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122-472: Hjeltefjorden is a major shipping route into the city of Bergen , and it runs from the island of Fedje in the north to Byfjorden in the south. It is delimited to the west by the islands of Øygarden and Sotra and to the east by the islands of Radøy , Holsnøy , Herdla and Askøy . Hjeltefjorden was the site of the closing stages of the Battle of Alvøen in 1808. This Vestland location article

244-529: A Dutch merchant and treasure fleet supported by the city's garrison. Accidental fires sometimes got out of control, and one in 1702 reduced most of the town to ashes. Throughout the 15th and 16th centuries, Bergen remained one of the largest cities in Scandinavia , and it was Norway's biggest city until the 1830s, being overtaken by the capital city of Oslo . From around 1600, the Hanseatic dominance of

366-514: A combined fleet of 100 vehicles. The Bergen Light Rail has its final stop at the airport and opened in April 2017. Tide 's coaches have a travel time of about 20 minutes, and operate every 10 minutes. They alternate operating via Fjøsanger and Fyllingsdalen , At Flesland Quay, connected to the airport by shuttle bus, there are several fast ferry services to Austevoll , Sunnhordland , Haugesund and Stavanger . Four taxi companies operate at

488-674: A doubling of the size of the duty-free. Wanderlust announced Flesland as Europe's best and the world's sixth-best international airport in 2009. The helicopter terminal was renovated in 2009. An airport surveillance radar was installed in 2010 and a new backup radar was installed in 2011. An additional 350 square meters (3,800 sq ft) of office space was added in 2010. Widerøe took over SAS' regional routes to Bergen in 2010. From May to September 2022, United Airlines offered service to Newark. The main terminal covers an area of 21,000 square meters (230,000 sq ft), of which 14,200 square meters (153,000 sq ft)

610-437: A flight from Flesland via Reykjavík to New York twice per week. The airport had 70,000 passengers during its first twelve months of operations and exceeded 100,000 the following year. The temporary terminal was too small for this traffic and already during construction there was designed a larger terminal by Halfdan Grieg . By 1956, it was determined that the new terminal building would be too small. Also, an expansion of

732-412: A growth rate of 1.8%. Ninety-six percent of the population lives in urban areas. As of 2002, the average gross income for men above the age of 17 is 426,000 Norwegian krone (NOK), the average gross income for women above the age of 17 is NOK   238,000, with the total average gross income being NOK   330,000. In 2007, there were 104.6 men for every 100 women in the age group of 20–39. 22.8% of

854-569: A market share of 36 percent, SAS 23 percent, KLM 18 percent, Lufthansa 9 percent and others 15 percent. In comparison, in 2003 SAS had a market share of 71 percent for international routes and 78 percent for domestic routes. In 2011, the route Oslo–Bergen had 1,680,000 passengers, making it the second busiest route in Norway (after Oslo–Trondheim). It was in 2007 the seventh-busiest route in Europe. The routes from Bergen to Stavanger and Trondheim are

976-450: A million cubic meters (18 million cu ft) of rock were blasted and a similar amount of earthwork moved in the construction process. The work consisted of a 2,440-by-45-meter (8,005 by 148 ft) runway and an equivalently long taxiway, although it was only half the width. The terminal building cost NOK 200,000 and was located next to a parking lot with space for 70 cars. A 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) long barbed wire fence circumferenced

1098-460: A narrow corridor which bypasses the shop. Nonetheless, the layout has been criticized by teetotalist organizations. The airport's response is that the layout was needed due to the terminal's small size. The shop has also been criticized for informing passengers who purchase less than their permitted tax-free quota of alcohol that they are allowed to purchase more. The Norwegian Directorate for Health and Social Affairs indicated that this may violate

1220-710: A national realignment of concessions, SAS lost their right to fly to Tromsø. Instead Braathens SAFE was granted the right to fly from Bergen via Ålesund, Kristiansund, and the newly opened Molde Airport, Årø , to Bodø and Tromsø . The first four regional airports in Sogn og Fjordane and Møre og Romsdal were opened in 1971, and Widerøe started flights to Florø , Førde , Sogndal and Ørsta–Volda . They were operated with de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft, and passengers had to transfer at Flesland to reach Oslo. A SAS service to New York from Oslo Airport, Gardermoen ,

1342-469: A non-Western immigrant background in Bergen. In 2006, this figure had increased to 14,630, so the non-Western immigrant population in Bergen was five times higher than in 1986. This is a slightly slower growth than the national average, which has sextupled during the same period. Also in relation to the total population in Bergen, the proportion of non-Westerns increased significantly. In 1986, the proportion of

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1464-599: A price war which had cost the airlines NOK 3 billion. The final demise of the air station came in 1999, when all stationary assets were sold, including 30 vehicles. The daily operation of the air station was transferred to the Royal Norwegian Navy , who have six employees at the base. Flesland Air Station has since only held mobilization status and will only be used by the air force in case of war and larger emergencies. Bergen Air Transport started flights to Notodden in 1999. A new secondary surveillance radar

1586-517: A separate county on the same date, and Bergen is now a municipality , in the county of Vestland . The city's history is marked by numerous great fires. In 1198, the Bagler faction set fire to the city in connection with a battle against the Birkebeiner faction during the civil war. In 1248, Holmen and Sverresborg burned, and 11 churches were destroyed. In 1413 another fire struck

1708-571: A short period in 1959, there was a squadron stationed at Flesland. From 1962, there were regular detachments within NATO that were earmarked for Flesland. Every other year, there were larger exercises with about a dozen aircraft and lasting for several weeks. Smaller training sessions were held every six weeks. The air station was upgraded in 1962 and consisted of a series of mountain halls, which could house more than twenty-five fighter aircraft. These also included barracks and commando facilities. Flesland

1830-769: A significant presence of marine insurance companies, including Norwegian Hull Club . A number of banks maintain large corporate banking divisions in connection with shipping and aquaculture in the city. Bergen is the main base for the Royal Norwegian Navy (at Haakonsvern ) and its international airport Flesland is the main heliport for the 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. Bergen Airport, Flesland Bergen Airport ( Nynorsk : Bergen lufthamn ; IATA : BGO , ICAO : ENBR ), alternatively Bergen Flesland Airport or simply Flesland Airport ,

1952-494: A similar form existed where the local administrations had less power than previously. (Pertaining to the table above: The acreage figures include fresh water and uninhabited mountain areas, except: 1 The borough Bergenhus is 8.73 km (3.37 sq mi), the rest is water and uninhabited mountain areas. 2 The borough Årstad is 8.47 km (3.27 sq mi), the rest is water and uninhabited mountain areas.) Former borough: Sentrum Sentrum (literally, "Centre")

2074-444: A single 2,990 by 45 meters (9,810 by 148 ft) runway numbered 17–35 (roughly north–south). The runway has 7.5-meter (25 ft) shoulders on each side and has 2,450 meters (8,040 ft) between the touchdown points. The runway has a parallel taxiway (Y), with nine intersections. There is also a taxiway further in along between the terminal and technical area (W). There are six intersections between W and Y, one of which leads to

2196-428: A trading settlement had already been established in the 1020s or 1030s. Bergen gradually assumed the function of capital of Norway in the early 13th century, as the first city where a rudimentary central administration was established. The city's cathedral was the site of the first royal coronation in Norway in the 1150s, and continued to host royal coronations throughout the 13th century. Bergenhus fortress dates from

2318-504: A transition from tar covered houses, as well as the remaining log houses , to painted and some brick-covered wooden buildings. The last half of the 19th century saw a period of rapid expansion and modernisation. The fire of 1855 west of Torgallmenningen led to the development of regularly sized city blocks in this area of the city centre. The city limits were expanded in 1876, and Nygård , Møhlenpris and Sandviken were urbanized with large-scale construction of city blocks housing both

2440-450: A year bringing nearly a half a million passengers to Bergen, a number that has doubled in 10 years. Almost half of the passengers are German or British. The city's main football team is SK Brann and a unique tradition of the city is the buekorps , which are traditional marching neighbourhood youth organisations. Natives speak a distinct dialect, known as Bergensk . The city features Bergen Airport, Flesland and Bergen Light Rail , and

2562-459: Is berg (n.) or bjǫrg (n.), which translates as 'mountain(s)'. The last element is vin (f.), which means a new settlement where there used to be a pasture or meadow. Bergen is often called "the city among the seven mountains". The playwright Ludvig Holberg , inspired by the seven hills of Rome , decided that his home town must be blessed with a corresponding seven mountains, though locals debate which seven they are. In 1918, there

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2684-499: Is Bergen's highest mountain, at 987 metres (3,238 ft) above mean sea level . Bergen is far enough north that during clear nights at the solstice, there is borderline civil daylight in spite of the sun having set. Bergen is sheltered from the North Sea by the islands Askøy , Holsnøy (the municipality of Meland ) and Sotra (the municipalities of Fjell and Sund ). Bergen borders the municipalities Alver and Osterøy to

2806-513: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Bergen Bergen ( Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈbæ̀rɡn̩] ), historically Bjørgvin , is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway . As of 2022 , its population was roughly 289,330. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway after the national capital Oslo . The municipality covers 465 square kilometres (180 sq mi) and

2928-525: Is also well known in Norway for the Isdal Woman ( Norwegian : Isdalskvinnen ), an unidentified person who was found dead at Isdalen ("Ice Valley") on 29 November 1970. The unsolved case encouraged international speculation over the years and it remains one of the most profound mysteries in recent Norwegian history. The rural municipalities of Arna , Fana , Laksevåg , and Åsane were merged with Bergen on 1 January 1972. The city lost its status as

3050-514: Is an international airport located at Flesland in the city and municipality of Bergen , Vestland , Norway . Opened in 1955, it is the second-busiest airport in Norway, with 6,306,623 passenger operations in 2018. Flesland is operated by the state-owned Avinor . Until 1999, Flesland Air Station of the Norwegian Air Force was co-located at the airport. Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), Norwegian Air Shuttle and Widerøe are

3172-533: Is considered upgraded to ILS Cat II or III, which will allow for landing during less visibility. There are only a few minor investments needed for the upgrade. Avinor estimates that there will be a need for a second runway at about the mid-2030s. The runway can be located on the current military area and be entirely located north of the terminal area. This would allow a 2,260-meter (7,410 ft) runway, which would be sufficient for Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 aircraft. The master plan of 2011 includes plans for expanding

3294-476: Is divided into eight boroughs, as seen on the map to the right. Clockwise, starting with the northernmost, the boroughs are Åsane , Arna , Fana , Ytrebygda , Fyllingsdalen , Laksevåg , Årstad and Bergenhus . The city centre is located in Bergenhus . Parts of Fana, Ytrebygda, Åsane and Arna are not part of the Bergen urban area, explaining why the municipality has approximately 20,000 more inhabitants than

3416-481: Is estimated to have sufficient capacity until 2026. The new terminal will have an area of 78,000 square meters (840,000 sq ft) and have a capacity for 10 million annual passengers. In addition to larger terminal capacity, it will give the airport six new gates. The price is estimated at NOK 2 Billion and will also include an expansion of the Bergen Light Rail to the airport. The runway

3538-420: Is located along National Road 580 , about 20 kilometers (12 mi) from the city center and about 30 minutes drive. Avinor has 3,500 parking spaces at the airport, of which 1,500 are in a parking garage. An additional 700 parking spaces are provided by the private Flesland Parkering; although located further away, it provides a shuttle bus service to the terminal. The airport has five car rental companies with

3660-518: Is located on the peninsula of Bergenshalvøyen . The city centre and northern neighbourhoods are on Byfjorden , 'the city fjord'. The city is surrounded by mountains, causing Bergen to be called the "city of seven mountains ". Many of the extra-municipal suburbs are on islands. Bergen is the administrative centre of Vestland county. The city consists of eight boroughs: Arna , Bergenhus , Fana , Fyllingsdalen , Laksevåg , Ytrebygda , Årstad , and Åsane . Trading in Bergen may have started as early as

3782-499: Is next to the helicopter terminal and has an area of 160 square meters (1,700 sq ft). It lacks visual sight lines to stands south of the terminal, the de-icing and parts of the taxiway. Nearby is the fire station; the 2,850 square meters (30,700 sq ft) building is also used for offices. There are a series of other hangars and buildings at the airport, owned by various airlines, ground handling companies, aviation clubs and general aviation companies. The airport has

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3904-566: Is pronounced in English / ˈ b ɜːr ɡ ən / or / ˈ b ɛər ɡ ən / and in Norwegian [ˈbæ̀rɡn̩] (in the local dialect [ˈbæ̂ʁɡɛn] ). The Old Norse forms of the name were Bergvin [ˈberɡˌwin] and Bjǫrgvin [ˈbjɔrɡˌwin] (and in Icelandic and Faroese the city is still called Björgvin ). The first element

4026-609: Is the largest denomination in Bergen, with 201,006 (79.74%) registered adherents in 2012. Bergen is the seat of the Diocese of Bjørgvin with Bergen Cathedral as its centrepiece, while St John's Church is the city's most prominent. As of 2012, the state church is followed by 52,059 irreligious, 4,947 members of various Protestant free churches , 3,873 actively registered Catholics, 2,707 registered Muslims, 816 registered Hindus, 255 registered Russian Orthodox and 147 registered Oriental Orthodox . The city centre of Bergen lies in

4148-680: Is the oldest school in Bergen and was founded by Pope Adrian IV in 1153. The " Bergen School of Meteorology " was developed at the Geophysical Institute beginning in 1917, the Norwegian School of Economics was founded in 1936, and the University of Bergen in 1946. The University of Bergen has 16,000 students and 3,000 staff, making it the third-largest educational institution in Norway. Research in Bergen dates back to activity at Bergen Museum in 1825, although

4270-505: Is the terminus of the Bergen Line . Four large bridges connect Bergen to its suburban municipalities. Bergen has a mild winter climate, though with significant precipitation. From December to March, Bergen can, in rare cases, be up to 20 °C (36 °F) warmer than Oslo, even though both cities are at about 60° North. In summer however, Bergen is several degrees cooler than Oslo due to the same maritime effects. The Gulf Stream keeps

4392-416: Is used for passenger areas. The terminal has reached its capacity for simultaneous passengers, and especially security, check-in, arrival hall and baggage handling have limited space. All passengers traveling on international flight must pass through the duty-free shop in order to get to their flight. There is a possibility for some passengers (for example, those allergic to perfume) to ask security to use

4514-729: The Bergen School of Architecture , the Bergen National Academy of the Arts , located in the city centre with 300 students, and the Norwegian Naval Academy located in Laksevåg. The Norwegian Institute of Marine Research has been located in Bergen since 1900. It provides research and advice relating to ecosystems and aquaculture. It has a staff of 700 people. In August 2004, Time magazine named

4636-566: The Black Death was brought to Norway by an English ship arriving in Bergen. Later outbreaks occurred in 1618, 1629 and 1637, on each occasion taking about 3,000 lives. In the 15th century, the city was attacked several times by the Victual Brothers , and in 1429 they succeeded in burning the royal castle and much of the city. In 1665, the city's harbour was the site of the Battle of Vågen , when an English naval flotilla attacked

4758-571: The German occupation of Norway , the Wehrmacht started looking for a location for an airstrip. They were partially in need for a counteraction against British raids and in part in need to protect German ship traffic. Four locations were considered: Nesttun , Haukåsmyrene in Åsane , Flesland and Herdla. The choice of Herdla was taken after a German bomber emergency landed in a field and was later able to take off from there. Herdla received two runways,

4880-521: The Ministry of Defence NOK 5 million. The increased funding allowed the runway to be extended to 2,440 meters (8,010 ft). Construction started on 14 August 1952 with construction of a road from Blomsterdalen. Construction on the airport itself started in early 1953. Between 200 and 300 people worked on the construction, some of whom lived in sheds at Nordheim. Work was carried out in two shifts. Thirty farms were partially expropriated . Half

5002-495: The 1020s. According to tradition, the city was founded in 1070 by King Olav Kyrre and was named Bjørgvin, 'the green meadow among the mountains'. It served as Norway's capital in the 13th century, and from the end of the 13th century became a bureau city of the Hanseatic League . Until 1789, Bergen enjoyed exclusive rights to mediate trade between Northern Norway and abroad, and it was the largest city in Norway until

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5124-431: The 1240s and guards the entrance to the harbour in Bergen. The functions of the capital city were lost to Oslo during the reign of King Haakon V (1299–1319). In the middle of the 14th century, North German merchants, who had already been present in substantial numbers since the 13th century, founded one of the four Kontore of the Hanseatic League at Bryggen in Bergen. The principal export traded from Bergen

5246-418: The 1830s when it was overtaken by the capital, Christiania (now known as Oslo ). What remains of the quays, Bryggen , is a World Heritage Site. The city was hit by numerous fires over the years. The Bergen School of Meteorology was developed at the Geophysical Institute starting in 1917, the Norwegian School of Economics was founded in 1936, and the University of Bergen in 1946. From 1831 to 1972, Bergen

5368-476: The Bergen Airport. It was a Eurocopter EC225 Super Puma . All thirteen people on board (2 crew, 11 passenger) were killed in the crash. Avinor is currently in the final stages of building a new terminal building immediately southeast of the current terminal. Based on a design by Narud Stokke Wiig Arkitekter og Planleggere (now Nordic — Office of Architecture ), it is scheduled for completion in 2016 and

5490-502: The Bergen area was Flatøy Air Station , built by the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service on the island of Flatøy . The water aerodrome was established in 1919; it remained in use until 1940. Norway's first scheduled airline service was started by Det Norske Luftfartsrederi between Bergen, Haugesund and Stavanger in 1920, and operated out of Bergen Airport, Sandviken , a water aerodrome just north of

5612-686: The Communist Party. On 20 April 1944, during the German occupation, the Dutch cargo ship Voorbode anchored off the Bergenhus Fortress , loaded with over 120 tons of explosives, and blew up, killing at least 150 people and damaging historic buildings. The city was subject to some Allied bombing raids , aimed at German naval installations in the harbour. Some of these caused Norwegian civilian casualties numbering about 100. Bergen

5734-429: The Norway's international traffic. Sixty-four percent of the airport's domestic traffic was business, compared to thirty-five percent for international flights. Seventy-one percent of the international traffic was generated by people living in Norway. For domestic flights, SAS has a market share of 46 percent, Norwegian 38 percent, Widerøe 15 percent and others 1 percent. For international flights, Norwegian has

5856-534: The Soviet Union in 1991, the military activity at Flesland diminished. Planning of the downgrading of the air station had started in 1988, and from 1995 only personnel necessary for maintaining infrastructure was left, reducing the crew to 33. Braathens SAFE introduced its first international Bergen service in 1991, to Newcastle . Norwegian Air Shuttle , originally a regional airline, took over Braathens' and Busy Bee's regional services from Bergen following

5978-484: The Stavanger-based company was established. The same year, Vestlandske Luftfartsselskap filed for bankruptcy and Ålesund Airport, Vigra , opened. Thus Braathens SAFE was awarded the concession for the route Stavanger–Bergen–Ålesund–Trondheim. Both SAS and Braathens were granted concession to operate the route from Kristiansand via Stavanger to Bergen. The same year, a new terminal building opened. During

6100-410: The airport in 2003 and all meteorological observations have since been carried out by Avinor. In 2004, SAS and Braathens merged to form SAS Braathens . The airline changed its name back to Scandinavian Airlines in 2007. The international arrival section was expanded with 450 square meters (4,800 sq ft) in 2005, followed by an extra story over part of the terminal, used as offices and allowed

6222-516: The airport opened on 2 October 1955. Until the 1980s, Bergen was the Norwegian airport used for intercontinental flights by SAS to New York . New terminals were opened in 1988 and in August 2017. The Bergen Light Rail was extended to the airport in April 2017. The first aircraft to operate in Bergen was a demonstration flight by Carl Gustav Cederström on 25 September 1911. The first airport in

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6344-465: The airport, took place on 26 June 1978. The aircraft was en route from Flesland to Statfjord A , an offshore oil platform . The accident was caused by a fatigue crack in the knuckle joint , causing one of the rotor blades to loosen. All eighteen people on board were killed in the crash. A helicopter crashed on Turøy near Bergen on 29 April 2016, when flying from the Gullfaks B oil platform to

6466-550: The airport. The airport had an instrument landing system from the start. Two people were killed in the construction, which had a total cost of NOK 70 million. The first aircraft to land at the airport was a de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter of the Air Force on 18 June 1954. At the time, 800 meters (2,600 ft) of the runway was completed. The paved section was extended to 1,500 meters (4,900 ft) and several Douglas DC-3 aircraft landed. The first revenue flight

6588-509: The airport. The modal distribution of ground transport is 21 percent use bus, 31 percent use taxis, 27 percent are driven by others and 20 percent use their own car. This is less than half the public transport share of Trondheim and almost a third of Gardermoen, but much higher than Stavanger. Helikopter Service Flight 165 , a crash of a Sikorsky S-61 helicopter into the North Sea 78 nautical miles (144 km; 90 mi) northwest of

6710-477: The ban on alcohol advertising . The gates at the new terminal are numbered B15 to B20. They are served by domestic flights. International flights depart from the older 1988 terminal which has 9 jet bridges , numbered 23 through 29, 31 and 32. Gate 30, next to gate 29, is used for apron buses . Gate 24 has the largest parking space and can take category E aircraft (such as the Airbus A340 and Boeing 747 ),

6832-485: The busiest routes in Norway which do not operate through Oslo. Norwegian and SAS nearly split the Oslo market evenly, although SAS has 54 percent of the business market and Norwegian 58 percent of the leisure market. Since 2003, the percentage of passengers traveling from Bergen who are dependent on transferring abroad before reaching their ultimate destination has fallen from about 60 percent to below 40 percent. Flesland

6954-420: The city center. The aerodrome became the Bergen base for both Norwegian Air Lines and Vestlandske Luftfartsselskap . Planning of an airport with an airstrip took place during the 1930s. A series of public institutions made various reports between 1931 and 1938, which largely recommended Flesland as a location, which was at the time located in the then independent municipality of Fana . The main alternative

7076-403: The city is caused by orographic lift , sometimes causing more than two months of consecutive rainy days. The city is therefore considered the rainiest city in Europe, although it is not the wettest "place" on the continent. Bergen's weather is much warmer than the city's latitude (60.4° N) might suggest. Temperatures below −10 °C (14 °F) are rare. Summer temperatures sometimes reach

7198-520: 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 oceanography research centre in Europe) as a leading institution. Some of the world's largest aquaculture companies, such as Mowi and Lerøy are headquartered in

7320-517: The city's industrial sector, particularly in the neighbourhood of Møhlenpris , which is named after him. Bergen retained its monopoly of trade with northern Norway until 1789. The Bergen stock exchange, the Bergen børs , was established in 1813. Bergen was separated from Hordaland as a county of its own in 1831. It was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt ). The rural municipality of Bergen landdistrikt

7442-674: The city's trade gradually declined in favour of Norwegian merchants (often of Hanseatic ancestry), and in the 1750s, the Kontor , or major trading post of the Hanseatic League, finally closed. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Bergen was involved in the Atlantic slave trade . Bergen-based slave trader Jørgen Thormøhlen , the largest shipowner in Norway, was the main owner of the slave ship Cornelia , which made two slave-trading voyages in 1673 and 1674 respectively; he also developed

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7564-500: The city, and 14 churches were destroyed. In 1428 the city was plundered by the Victual Brothers , and in 1455, Hanseatic merchants were responsible for burning down Munkeliv Abbey . In 1476, Bryggen burned down in a fire started by a drunk trader. In 1582, another fire hit the city centre and Strandsiden . In 1675, 105 buildings burned down in Øvregaten . In 1686 another great fire hit Strandsiden , destroying 231 city blocks and 218 boathouses. The greatest fire in history

7686-420: The city. The municipality has had a parliamentary government since 2000. Up until then, Bergen had been governed by the city council ( formannskap ). The government now consists of seven government members called commissioners, and is appointed by the city council, the supreme authority of the city. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party . Bergen

7808-476: The city. Shipowners based in Bergen control a significant portion of the Norwegian merchant fleet, including shipowners such as Wilson , Odfjell and Gearbulk . The city has a large presence of financial institutions. Banks Sbanken and Sparebanken Vest are headquartered in the city. The Norwegian branches of insurance companies Tryg , DNB Livsforsikring and Nordea Liv are headquartered in Bergen, along with

7930-422: The congested Fornebu. For the first time, an airline could receive sufficient landing slots to challenge SAS and Braathens on domestic routes. The low-cost carrier Color Air was established, and started flights from Oslo to Bergen using Boeing 737-300 aircraft. The following price war on the route saw lower ticket prices and increased capacity. Color Air filed for bankruptcy on 27 September 1999, ending

8052-415: The fire of 1955, when a large number of the buildings burned to the ground. Instead of being demolished, the remaining buildings were restored and accompanied by reconstructions of some of the burned buildings. Demolition of old buildings and occasionally whole city blocks is still taking place, the most recent major example being the 2007 razing of Jonsvollskvartalet at Nøstet. Billboards are banned in

8174-560: The helicopter terminal. Lufttransport transport maritime pilots to ships on behalf of the Norwegian Coastal Administration . In 2014, Bergen Airport had 6,078,589 passengers, 106,225 aircraft movements and 5,199 tonnes of cargo, making it the country's second-busiest airport. The passenger numbers consisted of 3,669,600 domestic scheduled, 2,162,781 international scheduled, 138,252 transit passengers, 246,208 helicopter passengers. Bergen has ten percent of

8296-692: The lack of possibilities to extend the runway past the initially proposed 1,500 meters (4,900 ft) and the long travel distance from Herdla to the city. At the time there was no bridge either from Herdla to Askøy nor from Askøy to the mainland, nor was there a road across the island. Transport would therefore have to be carried out from Bergen using a ferry. The Minister of Transport and Communications Nils Langhelle from Bergen supported Bøe's concerns and recommended that Parliament place construction of an airport serving Bergen on hold. Engineering reports were made of both Herdla and Flesland in 1950 and 1951. Previous investigations of Flesland had concluded that

8418-573: The large industrial activity in the area. The workers' homes in this area were poorly built, and little remains after large-scale redevelopment in the 1960s–1980s. After Årstad became a part of Bergen in 1916, a development plan was applied to the new area. Few city blocks akin to those in Nygård and Møhlenpris were planned. Many of the worker class built their own homes, and many small, detached apartment buildings were built. After World War II, Bergen had again run short of land to build on, and, contrary to

8540-409: The largest airlines operating at the airport. The route to Oslo Airport, Gardermoen , is among the busiest in Europe. Substantial traffic is generated by CHC Helikopter Service and Bristow Norway to offshore oil platforms in the North Sea . Originally, Bergen was served by water aerodromes at Flatøy , Sandviken , and Herdla . Financing of Flesland was largely secured through NATO funds, and

8662-409: The last overnight freeze (low below 0 °C (32.0 °F)) in spring is April 4 and average date for first freeze in autumn is November 7 giving a frost-free season of 216 days. Extreme temperatures are also quite rare in the city. The highest temperature ever recorded was 33.4 °C (92.1 °F) on 26 July 2019, beating the previous record from 2018 at 32.6 °C (90.7 °F) degrees, and

8784-404: The latter's bankruptcy in 1992. Norwegian originally flew to Kristiansand, Haugesund, Molde and Kristiansund. The domestic airline market was deregulated on 1 April 1994, so airlines no longer needed a concession to operate domestic routes. The immediate consequence was an increase of the number of flights by Braathens SAFE to Oslo. Oslo Airport, Gardermoen opened on 8 October 1998, replacing

8906-498: The length of the runway was limited to a small valley which is located at about the middle of the current runway. The new report proposed connecting the proposed area to a larger area to the south of the valley, which was at the right elevation. This would allow for a 3,000-meter (9,800 ft) long runway. A political concern was the high cost of constructing a new airport. By 1950, land airports had been built for Oslo Airport, Fornebu , Stavanger , Trondheim and Kristiansand . This

9028-463: The longest 1,000 meters (3,300 ft) long. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) started working on plans for an airport for Bergen in 1947. Herdla was by them seen as the prime candidate, again based on the poor topography around Bergen. The CAA recommended that Herdla be chosen and that the two runways be expanded. However, its director, Einar Bøe , was skeptical to the Herdla plans, citing

9150-558: The lowest was −16.3 °C (2.7 °F) in January 1987. The city is quite cloudy year round, although old sunshine hours data might have caused an underestimate of sunshine hours, due to the city's mountainside location. A new sun recorder was established at Bergen Airport, Flesland (a location with less terrain obscuring the sun) in December 2015, and this recorded an average of 1,596 hours of sun annually during 2016–2022. As of

9272-501: The main intercontinental hub in Norway. Another important factor during the 1960s was the low range of the aircraft—thus Bergen was a stop-over for aircraft from Stockholm and Copenhagen. Later, the route was taken over using the Boeing 747 . SAS started a direct service from Bergen to Tromsø in 1965. Kristiansund Airport, Kvernberget , opened in 1970, with Braathens SAFE receiving the route concession from Bergen. Two years later, in

9394-453: The majority of the population lives in relatively sparsely populated residential areas built after 1950. While some are dominated by apartment buildings and modern terraced houses (e.g. Fyllingsdalen ), others are dominated by single-family homes . The oldest part of Bergen is the area around the bay of Vågen in the city centre. Originally centred on the bay's eastern side, Bergen eventually expanded west and southwards. Few buildings from

9516-444: The mid-1980s there were 35 to 40 daily offshore helicopter flights out of Flesland each day. This was causing a press on the runway's capacity as the helicopters had to cross the runway to reach the North Sea. As estimates showed up to 60 flights per day, the airport started working on plans for a separate helicopter terminal, which would have been located southwest of the old main terminal and would have its own helicopter runway. Instead

9638-403: The military area. There is instrument landing system (ILS) category I on both directions. The airport has an airport surveillance radar ; there are both a surveillance radar and a backup radar located on Sotra . The runway has a capacity of maximum twenty landings and twenty departures per hour. The runway, main taxiway and all areas to the north of the civil aviation area are owned by

9760-543: The military. Flesland Air Station no longer has stationed aircraft, but there is activity in several of the military installations. Flesland is occasionally used during exercises. The military has indicated that it may choose to sell its estate at the airport in the future. Avinor and the military have initiated a process that may result in the runway and taxiway being transferred to Avinor ownership. As of June 2023, Bergen Airport serves 63 destinations in regular services and 28 seasonal or charter destinations primarily during

9882-407: The new terminal by placing gates on both sides of the pier and building a new pier to the north, by demolishing the current terminal. By Phase 3C, which is estimated to be carried out by 2060, the airport will have 32 gates and 14 additional apron stands. The last phases of the long-term plan involve demolishing the current terminal and the airport hotel. The Norwegian State Railways has looked at

10004-420: The north, Vaksdal and Samnanger to the east, Os ( Bjørnafjorden ) and Austevoll to the south, and Øygarden and Askøy to the west. Bergen has an oceanic climate ( Köppen : Cfb , Trewartha : Dolk ), with mild summers and cool winters. Rainfall is plentiful in all seasons, along with intermittent snowfall during winter, which often melts quickly. The exceptionally plentiful precipitation that defines

10126-416: The oldest period remain, the most significant being St Mary's Church from the 12th century. For several hundred years, the extent of the city remained almost constant. The population was stagnant, and the city limits were narrow. In 1702, seven-eighths of the city burned. Most of the old buildings of Bergen, including Bryggen (which was rebuilt in a mediaeval style), were built after the fire. The fire marked

10248-643: The opening, Flesland was served by three airlines. SAS flew three round trips to Oslo and once per day to Stavanger, Kristiansand and onwards to Aalborg in Denmark, with correspondence onwards to Copenhagen . Twice per week, the Stavanger flight corresponded with services to London and Amsterdam . Vestlandske Luftfartsselskap flew services northwards along the coast to towns in Møre og Romsdal and to Trondheim. Iceland-based Loftleiðir received permission to operate

10370-568: The original plans, many large apartment buildings were built in Landås in the 1950s and 1960s. Bergen acquired Fyllingsdalen from Fana municipality in 1955. Like similar areas in Oslo (e.g. Lambertseter ), Fyllingsdalen was developed into a modern suburb with large apartment buildings, mid-rises , and some single-family homes, in the 1960s and 1970s. Similar developments took place beyond Bergen's city limits, for example in Loddefjord . At

10492-470: The peak in 1976 and 1977, the air station had 60 employees and 15 conscripts. Helikopter Service started services to offshore oil platforms in May 1976; the first services were to Statfjord and were flown using Sikorsky S-61 helicopters. Busy Bee started a competing service from Bergen via Haugesund to Stavanger in 1982. Two years, late Norsk Air started a service from Sandefjord . Braathens SAFE

10614-458: The period 1993–2008 increased by 119.7%, while the ethnic Norwegian population grew by 8.1% during the same period. The national average is 138.0% and 4.2%. The immigrant population has thus accounted for 43.6% of Bergen's population growth and 60.8% of Norway's population growth during the period 1993–2008, compared with 84.5% in Oslo. The immigrant population in Bergen has changed a lot since 1970. As of 1 January 1986, there were 2,870 people with

10736-485: The plans was carried out in its original form; the Marken and Stølen redevelopment plans were discarded and that of Nordnes only carried out in the area that had been most damaged by war. The city council of Bergen had in 1964 voted to demolish the entirety of Marken, however, the decision proved to be highly controversial and the decision was reversed in 1974. Bryggen was under threat of being wholly or partly demolished after

10858-473: The poor and the wealthy. Their architecture is influenced by a variety of styles; historicism , classicism and Art Nouveau . The wealthy built villas between Møhlenpris and Nygård, and on the side of Mount Fløyen; these areas were also added to Bergen in 1876. Simultaneously, an urbanization process was taking place in Solheimsviken in Årstad, at that time outside the Bergen municipality, centred on

10980-528: The population were under 17   years of age, while 4.5% were 80 and above. The immigrant population (those with two foreign-born parents) in Bergen, includes 42,169 individuals with backgrounds from more than 200 countries representing 15.5% of the city's population (2014). Of these, 50.2% have background from Europe, 28.9% from Asia, 13.1% from Africa, 5.5% from Latin America, 1.9% from North America, and 0.4% from Oceania. The immigrant population in Bergen in

11102-414: The rest are category C (such as Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 ). Gates 28 to 32 can be configured to serve domestic flights as well as international flights. The helicopter terminal is located in the old terminal from the airport's opening and covers an area of 8,030 square meters (86,400 sq ft). There are nine helicopter stands, of which six are outside the terminal building. The control tower

11224-508: The routes to Florø , Sogndal and Ørsta–Volda on public service obligation contract with the Ministry of Transport and Communications . The airline's remaining routes are commercial. The airline uses various sizes of the Bombardier Dash 8 . Bergen Air Transport is based at Flesland, and offers general aviation and executive jet operations. Bristow Norway and CHC Helikopter Service operate to offshore oil platforms from

11346-436: The runway was discussed that year. SAS announced that they would take delivery of the intercontinental jetliner Douglas DC-8 , which would require a longer runway than was available at both Flesland and Fornebu. The cost of extending the runway to 3,000 meters (9,800 ft) would cost NOK 3.5 million in Bergen and NOK 30 million in Oslo. Helikopter Service established itself at Flesland in 1958, two years after

11468-494: The same time as planned city expansion took place inside Bergen, its extra-municipal suburbs also grew rapidly. Wealthy citizens of Bergen had been living in Fana since the 19th century, but as the city expanded it became more convenient to settle in the municipality. Similar processes took place in Åsane and Laksevåg. Most of the homes in these areas are detached row houses , single family homes or small apartment buildings. After

11590-546: The same time the Royal Norwegian Air Force stated looking at Flesland as a suitable air station. Military engineers surveyed the area and concluded that it was well-suited for military purposes. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) granted funding for seven air stations in Norway in 1952, but these did not include Flesland. Financing was instead secured through a national military communications project, of which 16 million Norwegian krone (NOK)

11712-520: The sea relatively warm, considering the latitude, and the mountains protect the city from cold winds from the north, north-east and east. The city of Bergen was traditionally thought to have been founded by king Olav Kyrre , son of Harald Hardråde in 1070   AD, four years after the Viking Age in England ended with the Battle of Stamford Bridge . Modern research has, however, discovered that

11834-723: The start of 2022 , the municipality had a population of 286,930, making the population density 599 people per km . Urban areas outside the city limits, as defined by Statistics Norway , consist of Indre Arna (6,536 residents on 1 January 2012), Fanahammeren (3,690), Ytre Arna (2,626), Hylkje (2,277) and Espeland (2,182). As of 2007, people of Norwegian origin (those who have two parents born in Norway) make up 84.5% of Bergen's residents. In addition, 8.1% were first or second generation immigrants of Western background and 7.4% were first or second generation immigrants of non-Western background. The population grew by 4,549 people in 2009,

11956-463: The summer. In addition, offshore oil platforms are served from the helicopter terminal. Twenty-three airlines operate regular flights out of Flesland. They are served by two ground handling agents, SAS Ground Services and Norport Handling. The largest airlines at Flesland are Scandinavian Airlines , Norwegian Air Shuttle and Widerøe . SAS and Norwegian exclusively operate jetliners on main-haul international and domestic routes. Widerøe operates

12078-553: The surrounding municipalities were merged with Bergen in 1972, expansion has continued in largely the same manner, although the municipality encourages condensing near commercial centres, future Bergen Light Rail stations, and elsewhere. As part of the modernisation wave of the 1950s and 1960s, and due to damage caused by World War II, the city government ambitiously planned redevelopment of many areas in central Bergen. The plans involved demolition of several neighbourhoods of wooden houses, namely Nordnes , Marken, and Stølen. None of

12200-629: The total population in the municipality of non-Western background was 3.6%. In January 2006, people with a non-Western immigrant background accounted for 6 percent of the population in Bergen. The share of Western immigrants has remained stable at around 2% in the period. The number of Poles in Bergen rose from 697 in 2006 to 3,128 in 2010. As of 2022, immigrants of non-Western origin and their children enumerated 30,540, and made up an estimated 11% of Bergen's population. Immigrants of Western origin and their children enumerated 22,954, and made up an estimated 9% of Bergen's population. The Church of Norway

12322-405: The town, where Middle Low German was used, enjoying exclusive rights to trade with the northern fishermen who each summer sailed to Bergen. The Hansa community resented Scottish merchants who settled in Bergen, and on 9 November 1523 several Scottish households were targeted by German residents. Today, Bergen's old quayside, Bryggen , is on UNESCO 's list of World Heritage Sites . In 1349,

12444-454: The traffic flatted out and the old main terminal was converted to a helicopter terminal. Braathens Helikopter established a base with two helicopters at Flesland in 1990. Within two years it had secured a thirty-percent market share of the offshore traffic. However, the airline was taken over by Helikopter Service in 1993. With the ending of the Cold War following the dissolution of

12566-786: The university was not founded until 1946. The university has a broad range of courses and research in academic fields and three national centres of excellence, in climate research , petroleum research and medieval studies . The main campus is located in the city centre. The university co-operates with Haukeland University Hospital within medical research. The Chr. Michelsen Institute is an independent research foundation established in 1930 focusing on human rights and development issues. The Western Norway University of Applied Sciences , which has its main campus in Kronstad , has 16,000 students and 1800 staff. It focuses on professional education, such as teaching, healthcare and engineering. The college

12688-562: The upper 20s, although temperatures over 30   °C were previously only seen a few days each decade. The growing season in Bergen is exceptionally long for its latitude, more than 200 days. Its mild winters and proximity to the Gulf Stream provide the city with a plant hardiness zone of 8b and 9a depending on location; this zone is much more common below 50°N even in Europe, with cities as far south as Bordeaux , Thessaloniki and Istanbul falling into this category. The average date for

12810-488: The urban area is on or close to a fjord or bay, although the urban area has several mountains. The city centre is surrounded by the Seven Mountains , although there is disagreement as to which of the nine mountains constitute these. Ulriken , Fløyen , Løvstakken and Damsgårdsfjellet are always included as well as three of Lyderhorn , Sandviksfjellet , Blåmanen , Rundemanen and Kolbeinsvarden . Gullfjellet

12932-403: The urban area. Local borough administrations have varied since Bergen's expansion in 1972. From 1974, each borough had a politically chosen administration. From 1989, Bergen was divided into 12 health and social districts, each locally administered. From 2000 to 2004, the former organizational form with eight politically chosen local administrations was again in use and from 2008 through to 2010,

13054-402: The west of the municipality, facing the fjord of Byfjorden . It is among a group of mountains known as the Seven Mountains , although the number is a matter of definition. From here, the urban area of Bergen extends to the north, west and south, and to its east is a large mountain massif. Outside the city centre and the surrounding neighbourhoods (i.e. Årstad , inner Laksevåg and Sandviken ),

13176-456: Was Herdla , an island northernmost in Askøy , which was first recommended in 1933. The main disadvantage with Flesland was the topography and that it would not be possible to build longer runways than 800 and 850 meters (2,620 and 2,790 ft), respectively. A municipal committee recommended therefore in 1938 that Herdla be chosen, to be jointly financed by the state and the municipality After

13298-647: Was a borough (with the same name as a present-day neighbourhood ). The borough was numbered 01 , and its perimeter was from Store Lungegårdsvann and Strømmen along Puddefjorden around Nordnes and over to Skuteviken, up Mt. Fløyen east of Langelivannet, on to Skansemyren and over Forskjønnelsen to Store Lungegårdsvann, south of the railroad tracks. The population of the (now defunct) borough, numbered in 1994 more than 18,000 people. There are 64 elementary schools, 18 lower secondary schools and 20 upper secondary schools in Bergen, as well as 11 combined elementary and lower secondary schools. Bergen Cathedral School

13420-461: Was a campaign to reintroduce the Norse form Bjørgvin as the name of the city. This was turned down – but as a compromise, the name of the diocese was changed to Bjørgvin bispedømme . Bergen occupies most of the peninsula of Bergenshalvøyen in the district of Midthordland in mid-western Hordaland. The municipality covers an area of 465 square kilometres (180 square miles). Most of

13542-424: Was a charter carried out by Braathens SAFE for SK Brann , who flew to Oslo to play a football match. The military officially took the airport into use on 14 September 1954. The official civilian opening took place on 2 October 1955. By then, the airport had a temporary terminal and control tower, the airport road was not paved, aviation fuel tanks were not installed and there was no snow-removal equipment. From

13664-439: Was allowed to operate the Oslo to Bergen route from 1987. Automatic check-in machines were introduced the following year. The current terminal opened in 1988, was also designed by Halfdan Grieg and cost NOK 250 million. This was followed up with a new control tower which opened in 1991. It had a limited height because of restrictions caused by the military designation of the main parallel taxiway as an emergency runway. By

13786-499: Was built between 1999 and 2001 at Sotra . The domestic terminal was expanded with 500 square meters (5,400 sq ft) and a new baggage sorting area with 800 square meters (8,600 sq ft) in 2001. SAS bought Braathens in 2001, and from the following year, only SAS flew the Oslo route. Within months, Norwegian started a low-cost route to Gardermoen. SAS Commuter took over Norwegian's regional routes in 2003. The Norwegian Meteorological Institute closed its office at

13908-400: Was created through amalgamation in 1994; campuses are spread around town but will be co-located at Kronstad . The Norwegian School of Economics is located in outer Sandviken and is the leading business school in Norway, having produced three Economy Nobel Prize laureates. The school has more than 3,000 students and approximately 400 staff. Other tertiary education institutions include

14030-471: Was designated as a deployment site for nuclear warheads by NATO, which had prior to 1962 been designated to Sola Air Station . Components for nuclear bombs were most probably stored at Flesland, although the warheads themselves were probably not stored there. With the delivery of DC-8-aircraft, SAS started a direct service to New York. The runway at Fornebu was too short to handle the DC-8, so Flesland became

14152-452: Was dried cod from the northern Norwegian coast, which started c.  1100 . The city was granted a monopoly for trade from the north of Norway by King Håkon Håkonsson (1217–1263). Stockfish was the main reason that the city became one of North Europe's largest centres for trade. By the late 14th century, Bergen had established itself as the centre of the trade in Norway. The Hanseatic merchants lived in their own separate quarter of

14274-468: Was in 1702, when 90% of the city was burned to ashes. In 1751, there was a great fire at Vågsbunnen . In 1756, yet another fire at Strandsiden burned down 1,500 buildings, and further great fires hit Strandsiden in 1771 and 1901. In 1916, 300 buildings burned down in the city centre including the Swan pharmacy , the oldest pharmacy in Norway, and in 1955 parts of Bryggen burned down. Bergen

14396-404: Was introduced in 1974, and gradually the service was reduced, in part because of the increased range of newer aircraft. Haugesund Airport, Karmøy , opened in 1975, and SAS opened a service between the two cities. Because of the increase of traffic was making the terminal building more cramped, a new administration building opened in the early 1970s, with a fire station in the ground floor. At

14518-425: Was its own county . In 1972 the municipality absorbed four surrounding municipalities and became a part of Hordaland county. The city is an international centre for aquaculture, shipping, the offshore petroleum industry and subsea technology, and a national centre for higher education, media, tourism and finance. Bergen Port is Norway's busiest in terms of both freight and passengers, with over 300 cruise ship calls

14640-444: Was merged with Bergen on 1 January 1877. The rural municipality of Årstad was merged with Bergen on 1 July 1915. During World War II, Bergen was occupied on the first day of the German invasion on 9 April 1940, after a brief fight between German ships and the Norwegian coastal artillery . The Norwegian resistance movement groups in Bergen were Saborg , Milorg , " Theta-gruppen " , Sivorg , Stein-organisasjonen and

14762-508: Was set aside over a period of three years, which would secure construction of a 1,460-meter (4,790 ft) runway. A further NOK 4 million was presumed financed by the municipalities of Bergen and Fana to build a terminal, eminent domain and a road. The plans were passed by Parliament on 25 April 1952. The military funding was arranged by Langhelle, who by then had been appointed Minister of Defence . Flesland received additional NATO grants in 1953, which would finance NOK 50 million and

14884-424: Was supplemented with SAS deciding to terminate the services to Oslo and instead provide a feeder service to Stavanger. Alternatives were launched by two competing airlines: Braathens SAFE proposed a minor upgrade to Herdla which would allow them to operate with their de Havilland Heron aircraft. Widerøe on their side proposed using their Consolidated PBY Catalina flying boats, but these proved to expensive. At

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