Norway / Bergen, head office location

Bergen is an international town with small-town charm and atmosphere. The inhabitants love to show off their beautiful and many-sided city. They are proud of Bergen's shipping, trading and cultural traditions. The city with its 235,000 inhabitants is like a spectacular amphitheatre clambering up the mountainsides, overlooking the sea, embracing you. You can roam through living history in this modern city, the gateway to the wildest and loveliest fjords of Norway. Tradition, initiative and drive have made Bergen one of Norway's most vigorous cultural cities. It is not merely by chance that Norway's biggest cultural event, the Bergen International Festival, is held here each year, or that the town was chosen to be one of the European Cities of Culture in the year 2000. The old parts of town are living history, and the museums and galleries keep both art and the ancestral heritage alive. The Hanseatic wharf Bryggen, the Fish Market, the composer Edvard Grieg's home at Troldhaugen, Rasmus Meyer's art collection, the Aquarium and Old Bergen are just a few of the many attractions worth visiting.




History
Bergen was founded in 1070 by King Olav Kyrre. The town was favourably situated in relation to shipping traffic and was for a long time the country's most important commercial, shipping and industrial town. Moreover, Bergen became a commercial and shipping town of European significance and for a while, during the Middle Ages, Bergen was also the largest of all the towns in the Nordic countries. Bergen is the only town in the whole of Scandinavia, which has followed a classical European pattern of development. In the twelfth century an economic breakthrough occurred in Lübeck, which was the first town on the Baltic to become a centre for international commerce. After a time, Lübeck also influenced circumstances in Bergen, which now became the natural geographical and economic centre for the Norwegian maritime empire. Trade with the north, importing grain and exporting fish, laid the foundation for growth during the first centuries. From the fourteenth century and for several centuries, the Hanseatic merchants dominated trade. The Hanseatic merchants established one of their four most important trading stations in Bergen, the "German Office" on the Wharf. During the period from the last half of the nineteenth century until the First World War, there was strong growth in trade and industry resulting in an increase in population, from 17,000 inhabitants in 1855 to 103,500 inhabitants in 1920 (Bergen Town). It was not until the beginning of the 1830s that the population of Oslo exceeded that of Bergen. The town has fallen prey to conflagrations throughout its entire history. Buildings of the Church and State were usually constructed in stone and could therefore be repaired after damage by fire. The homes of the citizens of the town, on the other hand, were wooden buildings and therefore had to be built up again from the foundations. The Hanseatic merchants were those most observant of tradition in relation to architecture. When the Wharf was rebuilt after the great fire of 1702 for example, only a few small changes were made.
It's harbour-front, Bryggen, was a scene of thriving activity for "the Hansas" up to the 18th century. Bergen's commerce still thrives, though nowadays much of it's economic life is centred on the North Sea Oil Industry. Today, the city has expanded to an area of 465 sq.km and a population of approximately 240.000. We are a university city and have a major business and commerce college, as well as many other colleges for further education.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergen_%28geography%29

The Norwegian city of Bergen was separated from Hordaland as a county of its own in 1831.It was established as a municipality January 1, 1838. The rural municipality of Bergen landdistrikt was merged with Bergen January 1, 1877. The rural municipality of Årstad was merged with Bergen July 1, 1915. The rural municipalities of Arna, Fana, Laksevåg and Åsane were merged with Bergen January 1, 1972. The city lost its status as a separate county the same date. Bergen was Norway's biggest city until the 1830s, when it was passed by Oslo.
The city is located on the south-western coast of Norway, in the county of Hordaland, with its centre situated between a group of mountains known collectively as de syv fjell ("the seven mountains"), although the number of mountains is a matter of definition. Bergen is host to part of the country's large oil industry, as well as deep sea operations. Its harbours are used by everything from small pleasure vessels to cruise ships and cargo vessels, and is the base of many of the country's fishing vessels.
Bergen is an important cultural centre in its region and was one of nine European cities honoured with the title European Capital of Culture in 2000.
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Hieronymus Scholeus impression of Bergen. The drawing was made in about 1580 and published in an atlas with drawings of many different cities (Civitaes orbis terrarum)
In 1349, the Black Death was introduced to Norway by the crew of an English ship arriving in Bergen. In the 15th century the city was several times attacked by the Victual Brothers, and in 1429 they succeeded in burning the royal castle and much of the city. In 1536, the king was able to force the Saxon merchants to become Norwegian citizens or return home, heralding a decline in the Saxon influence. In 1665, the city's harbour was the site of the bloody Battle of Vågen, between English ships on the one side and Dutch ships supported by the city's garrison on the other.
Throughout the 15th and 16th centuries, Bergen remained one of the largest cities in Scandinavia, and was Norway's biggest city until the 1830s, when Oslo became the biggest. Bergen retained its monopoly of trade with Northern Norway until 1789.
In 1916 parts of the city centre were destroyed by a devastating fire, the last of many such fires throughout the city's history. During World War II, the city was occupied on the first day of the German invasion on April 9, 1940, after a brief fight between German ships and Norwegian coastal artillery. On April 20, 1944, during the German occupation, the Dutch cargoship Voorbode anchored off the Bergenhus Fortress, loaded with over 120 tons of explosives, blew up, killing at least 150 people and damaging historic buildings. The city was subject to some allied bombing raids, aiming at German naval installations in the harbour. Some of these led to civilian casualties numbering over 100.
In 1972, Bergen was unified with neighbouring municipalities (Arna, Fana, Laksevåg and Åsane), abolishing its county status and getting its present boundaries.




Ulriken, as seen from the centre of Bergen
Bergen municipality occupies the majority of the Bergen peninsula in mid-western Hordaland. It is sheltered from the North Sea by the islands Askøy, Holsnøy (municipality Meland) and Sotra (municipalities Fjell and Sund). It is the administration centre of Hordaland, as well as the second-largest city in Norway and the largest in Western Norway. Bergen is the centre of the Bergen region, a statistical metropolitan area with a population of 356,633.
The municipality covers an area of 465 km². The population is 244,620, making the population density 534 people per km². The population of the main urban area is 220,418. The municipality also contains eight minor urban settlements with a total population of 17,213, with Indre Arna, situated in the borough Arna, being the largest with a population of 6,151 as of January 1, 2007. Although not being geographically distant from the city centre, Arna is separated from it by mount Ulriken. Arna and the city centre are connected by a railway line; driving through Åsane or Nesttun is required if travelling by car or bus.
Bergen's city centre is situated between a group of mountains known collectively as de syv fjell ("the seven mountains"), describing the mountains Ulriken, Fløyen, Løvstakken and Damsgårdsfjellet, as well as three out of Lyderhorn, Sandviksfjellet, Blåmanen, Rundemanen, and Askøyfjellet. The first to name them "the seven mountains" might have been Ludvig Holberg, inspired by the seven hills of Rome. These seven mountains are, however, only a few of the mountains located within the borders of the Bergen municipality. Gullfjellet is the highest mountain in Bergen, at 987 metres above sea level.
Bergen borders the municipalities Meland, Lindås and Osterøy to the north, Vaksdal and Samnanger to the east, Os and Austevoll to the south, and Sund, Fjell and Askøy to the west.

Cityscape
The oldest remaining part of the city is on the north side of the bay of Vågen. Bryggen, the product of rebuilding after a fire in 1702, is in this area. The buildings that form Bryggen were done in the style of the medieval buildings that stood on the site prior to the fire. Saint Mary's Church is the oldest building in Bergen, parts of it dating from around 1130. The altar piece of the church is the oldest ornament preserved. It dates back to the Hanseatic period, probably the 15th century, when the church was used by the German hanseats as their parish church. Much of the interior was replaced during a restoration of the church in the second half of the 18th century.




View of Vågen and Nordnes from Skansen.
An open air fishmarket is located along the inner harbour of Vågen. Further south is the main shopping area, rebuilt after a fire in 1916 in art nouveau and functionalist style, around the main square Torgallmenningen. Several old quarters of white, wooden houses are scattered in and around the centre, most notably in Nordnes, Marken and Sandviken. Nygårdshøyden is a quaint area with a large number of buildings dating from late 19th century, many with neoclassical facades. Some parts of Bergen were rebuilt after World War II, rectifying damage due to bombing, the 1944 explosion accident, and thoughtless urban planning.[25] Whole blocks of old wooden houses have been demolished in the city centre, most recently in Nøstet and Krinkelkroken, due to a lack of maintenance of the buildings.
Fløyen (320 metres above sea level) and Ulriken (643 metres above sea level) are connected to the city centre with a funicular and a cable car, respectively. The mountains, as well as the areas that surround them, are popular hiking areas for locals as well as tourists. Several urban parks are present in the city centre, the largest being Nygårdsparken located between the neighbourhoods of Nygård and Møhlenpris.
Bergen Aquarium, housing fish, marine invertebrates, seals and penguins, as well as reptiles and monkeys, is located at the tip of the Nordnes peninsula.

Bergen has been nicknamed The City of Rain for its plentiful rainfall - annual precipitation is 2250 mm (88 inches) on average. This is because the city is surrounded by mountains that the clouds can not get over easily. Rain fell every day between October 29, 2006 and January 21, 2007, 85 consecutive days. In the winter, Bergen is one of the warmest cities in Norway, thanks to the Gulf Stream; 10 °C and rain can happen in both January and July. The highest temperature ever recorded was 31.8 °C, a record that dates back to 1947. The lowest ever recorded is -16.3 °C, in 1987.
The high amount of precipitation is often used in the marketing of the city, and figures to a degree on postcards sold in the city. For a period of time there were umbrella vending machines in the city, but these did not turn out to be a success.

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Avg high °C 3.6 4.0 5.9 9.1 14.0 16.8 17.6 17.4 14.2 11.2 6.9 4.7
Avg low temperature °C -0.4 -0.5 0.9 3.0 7.2 10.2 11.5 11.6 9.1 9.6 2.8 0.6
Mean Total Precipitation (mm) 190 152 170 114 106 132 148 190 283 271 259 235
Mean Number of Precipitation Days 21 17 19 17 17 16 18 19 23 24 22 22
Source: World Weather Information Service
Climate change


Damaged house after the 2005 slide
In recent years, precipitation and winds have increased in the city. In late 2005, heavy rains caused floods and several landslides, the worst of which killed three people on September 14. It is predicted by meteorologists that due to global warming, severe storms causing landslides and floods will become more powerful in the area and in surrounding counties in coming years. As a response, the municipality created a special 24-man rescue unit within the fire department in 2005, to future slides and other natural disasters, and neighbourhoods considered at risk of slides were surveyed in 2006. As of October 2007, the prediction has been supported by over 480 landslides in Hordaland county from the spring of '06 to the summer of '07. Most of the slides hit roads, but until October 2007, when a large rock dislodged and killed the driver of a car, none of them caused damage to cars, buildings, or people.
Another concern is the risk of rising sea levels. Already today, Bryggen is regularly flooded at extreme tide, and it is feared that as sea levels rise, floods will become a major problem in Bergen. Floods may in the future reach the old fire station in Olav Kyrres Gate, as well as the railroad tracks leading out of the city. It has therefore been suggested by among others Stiftelsen Bryggen, the foundation responsible for preserving the UNESCO site, that a sea wall, built so that it could be raised and lowered as demanded by the tides, be built outside the harbour to protect the city.
Another effect of recent years' weather conditions in the area is that Norwegians increasingly believe that climate change is a threat.


Bergen Museum, a part of The University of Bergen
Bergen has one university, the University of Bergen, and one university college, Bergen University College, with a total of 22,000 students and 3,600 staff. With approximately 16,000 students and 3,000 staff, the University of Bergen (Norwegian: Universitetet i Bergen) is the third largest university in Norway, after the University of Oslo and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Although it was founded as late as 1946, academic activity had been taking place at Bergen Museum since 1825. The university's academic profile focuses on marine research and co-operation with developing countries. In 2002, the university was awarded three national centres of excellence in climat research, petroleum research and medieval studies. In December 2004, billionaire Trond Mohn donated 250 million NOK to the University as research funding. In addition, he has given the university several individual gifts of 50 million NOK.


The Faculty of Education at Landås
Bergen University College (Norwegian: Høgskolen i Bergen) is one of 24 state-owned university colleges in Norway. As of 2007, it has approximately 6,000 students and 600 staff. The university college offers studies directed towards specific professions. The college is organised in 3 faculties: the Faculty of Education, the Faculty of Engineering, and the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences.
The Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration (Norwegian: Norges Handelshøyskole) is a leading school of business and economics in Norway. Finn E. Kydland, the last (2004) of three Norwegian laureates of the Economy Nobel Prize, has studied and lectured at the school. The school has approximately 2,700 students and 350 staff. As the result of a resolution passed by the Norwegian storting in 1917, the school was founded in 1936 as the first business school in Norway. As of 2007, the school's MSc programme is ranked by the Financial Times as the 36th best in Europe.
The Bergen School of Architecture (Bergen Arkitekt Skole), founded in 1986 by architect Svein Hatløy, has alternative programs, with graduants like 3RW arkitekter and Tommie Wilhemsen.
The Bergen National Academy of the Arts (Kunsthøgskolen i Bergen, approximately 300 students and 100 staff) is one of the two independent institutions of higher learning in the visual arts and design in Norway. Students can take a three-year Bachelor degree and a two-year Master degree in the following areas: Visual Art; Interior Architecture; Furniture Design; Room Design; Visual Communications; Photography; Printmaking; Ceramics and Textiles.
The Naval Academy (Sjøkrigsskolen) of the Royal Norwegian Navy is located at Laksevåg in Bergen.
Primary and secondary education
There are 64 elementary schools, 18 lower secondary schools and 20 upper secondary schools in Bergen, as well as 11 combined elementary/lower secondary schools.


The former building of Bergen katedralskole, then known as Bergen latinskole
Bergen Katedralskole (Latin: Scholae Bergensis Cathedralis) is believed to have been founded in 1153 by Pope Adrian IV (then known as Nicholas Breakspear), thus making it Bergen's oldest school and one of the oldest schools in Norway. The school moved to its present location in 1840, and the old building was left mostly unused until the School Museum of Bergen moved into the building in 2003. Since 1972 the school is a regular upper secondary school (similar to a high school in the United States and the United Kingdom).
In 2006, Bergen Handelsgymnasium, an upper secondary school in Bergen, was chosen as a finalist in the The Holberg Prize School Project.
Research
The University of Bergen and Haukeland University Hospital are by far the largest research institutions in Bergen.
The Chr. Michelsen Institute (Christian Michelsens Institutt), founded in 1930, is located in Bergen. With an annual turnover of 56 million NOK, it is one of Scandinavia's largest independent research institutes on human rights and development issues. The aim of CMI is to inform and influence policy on international development issues.
The Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (Norwegian: Havforskningsinstituttet), formerly known as Norwegian Fisheries Investigations (Norwegian: Norske Fiskeriundersøgelser) has been located in Bergen since 1900. The primary responsibility of the institute is to provide advice to national authorities, society and industry regarding questions related to the ecosystems of the Barents Sea, the Norwegian Sea, the North Sea and the Norwegian coastal zone and in the field of aquaculture. The institute has a staff of 700, making it the largest marine research institution in Norway.
Economy




The shopping streets
Bergen's inter-municipal harbour is by far Norway's largest port and one of Europe's largest ports, according to the inter-municipal company Port of Bergen.
In August 2004, Time magazine named the city one of Europe's 14 "secret capitals" where Bergen's capital reign is acknowledged within maritime businesses and activities such as aquaculture and marine research, with the Institute of Marine Research (IMR) (the second-largest in Europe) as the leading institution. Bergen is the main base for the Royal Norwegian Navy (at Haakonsvern) and its international airport Flesland is the main heliport for the huge Norwegian North Sea oil and gas industry, from where thousands of offshore workers commute to their work places onboard oil and gas rigs and platforms.
The headquarters of TV 2 Norway's largest commercial television channel are located in Bergen. However, they may be moving to Oslo when they lose their analog TV broadcasting license in 2008.
Tourism is an important income source for the city. The hotels in the city may be full at times, due to the increasing number of tourists and conferences. Prior to the Rolling Stones concert in September 2006, many hotels were already full-booked several months in advance. Bergen is recognised as the unofficial capital of the region known as West Norway, and recognised and marketed as the gateway city to the world famous fjords of Norway and for that reason it has become Norway's largest - and one of Europe's largest - cruise ship ports of call.
Transportation




Bergen has an international airport, Bergen Airport, Flesland, with direct flights to several European cities. The Bergensbanen railway line runs east to Voss, Geilo, Hønefoss and Oslo. The E16 road to Oslo passes through the Lærdalstunnelen, the longest road tunnel in the world. Bergen was the first city in Northern Europe to introduce a ring of toll roads entirely surrounding the city, making entering the city centre by car impossible without paying the toll. The toll road system, established to fund new roads and motorways, opened January 2, 1986. The toll was collected by both toll plazas and an electronic toll collection system. In the early 2000s, the electronic toll collection system AutoPASS was introduced, replacing both the remaining toll plazas and the existing but dated electronic toll collection system.
Public transportation is provided by the transportation company Tide, the result of a merger between Gaia and HSD. Among the fleet of buses are 8 trolleybuses (two of which are dual-mode buses). Local train transport to Arna is provided by Norges Statsbaner. There is a funicular (Fløibanen) and an aerial tramway (Ulriksbanen). The city's tram system was closed in 1965, although a museum line still operates on Møhlenpris. The construction of a modern light rail line connecting the city centre with Nesttun and Bergen Airport has been approved by Stortinget and is underway. Express buses go to all larger destinations in Norway.




Coastal Express MS Midnatsol
The Norwegian coastal steamer service Hurtigruten originates in Bergen, running north to Trondheim, Bodø, Tromsø and Kirkenes. Passenger catamarans run from Bergen south to Haugesund and Stavanger, and north to Sognefjorden and Nordfjord. Car ferries connect to Hanstholm, and Hirtshals in Denmark, Lerwick, Scrabster, and Newcastle in the United Kingdom, Tórshavn on the Faroe Islands, and Seyðisfjörður on Iceland.
Culture and sports
Bergen is an important cultural centre in its region and in Norway, maybe best known for hosting the annual Bergen International Festival (Festspillene i Bergen). The city is home of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, which was founded in 1765 and is one of the world's oldest orchestral institutions. The orchestra performs regularly at the 1,500 seat Grieg Hall. The city is also home of the Bergen Woodwind Quintet, which is made up primarily of principal winds of the Bergen Philharmonic. Bergen was a European Capital of Culture in 2000. Other main cultural events include Nattjazz, Lost Weekend Festivalen and Bergenfest (formerly Ole Blues).




The 1,500 seat Grieg Hall (Grieghallen)
There are numerous amateur bands in Bergen and the surrounding communities, performing regularly throughout the city. They generally fall within two distinct categories: brass bands, following the British band tradition, and Janitsjar or wind bands, which include both woodwind and brass instruments. Both of these types of bands tend to be quite competitive, and the Grieg Hall in Bergen is home to the annual Norwegian Brass Band Championships, which takes place in late winter.




Buekorps at Bryggen
Bergen is home to Buekorps, a prominent feature in the Constitution Day celebrations in the city. Buekorps consists of a parade in the streets with wooden sticks shaped as guns or crossbows, sabres and even halberds, to a military snare sounded by several drummers. The performers are usually boys between 7 and 21 years of age, but older veterans can be seen. There are buekorps for girls and for both girls and boys as well. Buekorps are regarded with warmth by some, whilst others dislike it due to its militarised appearance or the dominant sound of the drumming.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s several pop, rock and black metal artists from Bergen became famous, at home as well as abroad. Many of these were connected to the small record label Tellé Records. In the domestic press this became known as the Bergen Wave. Musicians and bands from Bergen include Annie, Burzum, Enslaved, Gorgoroth, Borknagar, Immortal, Erlend Øye, Kings of Convenience, Röyksopp, Sondre Lerche, Nazgûl and Datarock.
Bergen has a small but thriving scene for contemporary art, most notably centered around BIT Teatergarasjen, Bergen Kunsthall, United Sardines Factory, USF and Bergen Center for Electronic Arts, BEK.
Football




S.K Brann's stadium
Bergen has two professional football teams, Brann and Løv-Ham. Brann plays in the premier league, while Løv-Ham plays in the first division. Despite Løv-Ham playing in the 2nd highest level in Norwegian football, Brann is the only club to draw any considerable interest from the public. The first Løv-Ham supporter group, Selskapsløvene (English: The Party Lions) was created as recently as December 2005. Brann play their matches at Brann stadion, with a capacity of 17,824 as of June 2007, while Løv-Ham play their matches at Krohnsminde kunstgressbane, with a capacity of 3000, but an attendance record of 1051 in the league.
Although Brann is one of the largest teams in Norway, the team has had limited success in the Premier League and the cup. They have won the cup six times, most recently in 2004. Brann won the Premier League in 1961/62 and then in 1963. The 1963 title was directly followed by the relegation of the team into the Second Division. The team has won several silver and bronze medals since, but didn't win the league again until the 2007 season. Despite, or perhaps because of the lack of league titles, the team is met with high expectations from the national and local press and the inhabitants of Bergen every year
Dialect
Bergensk, or the Bergen dialect, is the dialect of Norwegian spoken in Bergen. It is easy for Norwegians to recognise, as it is very distinguishable from the other dialects in Hordaland. Like almost all Norwegian dialects, Bergensk cannot be said to be either Bokmål or Nynorsk. While the vocabulary shows many traits of both Bokmål and Nynorsk, it has many characteristics that are not covered by any of these written languages.
Foreigners, such as the Low German speaking merchants of the Hanseatic League who lived in Bergen in the period from about 1350 to 1750, has had a profound impact on the dialect. Bergen being the major Norwegian city during the Dano-Norwegian union from 1536 to 1814 led to Bergensk absorbing more of the Danish than other Norwegian dialects. Many, but not all, influences from these languages since spread from Bergen to parts of or the whole of Norway.