"The buzz of history mixes with the vibrant and pulsating present," says De Bergenske's art curator enthusiastically. Join her on a stroll through the city's streets and alleyways.
"My favourite place in Bergen is the city centre – simply because it shows in a fantastic and detailed way the story of the city's long and exciting history," says Aashild Grana.
She is an art curator and is responsible for planning and organising art projects and artworks in De Bergenske's six hotels and multiple restaurants.
The history of Bergen's city centre
We accompany Aashild from her workplace at Grand Hotel Terminus up the picturesque pedestrian street Marken, and past St. Jørgens Hospital, Norway's last leprosy hospital, and on to Vågen and Bryggen. The art curator shares her enthusiasm for Bergen's history throughout the walk.
"Bergen's city centre is small and very concentrated around Vågen, the harbour, which binds the city together. It was around Vågen that the city grew – up the steep mountainside on one side, beyond the Nordnes peninsula on the other side and into Vågsbunnen by the harbour," she says, explaining that the area was home to churches, monasteries, and royal halls were surrounded by trading houses, warehouses, workshops, and simple dwelling houses.
"People spoke and traded in many different languages here – in German, Dutch, Northern Norwegian, Strilemål (the language of the countryside, now known as nynorsk) and in the local Bergen dialect – all mixed together and with mutual understanding. We can see all this by walking through the city centre today, through its streets and alleyways, through the names of buildings, streets, and places.
She believes that visiting Vågen is something residents should do regularly, not to mention visitors.
"Here you can enjoy refreshments, buy yourself a fish cake, and feel the rush of history mingle with a lively and vibrant present!"
Have a nice stroll through Bergen's alleyways and streets!
