Bryggen · The Row of Houses That Burned Many Times

Bryggen in Bergen is a row of coloured wooden houses. German merchants of the Hanseatic League lived here for centuries, storing dried cod and grain, with long narrow timber warehouses behind.

It has burned several times; the great fire of 1702 took the whole row. The original houses mostly sheltered the merchants’ families and apprentices, in poor conditions.

The ground beneath Bryggen is still sinking slowly, and the world heritage authority keeps reinforcing it. The floors of the wooden houses creak — that part is true.

Historical Mysteries / Bergen · Norway / 1702