Bryggen, Bergen, the array of colourful homes along the wharf of Bergen, is by far one of the most recognizable landmarks associated with Bergen, Norway. The muted tone of the colours of the housing of the area is a ubiquitous mark, with the steep sided roofing a sign of the useful architectural style developed for preventing snow build up.
It is of note that the colourful nature of the Bryggen area is not found throughout the city. As seen above, the colourful facades are only present in the foreground. For guidance on the reasoning for this difference, I turned to a close friend, Niels Biehler, a native of the area, for the history. Upon asking him, he stated that the style dates back to the German heritage of those who originally lived in the area and brought with them the style of Bryggen.
Today, the picturesque colours provide little more than Instagram opportunities to most. As a smart traveller, it is our job to look deeper than that surface for the stories described above. In the aforementioned architecture, you are able to see the history of Norway in the adaptation of architecture to a harsh winter climate as well as the incorporation of the German diaspora. Additionally, this knowledge can be applied to similar places throughout the globe when you come to recognize the key marks of the Norwegian Architecture.
In my home city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Norwegian heritage is abundant and the steep roofed architecture has proliferated in the area given the heritage and similar climate. To those who hold this understanding of what more is hidden in looks of Bryggen, Bergen, one is able to look and form this connection of heritage without research and more fully understand the area they are traveling.
Bon Voyage to Bergen 