settled, and being a bakery was one of the highest-end crafts. There was a baker’s guild, and they strictly limited the number of bakers in a city to 22. The bakeries were typically passed down through the family. This one was owned by the Martens family. Eventually, the bakery closed, and since then the building has been several cafes and restaurants.
The McDonalds was built shortly after the 1702 fire and was a private residence for a wealthy merchant. The façade is from 1830 and is one of the best examples of 1830s wooden architecture.
Kong Oscars Gate
This is one of the oldest streets in Bergen (from the 1300s) and one of the oldest road connections in and out of the city. Bergen’s landscape is very isolated, and until the mid-19th century, it was common to come into Bergen by boat. Coming in by land was far rarer, and this road was the only one that required no use of ferries.
The dense settlement didn’t come until the 19th century. Until the 18th century, this was an area of scattered homes and pastures for grazing animals. Eventually, it became known as an area for wealthy merchants. Further down, closer to the city border, institutions and schools were built.
Start walking along Kong Oscars Gate. The best side to stay on is opposite McDonald’s. Shortly on our right (a few houses down) will be an excellent overview of the old cityscape.
Korskirkeveiten & Tre-Kroneren
When you get to the small red hotdog stand, look behind it. I know, it’s tempting to go straight for the hot dog, but stick with me. The view you see behind you – the tower of Korskirken, the wooden houses, and the stone cellar – is an excellent example of what Bergen looked like in the 1500s.
Korskirkeveiten is one of the oldest and narrowest streets in Bergen. It is leftover from medieval times and probably marks where the shoreline was in the 1000s. Archaeological excavations have found that the area was an open beach until the 1230s. After that, large soil masses were used to fill in the area. We know this is around the time German shoemakers began to settle here. Just behind the hot dog stand is a stone cellar from the 1600s. It is one of the best examples in Bergen, but sadly not much is being done to preserve it. That can be said of this whole area: Despite being such a fantastic example of old Bergen, it has a very grungy feel. It is safe, but I can understand the discomfort.
I do recommend taking a short detour down Korskirkeveiten, then turn right onto Magdalenegagen and back to Kong Oscars Gate.
3-Kroneren is a staple of Bergen. It is our most famous hot dog stand and something of a cultural icon.
Skostredet
Skostredet has preserved its character from the old times. As the name suggests, this is where the shoemakers settled. For a very long time, the shoemakers were from Germany. Tanning remains and leather from the 1400s have been found here.
Walk down Skostredet. You’ll notice this area has transformed into a popular street for restaurants and bars. You’ll pass a Roll & Rock American Diner – peak in the windows to see Elvis! – and their New York taxicab. Further down is a yellow wooden building on the left that’s a popular bakery. Next to it is a white building: this is an Italian restaurant called Villani. The chefs are all Italian, and I’ve had Italians say it’s better than the food they have back home!
On the right, you’ll see a passageway under a yellow concrete building. This courtyard is as it was from 1702. It may still be under construction. If you can’t get into it, go to the entrance at Villani. It is also preserved from 1702. Villani’s outdoor courtyard has a cute umbrella display.
Østre Skostredet
The white wooden building on the street corner was destroyed by fire in 2017. They have just finished rebuilding it to look exactly as it did before. Google Maps Street View still shows the building as it was shortly after the fire.
This was, until the mid-1980s, one of the best-preserved continuous rows of houses. Sadly, in the 1980s, there was a fire between numbers 4 and 6. The plots are still open. If the garage doors are open, head in for a unique glimpse at what Bergen likely looked like in the 1700s.
As you head down this street, on your right you’ll pass the very popular Literaturhuset – a bookstore and cafe. The wooden buildings on the left are from the 1700s, while the brick buildings on the right were built up in the 1800s. Keep an eye out for the beautiful street art in this area.
Domkirkegaten
We’ve made it to the end of the bay! Yes, this is as far as the bay went. A large port structure was found here during archaeological excavations. In the Middle Ages, the street was a wooden bridge that crossed the inner marshy part of the bay. In the 1500s, a stone bridge was constructed here. The Cathedral stood by the bay. The houses in front of us are from immediately after the 1702 fire. Number 6 is the one with port structure remains, plus the remains of a shoemaker’s workshop. 200kg of slag was found here, meaning this was also a place for dumping waste.
Now that we’ve reached the end of the bay, this walk slightly changes its tune. The next part of the city we will walk through was a centre for the city’s church, councillors and institutions. This was where everything got done. And we will start by heading to the centre of Bergen: The Political District.
Rådstuplassen
In the old times, the town hall and main square were in the middle of Bryggen. As the Hanseatic merchants began to dominate there, the locals got frustrated and in the 1550s a decision was made to relocate the town hall here. The Town Hall was put in councillor Christoffer Walkendorff’s house, and until the mid-19th century, it was known as the Prestige Quarter. Sadly, today many of the buildings have been torn down to make way for modern offices. The old council buildings remain. You can see them all from where you are standing. Here’s an overview of what they all are (feel free to walk around and get a close look!)
The Old Courthouse
The old courthouse is connected to the prison via a footbridge. It was also a police station. It was used until a new courthouse was completed in Nordnes in 1933.
Bergen District Prison
After the Prison Act was passed in Norway in 1857, 56 new prisons were built. The prison is three storeys high and has 57 cells on both sides. It’s believed the layout of the prison is adopted from the prison in Philadelphia. Conditions weren’t as bad as the prison in Philadelphia, but the windows in Bergen prison were too high for them to look out, and the inmates spent most of their time in their cells, where food was served.
When Bergen had its last major fire in 1916, the prisoners were released and asked to return the next day, which they did. The Gestapo used the prison during the German occupation and built a new floor on the west wing in 1942. In 1943, the prison housed 44 prisoners in the Norwegian ward and 100 in the German ward. The prison closed down in 1990 and it’s currently under protection. Sadly not much is being done to maintain it, though it has been recently painted.
Bergen Town Hall
As mentioned above, the town hall was donated by Governor Christoffer Walkendorff. It was his house, which explains why it, well, looks like a house. The materials of the building are from one of Bergen’s original churches, the All-Saints Church. It was common in the 1500s for the wealthy to build elite stone houses for themselves using the remains of churches, which were abandoned after the Reformation. The monogram on the front (opposite side from where we came out) is of King Christian VII, indicating that it was renovated during his time.
In the cellar is one of Bergen’s most notorious prisons. The cells had horrendous conditions: many accused of witchcraft were subject to torture here, and from 1676 two cells were used for those with mental illnesses. Until the new prison was completed in 1867, prisoners and the mentally ill would share cells. The ill were taken to Dollhuset, Bergen’s new mental facility in Sydnes.
Stiftsgården
This grand house was built for the Governor (‘Stifts’ refers to the job). Peasants riots would take place here during times of famine or heavy taxation. In 1765, the Governor was dragged from his house and mistreated by the crowd. His clothes were ruined, and his wig was torn to shreds.
The house is also known as Hagerupgården after stiftsamtmann Edvard Hagerup (1781-1853), who used it as a government office in the winter. He is the grandfather of Edvard Grieg, whose full name is Edvard Hagerup Grieg. When Edvard Hagerup died in 1853, the Bergen stock exchange bought it to use it as a stock exchange, but it was too far from Torget. Instead, it became municipal offices.
Bergen Cathedral
This is one of the oldest churches in the Bergen. It’s from some time in the 1100s and was originally dedicated to St. Olav before coming the Cathedral during the Reformation. The church has been affected by many fires: remains of the original church are found in the northern wall.
Have a look up at the tower. To the left of the large window, you’ll see a cannon ball stuck in the wall! This cannon call is a relic from a naval battle between English and Dutch fleets in Bergen harbour in 1665. The Dutch sought protection in Bergen, and during defence cannon fire rained upon the town causing damage. One of the cannon balls got stuck in the Cathedral. Every time it falls out, we stick it right back in!
The Latin School
The Latin School has traditions going back to 1152. It was a school where upper-class boys were sent to learn subjects related to priesthood. The curriculum was probably the same from the 12th century. They learned to read the bible in Latin and Greek, they learned to sing. One of the students was Gjeble Pederssøn, Bergen’s first protestant bishop. Another is Ludvig Holberg, the man whose statue we saw at the beginning of this walk. The school closed in 1840 and today it’s a school museum.
Tanks School
The school was funded by Hans Tank and his wife. They had no children, so donated their money to the construction of the school. They wanted subjects to move away from the church and towards practical subjects like commerce, language, natural sciences and physical education.
The most famous student is Edvard Grieg. There used to be a plaque dedicated to him, but it was removed a year or two ago for unknown reasons. The school has been closed since 2014 and today the building is abandoned.
Bergen Cathedral School
This is one of Norway’s oldest schools, with traditions going back to the 12th century. The school originally stood close to the Bergen Fortress area. It was moved here during the Reformation in an attempt to align it closely with the new Protestant religion at the Cathedral. This was a school reserved for the elite. Today, it’s a public school.
Opposite the school is the private Danielsen upper-secondary school. It’s new but is regarded as one of the top end schools in Bergen. It is private as it is associated with religion.
Seminarium Fredericianum
The Seminarium Fredericianum was founded in 1767 and is today Norway’s oldest kindergarten. When the school was founded, it was considered the first in Norway to focus on ‘practical’ subjects such as maths, physics, literary history, German and French. The purpose of the school was to professionalise trade in the city. Like many schools at the time, it was only for boys. The school sadly never became popular, and it closed in 1808.
From 1851, it was operated by the Bergen Child Asylum Foundation as a place to raise children from poor homes or children with busy parents. The children were sponsored by wealthier citizens to attend the school. The girls learned needlework and singing, and the boys learned reading, writing, singing and physical education.
Today the school is a private daycare. Look out the front – if you’re here on a weekday you may see prams/strollers chained to the daycare. This is very common! The hillside in the background is covered in my “Along the Hillside” walk.
And there’s our overview of schools! Now we are going to pass some of the old institutions of Bergen.
Danckert Krohn Foundation
This building is one of the institutions established by the bourgeoise in Bergen to support the less fortunate. It was a common trend in the 1700s. This one was funded by Danckert Krohn, a wealthy merchant and businessman, as a facility for the elderly. Before Danckert built his institution, it was a nitrate plant. The walls from the plant are used as a fence around the garden. Today the centre is a welfare and medical centre for the elderly.
The troll mural behind it is probably the most famous in the city. It’s by the same artist as the other troll mural we saw: M.u.M.
St. Jørgens Hospital
This hospital is dedicated to St. George, the patron saint of the uncurable sick. It is the oldest hospital in Norway; it was first mentioned in 1411 but was an old hospital back then. The hospital has always been primarily a leprosy hospital. Bergen had higher rates of leprosy compared to elsewhere in Northern Europe; this is due to Bergen’s high density and poor hygiene. In the 19th century, many physicians in Bergen began researching the disease. In 1873, Armeur Hansen discovered the leprosy bacillus.
Marken
Marken takes its name from the meadows and fields of Nonneseter Abbey, which we’ll learn about soon. This also marks (get it?) the southern boundary of Bergen old city. Today it is a commercial street that is very popular with the locals.
Strømgaten
We’re now in another part of the city that is built on water. On this side of the city we have the Lungegård Lake (covered in a separate self guided walk). This lake was filled in throughout the 19th and 20th centuries to make way for new industrial buildings and a commercial centre. Everything in front of us is built on the lake.
Strømgaten means “The Stream Street”. As the name indicates, a stream used to run through here. Bergen Train Station is directly across from us.
Bergen Library
The library (from 1917) represents a short-lived trend where Scandinavian architects wanted to use raw stone for facades to express national character. If you look at the train station next door, you’ll see a similar style. Bergen Library has a rich collection of manuscripts and printed works from Bergen. Among its treasures are the music collection, a series of Edvard Grieg’s original sheets of music. Should be on display.
Nonneseter Monastery
The white stone building next to the library is the remains of the Nonneseter Monastery. The monastery was founded in the 1140s-1150s, and this is one of the only (complete) remains of a monastery in Norway. It operated as a monastery until the 1400s, when the women were supposedly chased out of town for being too promiscuous. In 1528 the monastery was given to Vincens Lunge, who converted it into a large estate. For the next few hundred years, it was a residence for some of Bergen’s most powerful families. Gradually it was built up and in the 19th century this became an industrial area. Today the remains of the monastery are a memorial for war victims.
Now we cross the Bybanen tracks and head into the city park: Byparken. If you follow the narrow pathway between the bushes, you are walking through a special section of the park dedicated to Bergens rhododendrons. Bergen is famous as the city of rhododendrons.
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