Bryggens Museum
July 19, 2023
The harbor at Bergen is in the Bay of Vågen. (My neighbor Joan Vogen's husband's family comes from that area, and the name is an English spelling of that word. In Norwegian, the ‘å’ letter is pronounced like our long-O, as in the toast “skål.”) Bryggen means “the wharf” or “the dock.” That area became a trading center by the twelfth century. Following a plague, German merchants moved in, and it became an important port in the Hanseatic League. The wooden structures have burned and been rebuilt many times over the centuries. You can see pictures of the current buildings on the next page here.
After the 1955 fire there was a 13-year achaeological project, and the museum was opened in 1976. It gives a view of building and of everyday objects from the Middle Ages.
Different layers show materials from different eras.
Samples of different sorts of textiles:
Next we rode the Fløibanen Funicular to the top of Mount Fløyen for the spectacular view. It is a six-minute ride. The only disappointment was that there was no café open where we could have a late lunch.
For a more detailed view, click here.
We rode back down and found a Chinese restaurant nearby for out lunch. Wandering on back down toward our hotel and further destinations, we saw a United Methodist church. When our choir was in Denmark in 2019, we sang at a couple United Methodist churches in Denmark. The Methodists in Sweden became part of a united church in 2012. It is recognized as an affiliated united church by the UMC. The few members and clergy who wanted to remain United Methodist as such became part of the annual conference with churches in Finland, so I understand. I think all the churches where we sang in Sweden were part of the national Lutheran church.
