Håkonshall and the Fortress - a Medieval Treasure

The promise of winter is in the air somedays but mostly it just rains. This is the view as we cross the street to begin our morning walk. That is Ulriken mountain, one of several that surround the city.

 Last Tuesday we took Bybanen (The city train) to the city center.

It was a beautiful fall day - warm in the sunshine but cool in the shade. A perfect day for just a windbreaker and your sunglasses.

We walked around the wharf area to the point that most ships pass on their way into Bergen. This is a fortress from the 1200's.

As you enter you pass Rosenkrantz Tower - built  by Magnus Lagabøte the son of Håkon Håkonsen. The tower wasn't open so we waited for the hall to open at noon.

The father and son ruled as a team. The son from his tower and the father from his hall.



This is Håkonshall, built around 1247- 1260. It is the largest secular medieval building still standing in Norway. It has been re-built a few times - most recently in 1944 when a Dutch ship, carrying gunpowser under the Nazi flag, mysteriously blew up with a terrific explosion.

The wooden lean-to on the front covers the staircases that allow you easy access to all three floors.

The building is all local stone and has the cool gothic downspouts and windows that look like arrowloops.

The complex has ruins of other buildings used for stores and residences through the centuries.

No bar-b-que zone!

The window and door casements are carved soapstone.



The outer walls are thick.

This is the great hall - impressive heh? You can rent the place for occassions. How about a destination wedding in Bergen. The wedding party could all wear rubber boots!

This is the Royal High Table.



 We liked the cool little passageways that lead from floor to floor.

and the windows

and that wooden ceiling / roof support.



The old main entrance and the big new staircases that lead from floor to floor.

So, how on earth, you are wondering, do they hold up that heavy plank floor in the Great Hall? These columns made of all of these stones stacked and mortered together support the floor. By the way, after the wedding just come downstairs for the meal - plenty of seating.

More thick walls on the lower floors. This window looks out on the harbor.

Getting to bedrock for your foundation in Bergen is no problem. The problem is getting the bedrock out of the way.

We had a delightful time in the fortress before making our way back by Bryggen. You can see that tourist season is over.

Here is the problem with cobblestone streets - maintenance and re-laying all the cobbles.

City Park looked lovely and was filled with people taking in the fall sunshine.

A word - no matter how important or distinguished you were/are - a seagull on your head makes you look pretty silly.

Wait, who is this on the town square with their sidewalk chalk? The LDS Elders and Sisters of Bergen are drawing a huge "plan of salvation" chart complete with Norwegian and English labels.

Our good young Elder Spenser is a fine artist and the others are good at filling in the arrows.

Before the chalk is all on the pavement they have a crowd of people with questions about the chart. We talked with them and hung around before going back to Rådal and our evening duties.