PICTURE

Pro-active management of the Impact of Cultural Tourism upon Urban Resources and Economies

Deliverable n° D34 Deliverable title Interaction between Cultural Tourism and the World

Heritage site of Bryggen in Bergen, Norway

Task n° Task Leader OWHC, City of Bergen

Task partners Authors Siri Elvestad, Tone Merete Takvam, Siri Sandtorv

Heimark Date November 2006

The PICTURE project is financed by the European Commission, Sixth Framework Programme of Research Specific Programme: Integrating and strengthening the European Research Area Activity: Specific activity covering policy-orientated research under “Policy support and anticipating scientific and technological needs” ¬ Priority 3. Underpinning the economic potential and cohesion of a larger and more integrated European Union ¬ Topic 3.6. The protection of cultural heritage and associated conservation strategies ¬ Task 5: Cultural heritage and tourism. Contract n° SSP1-CT-2003-502491

Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction:

1.1 The aim of the study

1.2 Tourism in Bergen

1.3 Tourist attractions in Bergen

1.4 Tourist strategies

1.5 Transport possibilities

1.6 The World Heritage site of Bryggen

2.0 Bergen and Bryggen

2.1 The early history of Bergen

2.2 Bryggen

2.3 The present situation at Bryggen

3.0 Interviewing tourists

3.1 Location

3.2 Period and time

3.3 Is our sample representative for the population?

4.0 Analysis

4.1 Description of the interviewed population-main impressions

4.2 What do tourists think about Bryggen

5.0 The impact of tourists on the Bryggen site

5.1 Visiting pattern

5.2 Hazard and impact

5.3 The buffer zone

6.0 Conclusion

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Table of Figures Chapter 1 1.1 The Geirangerfjord. Listed on UNESCO World heritage List in 2005 1.2 The Nærøyfjord, listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005 1.3 The Bergen harbour with 8 visiting cruise ships 1.4 Cultural heritage in the centre of Bergen 1.5 The aquarium 1.6 The funicular to Fløyen 1.7 Trollhaugen; the home of the composer Edvard Grieg 1.8 The Bryggen site Chapter 2 2.1 Cultural heritage in the centre of Bergen 2.2 Hieronimus Scholeus, approximately 1580 2.3 The wharf at Bryggen, approximately 1865 2.4 Bergen city map 1864 2.5 The part of town influenced by the fire of 1702 2.6 The Bryggen site after the explotion in 1944 2.7 St Mary’s dchurch, 12th century 2.8 The Bryggen site in heavy rain 2.9 The present use of Bryggen Chapter 3 3.1 Bryggestredet where many of the interviews where done 3.2 The UNESCO plaque 3.3 The UNESCO plaque on the wall 3.4 Number of visitors on the days when the interviewing was conducted Chapter 4 4.1 Number of hotel nights per year 4.2 Our interviewed sample and the numbers from the Bergen tourist board 4.3 The restoration project on Bryggen at bryggestredet 4.4 The narrow alleyways on Bryggen 4.5 Tourist groups in front of the Bryggen site 4.6 Tourists in the alleyways on Bryggen Chapter 5 5.1 The famous gables of the Bryggen World Heritage site

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1.0 Introduction 1.1 The aim of the study This aim of the study is to examine how the tourist traffic affects the World Heritage Site of

Bryggen, situated in the City of Bergen, Norway, and how the tourists look upon the site as a

cultural tourist destination. We wish to see if the fairly large number of tourists has an impact

on the built environment, and on the development of the site in general. We also enquire into

the tourist’s point of view, what they find positive or negative about the site. How is the site

presented to the tourists, and is the information about the site adequate and easily accessible?

Further we wish to know something about the tourists themselves, where they come from,

their age, education level and their main reason for visiting Bergen etc. The methods used will

be questionnaires to the tourists, and interviews of the private owners on the site. At the

Bryggen site there is a registration system, which counts all visitors. We will use this

registration to provide number of visitors the days we spent at the site. Further photo

documentation of number of visitors will be presented. The case study links closest to the

tasks 1.1, 1.2, 2.1 and 3.1. The aims and objectives of these tasks are central for the case

Bryggen.

1.2 Tourism in Bergen Tourism in Bergen is a mature tourism, and The Bryggen Site is one of the most visited

attractions in Norway. The medieval city of Bergen received its charter from king Olav Kyrre

around the year 1070. Since its foundation, Bergen has been a natural harbour for

international and regional trade. Bergen has developed many charming and vital sites of

cultural interest in the city, and the historic importance of the Bryggen wharf lives on, long

after the heyday of stockfish trade. Physically the site consists of long warehouses with

narrow wooden passages and open squares. During the tourists season the narrow passages

are full of tourists. By analysing the impact of tourism on the site, both positive and negative,

we believe that the results of this case study can function as a guide for other towns and cities

who wish to develop a sustainable tourist industry.

There are many different reasons for tourists visiting Bergen. The city is called “the Gateway

to the fjords” and is the communication centre for the western part of Norway. UNESCO has

now (2005) included the fjords of Norway, exemplified by two of them, on its renowned

World Heritage List. The Geirangerfjord and the Nærøyfjord (see Fig 1.1 and1.2) now enjoy

the same recognition as the Great Wall of China, the Great Pyramids of Egypt, Zambia’s

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Victoria Falls and the Grand Canyon in USA. UNESCO is hardly alone in viewing the

Norwegian fjords as exceptional. In 2004 National Geographic Travel Magazine name these

fjords “the best unspoiled travel destination in the World”. The same year the respected

American newspaper Chicago Tribune included Norway’s fjords on its list “Seven Wonders

of Nature”.

Fig. 1.2 The Nærøyfjord, listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2005.

Fig. 1.1 The Geirangerfjord. Listed on UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005.

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The Bergen harbour is also Scandinavia’s most visited cruise harbour with many large cruise

ships every day during the season, which lasts from April through September.

The port of Bergen welcomes more than 150,000 cruise ship passengers every summer.

Bergen has one of the highest cruise passenger rates in northern Europe. The main cruise port

in Bergen is “Skoltegrunnskaien”, located near Bryggen. (See 1.3).

Statistics from the Bergen Tourist Board 2004 show that 225 Cruise ships visited Bergen

harbor that year. The total number of passengers was 157.263. In 2005 there were an increase

in the number of ship arrivals; 246 cruise ships visited Bergen in 2005,

Seven cruise ships at the harbor of Bergen, June 2005. Copyright BT.

Fig. 1.3 The Bergen harbour with 8 visiting cruise ships

and the number of passengers increased to 190 000. Just to give an example of the extent of

the tourist traffic, it can be mentioned that the economic turnover is estimated to €600 mill a

year. There are approximately 1,3 million hotel nights a year and 6000 people are employed

in activities related to tourism. It is the home market that increases most, followed by the

English and the Germans. Visitors from USA and Japan have been stabile, while the visitors

from China and Russia have increased in numbers. After some years with a stable market,

Norway has this year participated in the international growth in the tourist trade, overnight

stop, transport and service.

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Fig. 1.4 Cultural heritage in the centre of Bergen

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1.3 Tourist attractions in Bergen

Bergen is historically mainly a wooden town, and even

today a sizable part of the city consists of wooden

buildings. Despite devastating fires Bergen has preserved

many buildings and areas of historical value, (se1.4)

including the Bergenhus fortification with the castle

Håkonshallen, (built 1261), Rosenkrantz tower, the wharf

quarter of Bryggen and the medieval churches. The urban

street pattern, which dates back to medieval times, is

preserved. This makes Bergen an attractive city to visit;

especially for tourists interested in history, architecture

and cultural tourism. The city of Bergen contributes to an

increase in tourism by operating and supporting many

attractions. The most visited attractions are Fløibanen (the

Funicular), Bergen Aquarium, Troldhaugen (Edward

Grieg museum) and the Hanseatic Museum. We must also

list the Fish Market and Bryggen in Bergen. Being on the

UNESCO World Heritage List, Bryggen is an attraction in

itself and a reason for many visitors to come to Bergen.

Bergen is a vital centre for art and culture, also a city of

festivals. The Bergen International Festival takes place in

May every year and gathers many of the most talented,

and renown artists from around the world.

Fig.1.5The aquarium

Fig1.6 The funicular to Fløyen

Fløien

Fig.1.7 Troldhaugen; the home of the composer Edvard Grieg

1.4 Tourist strategies Responsible for the implementation of the tourism strategy of the city is the Bergen Tourist

Board, which is a common body for promoting the City of Bergen in Norway and abroad.

The tourist Board has 366 members. The members are in addition to the City of Bergen, a

number of privet and public partners. There are 65 partners that are involved with

accommodation, all from 5 star hotels to B&B, 83 restaurants and cafés,18 companies

working with transport, 13 travelling agents, 143 shops and companies that deliver goods to

the tourist industry, 6 art galleries and 28 museums.

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Representatives to the Tourist Board are involved in defining the cultural tourism policy

objectives for the town. The activities cover: public-related information and profiling, media

service, targeted marketing towards conference organizers, trade-related marketing towards

the holiday and leisure market, product co-ordination and development, management of

Tourist Information Offices, promotion of guide services through Bergen Guide Service,

Study Norway – Technical Visits. The Bergen Tourist Board is responsible for the progress of

the tourist development plan. Strategic tourist plan for Bergen 2003-2007 was approved in

2003. It also includes Cultural Tourism.

1.5 Transport possibilities The Bergen Airport at Flesland has direct flights daily to many destinations in Norway and

Western Europe. Every year around 4 million air travellers pass through the Bergen Airport.

Bergen is also the terminal stop on the Bergen-Oslo railway across the Norwegian mountains,

and the city is well connected to the fjords of western Norway via boats as well as buses. The

famous Coastal Steamer begins in Bergen and takes you all the way up to Norwegian coast to

Kirkenes.

1.6 The World Heritage Site of Bryggen

The focus of the case study is the old harbour district Bryggen and the buffer zone

surrounding this heritage site. The site of Bryggen was inscribed on the UNESCO’s World

Heritage List in 1979, as one of the earliest appointments. Since that time, the Bryggen site

has been established as one of the most popular tourist sites in Bergen. The long rows of

front-buildings are now being used as a symbol / logo of the town. The site consists of

buildings arranged in tenements- long rows of wooden houses and storerooms on one or both

sides of a common passage, with stone cellars from the 15th and 16th centuries in the rear

parts. More recently a firebreak (an open space) was introduced here. Bryggen warehouse

and housing area has been the centre of trade since the 11th century, and appears today like it

did when it was rebuilt after the big fire in 1702. The protected area corresponds with ¼ of the

original Bryggen. As the trade gradually declined from 1910 onwards, the wooden houses fell

more and more apart and became a place for rats and other unpopular inhabitants. In the

1950’s people marched and demonstrated to have all the houses torn down. A trust was at the

same time established to try and save them. Today the trust owns 50% of the houses, the other

50% are privately owned, and the houses are used for shops, restaurants, offices, workshops

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and art galleries. Today Bryggen is a living illustration of the city’s history, with 61 protected

buildings, covering about 13000m2.

Fig.1.8 The Bryggen site.

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2 Bergen and Bryggen

2.1 The early history of Bergen Bergen is located on the west

coast of Norway and is known as

”the town amid the seven

mountains”1It lies on a peninsula

at the end of a deep bay, Vågen.

This natural bay with its

environment was the reason for

the early settlement and for the

development of the city. From

Bergen’s early days, the harbour

has been the heart of the town,

and the critical factor in the

location of the town’s functions

and in urban planning throughout

the ages. The topography has

strongly influenced the

development of the city. The

steep mountain slopes made

building difficult, and the need

for new building land lead to a

filling up of the shallow bays in

what is now the central part of the city. Fig. 2.1 The pink spots are listed monuments and the pink area

is the urban archaeological deposit protected under The Cultural Heritage Act.

1 A. Herteig 1993:1

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During the first half of the Middle Ages, Bergen was the political capital of Norway, and right up

to our days it was the natural nexus of the costal trade with western and Arctic Norway and

international maritime commerce. In this period the town grew up to be the largest city in

Norway, which it was until the mid 1900th century. Today the city has approximately 250000

inhabitants, and an area of 465 km2. Bergen is Norway’s second largest city and the largest in the

county of Hordaland. It is also the capital of Western Norway, which is the leading region for all

significant Norwegian export industries.

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1

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Fig.2.2 Hieronymus Scholeus, approximately 1580.

Bergen was founded by King Olav Kyrre (1067 – 1093) around A.D. 1070. Archaeological

excavations however, provide evidence of activity in the (see Fig. 2.2) 1.Vågen area prior to Olav

Kyrre’s time. Beneath 2. Vetrlidsalmenning are found not only large pits and traces of fields, but

also the remains of a 10th century quay. Botanical studies at 3.Koengen have shown early

agriculture activity and settlement in the surrounding area. As the harbour basin was gradually

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filled in, the settlement expanded into a continuous urban settlement along the east side of 1.

Vågen. Later in the Middle Ages the opposite side, 4. Strandsiden, was also developed as a

wharf. Due to practical and topographic reasons the built-up area here took the form of

alternating warehouses and docks as opposed to the continuous quayside of Bryggen.2 In the

middle of the 17th century, Bergen had become Scandinavia’s largest and most important

international port.3 Bergen provided the link between the western and northern Norwegian trade,

and that of the North Sea basin and Germany, mainly based on the exchange of fish products for

necessities such as grain. The merchants established themselves along the eastern shore of the

harbour Vågen, and perfected a functional waterfront settlement as a popular harbour quarter.

Little by little this quarter fell into German hands, as the Hansa League of merchants established

its own foreign trading station, “Kontor” (= Office), in Bergen during the late 14th century.

2.2 Bryggen The Bryggen

district is today

mainly renowned as

the Hansa league

traders headquarter

in Bergen. This

German office was

one of four

headquarters with

status of “Office”;

Fig.2.3The wharf at Bryggen, approximately 1865. K.Knudsen

2 City of Bergen 1993:5

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the others were Brügge, London and Novgorod. The German office in Bergen was active

between 1360 and 1754, 2-300 years longer than those of the other three.4 The German Office

became deeply and strongly involved in commercial life in Bergen.

And with support of the Hanseatic League the German office gained a lot of power. The members

were under obligation to obey the special laws initiated by the Office.5 The German Office was

established to handle the trade in stockfish from Northern Norway and grain from the Baltic

regions. It was a community for men only, more than 1000 men in all who were to have no

association with the rest of the citizens. The district was commonly called Tyskebryggen (the

German wharf) and after the Second World War shortened to Bryggen.6

The traditional wooden architectural style at Bryggen is maintained unchanged through the

centuries, from the earliest settlement to its present appearance, which dates back to the

catastrophic fire in 1702.

The long rows of

buildings were organized

in tenements. A double

tenement consisted of two

house rows with a

common passage between

the rows. The tenements

were divided into

waterfront houses facing

the harbour, and land

houses further back.7

Fig.2.4 Bergen City, 1864 8( P. Handberg. Bergen kart.199)1

4 Myrvoll 1998:8 5 Herteig 1993:2 6 Myrvoll 1998:8-9 7 Based on Myrvoll 1998

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The wooden settlement on Bryggen was a constant fire risk, and its buildings must have been

totally or partially destroyed in the recorded fires of 1170,1198,1248,1332,1339,1413,1476 and

1702. These fires also destroyed large areas within the town itself. The fire of the 19th of May

1702 was the biggest and most devastating fire in the history of the city. The fire lasted for 12 –

13 hours, and 7/8 of the city burned down. This fire, though, made it possible to create a more

open and fireproof city. The city planners decided to extend the common passages, and all the

facades towards the main roads and these common passages were supposed to be built of bricks.

Fig.2,5 The part of the town influenced by the fire of 1702.“Byen brenner”, 2002.

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Despite the many large-scale town fires, the wooden tenements were rebuilt in the old style with

the long rows of gables toward the harbour, and with wooden passages between the house rows..

The harbour quarter with its row of gables also included the small square harbour sheds and the

swaying hoisting spars on the quay itself. These spars were the cranes of the period, used for

loading and unloading the large amount of goods brought to Bergen by the many Norwegian and

foreign ships. To reduce the danger of conflagration the street in the southern end of the harbour

quarter, towards Vågsbunnen, was extended by pulling down buildings in rather good condition.

This was decided in 1898. The remaining wooden tenements were listed as protected by decree in

1927.8

Fig.2.6The Bryggen site after the explosion in 1944. S.Thowsen,

1999

8 Myrvoll 1998:10

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During the Second World War, in 1944, a big explosion caused considerable damage to Bryggen.

As the picture above shows, all the roofs were destroyed, but were rebuilt and repaired. In 1955 a

new fire strikes Bryggen, and the northernmost tenements where lost. In 1958 another 6

buildings, which belonged to the southern tenement, suffered the same fate. Intense activities and

a fight for preservation of the remaining buildings took place to save Bryggen from demolition.

On initiative from Asbjørn Herteig9 a support group was established and a foundation set up,

consisting of representatives both from the heritage management and from the commercial

establishment in Bergen. The aim of Foundation Bryggen is to protect the buildings at Bryggen in

accordance with Cultural Heritage Act guidelines. Foundation Bryggen is the largest private

owner responsible for 35 buildings on Bryggen today. The remaining buildings are privately

owned.10

The main features of the medieval street plan have also been preserved. The site of Bryggen was,

as mentioned earlier in the survey, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979, based

on ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) following description:

“ In its present form, following the 1702 fire, Bryggen, a harmonious ancient

quarter, illustrates the use of space in a quarter of hanseatic merchants. It is a type

of northern “fondaco”unequalled by even Lubeck and Novgorod. Bryggen can be

included on the World Heritage List on the basis of criterion III”.1

To be included on the World Heritage List, sites must be of outstanding universal value and meet

at least one out of ten selection criteria. Criterion III on the World Heritage List is described as:

“To bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a

civilization which is living or which has disappeared.”1

Three building types may be studied at Bryggen today: the timbered lofts, the store buildings and

the stone cellars. The preserved part of Bryggen is at present only ¼ of the original harbour

9 The archaeologist who was in charge of the excavation of Bryggen after the fire in 1955. He was also the founder of Bryggens Museum. 10 Myrvoll 1998.12

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quarter, 61 buildings and 6 tenements. They all suffice to give the visitors an impression of this

medieval harbour quarter’s particular quality.

2.3 The present situation at Bryggen

Fig.2. 7 St. Mary’s church, 12th century

Bryggen is one of Norway’s most significant heritage sites and

a bearer of ancient, unbroken traditions in the art of wooden

structures. Together with St.Mary’s church (Mariakirken) and

The Bergenhus castle, Bryggen creates a historical triad. The

Bryggen site is a fairly small site and 70-80% is buildings. The

accessible area for tourists is around 3.2 acre.

Today there are alarming problems connected with the

Bryggen site, due to the fact that Bryggen is sinking. The

conditions for the layers of culture and the foundation at

Bryggen are not satisfying. The area is

sinking, as the houses are built on

fillings. This is a relatively new issue,

which demands great economic and

professional resources to be solved.

Bergen is particularly susceptible to

rain and dramatic climate. Both heavy

rainfalls and spring tides can create

flood at the Bryggen site.

This represents occasional problems for the

buildings situated in the front. This adds to

the already existing tasks; protection of and

e passing on of the cultural heritage and history of the Bryggen site.

Fig.2.8 The Bryggen site in heavy rain, visualized by the local artist Audun Hetland, who had his studio at Bryggen.

th

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Being inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List demand certain obligations and it does not

mean that the site will be on the list permanently. Every fourth year the site is monitored by

UNESCO appointed personnel. This is to ensure that the site is being preserved and used in a

way that is in accordance with the criteria for inscription. The Bryggen project has been

established to ensure this. The partners in the project are Foundation Bryggen, which owns half

of the buildings, the owners of the other houses, The City of Bergen with the Heritage

Management Office, and The Regional Heritage Management Office, and the National

Directorate of Heritage Management. The project is mainly financed by the state.

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Fig.2.9 The Present use of Bryggen

1. Bryggen Husflid (handicrafts) - Store 1. Husfliden(handicrafts) -Store 2. Schøtt - Tourist store 3. Norsk Håndstrikk (Norwegian handknit) - Tourist store 4. Bergen steinsenter (Stonecenter) - Store 5. “Smitt & Smule” - Snackbar 6. Bryggen Tobakk (Tobacco) -Tobacconist 7. Bryggen Frisør - Hairdresser 8. Bryggen Gull og Sølv - Jewellery 9. Eikens Antikvariat - Antiquarian 10. Bredsgården Galleri & Atelier - Store and workshop 11. “Attende” - Second hand store 12. Pusterommet (breathing space) - Massage institute 13. Mangshou forlag - Publishing House 14. Sjøboden (the Warehouse) - Pub 15. Enhjørningen (the Unicorn) - Fish restaurant 16. Bosman - Pub 17. Bryggen Tracteursted - Restaurant 18. Galleri Bryggen -Gallery/ Store 19. Bryggen Handel (shopping) - Tourist store 20. Kvams ”Flisespikkeri” - Store 21. Heroldica Design -Store/ Workshop 22. Margrete Stinessen - Store/ Pottery workshop 23. “Blonder & Stas” - Store 24. Per Vigeland - Silversmith workshop 25. Marianne Lien - Studio 26. Hetlands atelier - Gallery/paintings etc. 27. Klær (clothes) - Store 28. Bryggen Ull (wool) - Store 29. Ingvild Nordahl - Store/ leather workshop 30. Marie Braathen - Pottery workshop 31. Fransk språkskole (french languageschool) - School 32. “Blæst” Norwegian Design - Store 33. “Zumm” Design - Store 34. Galleri Passagen - Store/ Gallery 35. ”Julehuset” (the Christmas House) - Store

Due to the inscription on The UNESCO World Heritage List, Bryggen has been saved from

demolition. Today Bryggen is one of the most visited cultural tourist sites in Norway. Bryggen

has been, and is, restored by the principal of preservation through new use. The restored

buildings are let as studios and offices to artists, architects and other interested parties. Also a

large number of tourist shops and pubs/restaurants have been established. There is nothing left of

the original use of the site. There is therefore a danger that the new use can reduce the value of

Bryggen as a World Heritage site. In what extent is it possible to commercialise the Bryggen site,

and at the same time maintain the historical values and not reduce the authenticity of the site?

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This is a very important and serious question that all the involved parts have in mind. But there

might also arise a conflict of use, regarding to these questions. And the conflict of use will most

likely be expressed among the owners and others with economic interests, and the Bryggen

Foundation and The City of Bergen with the Heritage Management Office, The Regional

Heritage Management Office, and the National Directorate of Heritage Management. This

question will be further discussed in chapter 5.0.

When we interviewed the private owners at Bryggen site, their representative expressed a wish of

a more diverse use at the Bryggen site, which can include the whole year. He believed that the

Bryggen site has a great, but unexploited potential. One of his suggestions was the Bryggen site

as a place for cultural arrangements through the year. The main target, as the private owners see

it, must be variety and market niches what the use concerns. In that manner it is possible for the

Bryggen site to offer something, both to the tourists and to inhabitants of Bergen throughout the

year. To make this possible there are certain aspects, which should be present:

- Better information

- Better use of the status given to the site as a UNESCO World Heritage Site

- A better connection between the physical structures combined with the content of the

historical site.

- A more obvious use of the history, which lies implicit in the site.

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3.0 Interviewing Tourists

3.1 Location

The aim of the study

is to examine whether

the tourist traffic at

the Bryggen site has

any impact on the

built environment and

the preservation of

Bryggen. The

interviewing therefore

took place at the

Bryggen site itself Fig.3.1 Bryggestredet where many of the interviews were done. and within its buffer

zone. The main part of the interviews took place in the Bryggestredet, the open area at the back

of the site. This area was chosen for several reasons. Firstly, the tourists had passed through part

of the site before they came to Bryggestredet, and could therefore answer specific

Fig3.2 and 3.3 The UNESCO plaque placed in Bryggestredet

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questions about the site. Secondly it was possible to sit down in the area when we were

interviewing, thus making it more comfortable for the visitors. Thirdly, many of the interesting

elements were in this area like the UNESCO plaque and the Wishing well, and the information

center is located close by. Also maintainers work was done in here, and old methods of building

with wood was demonstrated.

3.2 Period and Time

The interviews took place between the 21st of June and the 31st of August. In all 195 people were

interviewed. The interviews were generally done between 09.00-11.30 and 13.00-16.00 Monday

to Friday. There are three main entrances at Bryggen: Bredsgården towards Vågen, Bredsgården

from Øvregaten, and Jakobsfjorden. They all lead you through Bryggestredet. These entrances

are also equipped with a system that monitors the number of visitors at Bryggen at any given

time. As the date and time for each interview was recorded we know the number of visitors

present at the site during each interview. It is therefore possible to see if the number of visitors

has any influence on how the visitors experience the Bryggen site. The numbers rate from 4038

to 8633 a day.

Date Visitors: Date: Visitors: Date: Visitors: 21.06.2005 4680 20.07.2005 8301 02.08.2005 7540 22.06.2005 6844 21.07.2005 8633 03.08.2005 7622 25.06.2005 6193 22.07.2005 7143 16.08.2005 6288 29.06.2005 8346 24.07.2005 5274 18.08.2005 6732 30.06.2005 5743 25.07.2005 8441 23.08.2005 4038 04.07.2005 5740 26.07.2005 4634 24.08.2005 4484 05.07.2005 5497 27.07.2005 6447 25.08.2005 6296 07.07.2005 7469 28.07.2005 7074 29.08.2005 18.07.2005 6771 29.07.2005 6599 30.08.2005 19.07.2005 6304 01.08.2005 6054 31.08.2005

Fig.34 Number of visitors on the days when the interviewing was conducted.

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3.3 Is our sample representative for the population In order to get a reliable result, the sample from a population should be representative for the

whole population when it comes to the main parameters that characterize the population. In our

case, this would mean that the people interviewed should mirror the total number of tourists

visiting the site. However, our sample is not a random sample so we have no guarantee that the

sample is representative. Several aspects of the interview situation made a random sample

impossible.

First of all we have the language barrier. The interviewers spoke English, German and

Norwegian. Language was therefore sometimes an obstacle when interviewing tourists who did

not speak any of these languages well. This was mainly tourists from Italy, Spain or people from

Eastern Europe, former Soviet Union and Asia. Therefore the sample is not representative when

it comes to nationality. We have an overrepresentation of tourists from English and German

speaking countries.

The Bryggen site has a large number of guided tours. Some of the tours are organized by

Bryggen Museum. From June 1st to the end of August, regular tours are offered at 10.00 and

11.00 a: m. and 01.00 p: m. In addition to this, Bergen Guide service offer guided tours to groups.

A large number of tourists on guided tours are cruise tourists, and they dominate the picture of

visitors at Bryggen during the season. It is practically impossible to interview tourists on guided

tours. Therefore cruise tourists are underrepresented in our sample.

Our sample shows that in general there is an overrepresentation of tourists who travel on their

own or on semi-package tours. Later in the survey this will be further discussed.

Even though our sample is not representative for the tourist population we assume that the results

give us valuable information about cultural tourism in Bergen

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4 Analysis

4.1 Description of the interviewed population – main impressions

The method used in the survey of cultural tourism in Bergen is qualitative questionnaires to

tourists and owners of the buildings on the site. The interviews were done face-to-face and

recorded. The questionnaire consists of two parts. Part 1 was prepared by Fondazione Eni Enrico

Mattei (FEEM) in Milan, and consisted of 20 questions, with special emphasize on travel

expenditures. This part of the questionnaire will be analyzed by (FEEM), but will also be used to

build up on the answers related to people’s knowledge about Bryggen. The Heritage Management

Office in Bergen prepares the other part focusing on Bryggen and the tourists opinion of the

Bryggen site.

The aim of this analysis is to study the interviewed population through age, gender, nationality,

education, way of travel and the motivation for travelling.

The age of the interviewed is between 18 and 82, categorised in four different groups:

Under 20 years old – 2.1 %

21 – 41 years old – 49.2 %

41 – 60 years old – 35.4 %

Over 60 years old – 9.7 %

55 % in our population are

male and 41% are female..

To make this analyse

possible we have compared

our sample of the tourist

population with statistics,

made by Bergen Tourist

Board, showing number of

24Fig. 4.1 Number of hotel nights per year

visitors to Bergen. The statistics are based on number of hotel nights in Bergen city and do not

include cruise tourists or day-visitors.

Our sample of the population will not mirror the total number of tourists visiting the site. ( Fig

4.2) According to Bergen Tourist Board, Great Britain, Germany and USA are the main foreign

markets during the summer season from May to September. The following nations are on the top

ten list of visitors to Bergen: Norway 64.8%, Great Britain 5.3%, Germany 4.9%, USA 4.7%,

Spain 2.2%, France 1.9%, Italy 1.4%, Netherlands 1.2% and Europe others 2.9%.

A large number of the Norwegian visitors come on business trips, either meetings or conferences.

The will normally not visit tourist sites. Also the Norwegians are almost the only visitors during

winter.

Diagram

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Others NO GB GE US NL SP IT FR

Country Code

Perc

en

tag

e

Bergen Tourist Board

Interview Sample

Fig. 4.2 Our interviewed sample and the numbers from the Bergen Tourist Board.

25

In our sample most of the interviewed tourists come from Germany 30.8%, next Great Britain

12.8%, Netherlands 10.8%, Italy 4.6%, Norway 3.6%, USA 3.1% and other European countries

13.3%. It is also interesting to see how they travel. According to Innovation Norway people from

USA are on cruise. Since 1980 the cruise industry in USA has had an annual increase by 8% a

year. In Spain most of the people are travelling on package tour booked by an agency. The same

goes for Germany. In Netherlands 42% chooses self-organized holiday trips. In our sample, most

of the interviewed population are travelling on self-organized holidays.

As previously mentioned Bergen has one of the highest cruise passenger rates in northern Europe.

As the cruise ships dock close to Bryggen, and the passengers if walking, has to pas Bryggen on

their way to the city centre, we expected to find that the majority of the tourists at Bryggen were

on package tour. Contrary to this our results shows that 66.2 % of the interviewed population

were on a self-organized holiday trips, 31. % were on package tour and 1 % travelled semi-

packaged. An explanation for this most probably is that people travelling on package tours also

represents the highest number of people on guided tours on the Bryggen site. Cruise tourists are

defined as travelling on a package tour, and the cruise ships arrange guided tours in most ports,

and certainly in Bergen. People travelling on their own were not in the same hurry like people

travelling in organized groups, and therefore more willing to be interviewed

On the question: “What is the main reason for your visit to Bergen” ? 92.8% answered that

they were on holiday. People on holiday are today, according to Bergen Tourist Board, the most

important segment in the travel market. 46% of all hotel nights in 2004 were related to people on

holiday.

On being asked about their motivation for visiting Bergen, 78.5 % answered that their

motivation was to visit sites of cultural interest. We assume that there are two main reasons for

tourists travelling to Bergen; one is the fact that Bergen is called “the gateway to the fjords”

because of the location at the west coast. Bergen is an excellent starting point for experiencing

the fantastic nature at the west coast, with the deep and long fjords and the steep mountains. A

great number of the interviewed population came to Bergen first and took a trip called “Norway

26

in a nutshell”. This is a trip were you go by train up to the mountain and down to the fjords and

take the boat back to Bergen. Secondly is the fact that Bryggen is listed on UNESCO World

Heritage List, and that people with a genuine interest in cultural heritage come to Bergen. On the

question: Is visiting Bergen the main purpose of your Travel answered 81% no. This shows that

Bergen as a gateway to the fjords is very important.

The main impression is that the majority of the interviewed population are travelling together as

couples. An explanation for this fact could be the interview situation; it is easier to make contact

with couples. According to education and employment-status, 46.7 % of the interviewed

population has college graduate and 71% are either employed or employee. We presume that

people with a high education level in a greater extent seek out tourist sites like Bryggen. Most of

the tourists visiting the Bryggen site have a fairly high income. Of the interviewed 28.7 %

answered that they had an annual household net income over 55000 Euro, 13.8 % has a annual

household net income between 35000-45000 Euro and 14.4 % has an income less than 15000

Euro. The fact that most of the interviewed population had a high income verifies that Norway is

an expensive country to travel in. Norway is also an exotic country to travel in, both due to its

peripheral location and cool climate.

4.2 What do the tourists think about Bryggen?

We started by asking the interviewed population if they had any previous knowledge of Bryggen

and if they had heard about the Hanseatic League before they came to the site. (Table 4.1) Of the

interviewed 60.5% answered yes, 37.4% said no. The people who knew about Bryggen in

advance, had read about Bryggen either on internet, in the travel guide or got information

onboard the cruise ship1 or in the tourist bus.

When we asked if they found the information about Bryggen as a World Heritage site adequate,

75.9% answered yes. A large number of this group were satisfied with the information they had

got in advance, and therefore they did not look for information at Bryggen site itself. 10.3% did

not find the information adequate and 7.7% did not answer the question at all. Some of the

1 We know that some of the large cruise ships, as the well-known AIDA company, offer lectures on board.

27

population who did not have any previous knowledge answered either that they had not seen or

found the information and did not know that Bryggen is on the of UNESCO’s World Heritage

List.

COUNTRY YES % NO % DON’T KNOW % TOTAL %

NORWAY 85,7 14,3 0 100

ENGLAND 28,0 70,0 0 100

AMERICA 66,7 33,0 0 100

GERMANY 67,8 32,2 0 100

FRANCE 66,7 33,3 0 100

NETHERLANDS 61,9 38,1 0 100

ITALY 66,7 33,3 0 100

SPAIN 50,0 50,0 0 100

OTHER EUROPE 76,0 20,0 4,0 100

OTHER WORLD 38,5 61,5 0 100

TOTAL 60,5 38,9 0,5 100

Table4.1 Knowledge of Bryggen before visiting Bergen, by country.

Here are some of the answers to the Question: Do you find the information about Bryggen as a World Heritage site adequate?

• I like there to be more information like the one where we can read about the old

construction methods.

• I think you should do a whole lot more to make people come to this place.

• The information is ok, but it is not obvious what is what, and from what time the different

buildings are from.

• The information could have been better. Some tiny stories about the different houses, and

how old they are.

• We did not know that the Bryggen site was part of UNESCOs World Heritage List. We

just discovered it today, kind of stumbled across it. There were no directions from the

middle of the town. It was like a discovery.

28

• There could have been more information about the buildings, not only about Bryggen.

• You don’t need that much information. You just need to use your eyes. It says just come

and look at me

• Part of the charm is to just walk around and discover things; we had not any previous

information about the place.

For the average tourist the information might be adequate, for some it might be too much. Too

much information can set people off, some people want to know much and some do not want to

know anything. In this matter it can be difficult to decide which group should be pleased.

It is therefore difficult to know on what level the information should be. The visitors are a

dissimilar group of people with a variety of needs, knowledge, wishes and so on. But based on

the answers we got, we may conclude that the information about Bryggen as a World Heritage

Site is not good enough.

Hence to the different categories of age, there are small variations in the answers of the

interviewed populations knowledge about the Bryggen site and the Hanseatic League. The group

between 41-61 knows a little more about Bryggen and the Hanseatic merchants than the group

between 21- 40. According to what people think of Bryggen, there are no differences. Almost

everyone answered in a positive manner.

Tourists from Norway; USA, Germany, Italy, France and the Netherlands apparently know more

about Bryggen in advance than tourists from other countries.

The next question asked were of their opinion about Bryggen as a World Heritage site, and if the

Bryggen site was what they expected. 97.8% responded at the question in a positive manner; only

1.1% had a negative comment about the site. The positive comments were related to aspects that

describe the site as nice, beautiful, interesting, authentic, unique, very well restored and an

important historical document. 64.7% had an opinion that Bryggen was better than expected,

26.5% that it was as expected, 2.6% meant it was worse than expected and 5.9% answered that

they did not know. Hence to the different categories of age, there are no notable variations in the

answers of the interviewed populations opinion about the Bryggen site. Under follows examples

29

of the answers that were given to the question:” What do you think about Bryggen as historic

site, and is Bryggen what you expected?”

• Very interesting, lovely to see it kept as an old site and not destroyed. Many sites in

England have been destroyed. We have to stop the developers.

• It’s fascinating, because it’s more for real and it seems to be like it was originally, apart

from the shops.

• It’s probably what I expected, and the restoration is wonderful.

• This part is beautiful, impressed of the handcraft stores. Don’t like the tourist shops at the

main road and the lack of quality.

• Nice and beautiful. This is our fifth destination in Europe and everything here is so nice

and well organized. It shows that this is a rich country.

• Wonderfully restored and preserved.

• Very interesting, glad we found it. It’s lovely and it’s beautifully restored.

• All the timberwork is phenomenal, and that you restore it with traditional tools.

• The front was all we had seen, and we didn’t expect to find these buildings in the back.

Much more interesting then we thought it would be.

• It’s nice, but the stores are overprized. Sometimes it’s nice to walk around focusing on

history and not just souvenir shops.

• Nice and interesting. Especially with the old wooden houses and the houses of stone, and

the way it’s preserved. The alleyways are also interesting.

We also asked the interviewed population if there were any features at the Bryggen site that they

found especially attractive and characteristic. Because of how some of the questions were asked,

it was possible to respond at these questions in various ways. The answers we got have been

grouped in six major categories, which in our opinion show the main impressions.

• In general it is the Bryggen site as a historic site and the unique buildings with its special

structure that appeals to most of the visitors.

• The feature emphasized as the most attractive one was the wooden architecture.

• The next features emphasized were the unspecified whole, and the preservation and

restoration of the site.

30

These three features are somehow connected. As we see it, the tourists really enjoyed the fact that

Bryggen is alive, and not a museum. Especially that it’s possible to both see and hear the workers

who are restoring parts of Bryggen.

Other attractive features mentioned were:

• The shops,

• The structure and

• The history.

The shops in the backyard (Bryggestredet) are not typical touristy. These shops sell high quality

Fig. 4.3 The restoration project on Bryggen at Bryggestredet.

handicraft, like knitwear, leatherworks and products of wool. There are some art-galleries there

as well. The structure of Bryggen was also mentioned as a positive feature at the Bryggen site.

The dimensions of the buildings and the materials used appeals to almost everyone. The buildings

31

seem including, the materials are warm and the size of both the buildings and the whole site are

measurable. Within the structure one can also easily read the history, which is mentioned as the

last attractive feature of the site. The authenticity of the site is of vital importance in this matter.

It’s our opinion that these shops, workshops and art galleries have great impact of tourists’

impressions of the site. Here are some of the answers to the question: “Are there any features at

the Bryggen site that you find especially attractive and characteristic?”

• The small alleyways, looks like the

landscape of Harry Potter.

• That you try in an architectural manner to

take care of the original timber.

• That the site is open for the public, being

used and not just a facade.

• The unspecified whole and that everything is

so well preserved.

• The mix with stone, wood and colours.

• The most interesting is how they manage to

make the buildings stand up. Figuring out

the age of the different structures.

• Pleased to see that you are trying to restore

the buildings and to keep them in some

original state.

• All these old roofs and the warehouses, just

this little area is fantastic. [Bryggestredet]

• All the timberwork is phenomenal, and that you restore them with traditional tools.

Fig 4.4 The narrow alleyways on Bryggen

• The narrow alleyways with the overhanging paths. It looks like our medieval buildings,

apart that yours are from wood and ours are from stone. [From England]

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• It’s a very special atmosphere to be in this area. It merges in with the nature quite well.

• The timber buildings and the constructions. Preserved and presented very well. It made us

stay and look around, just out of interest.

• The very old wooden houses should have preferences and more attention. Not only the

facades, but also the behind, which is absolutely beautiful. And not spoil it with to many

shops.

• That it’s left in its natural state, don’t clutter it up – preserve it the way it is!

The next question asked was if there were any

features the tourists did not like at the site.

The majority did not have any negative

comments. The few who had negative

comments, focused at the touristification of

Bryggen - some called it “Plastic-fantastic” -

the souvenir shops, toilet-facilities and that it

is too expensive in Norway. Hence we can

conclude that the majority found Bryggen as

historic site very satisfying, with a few critical

voices:

Here are some of the answeres to the question:

“Are there any features that lessen your

enjoyment during your visit?”

• The rain…Don’t like the tourist street

[The main road in front of Bryggen]

• No, not really, but eveything is very expensive.

Fig.4.4 The narrow alleyways on Bryggen • Overpriced things

• Too much traffic in front

• Too many tourists

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• The street in front shouldn’t be there

• I don’t think there are things you couldn’t like. Don’t make it touristic.

We also asked if people found the site too

crowded, based on the fact that Bryggen is a

small site.2 The site contains of four

tenements with narrow alleyways between

the houses, and a backyard (Bryggestredet)

with a restaurant, shops selling handcraft, a

galleries and a wishing well. Especially the

narrow passages can be a challenge whe

five; some times more, guided groups are

walking through the site. Hardly anyone

thought that the site was too crowded, and

rt

n

if there were too many people gathered:

Here are some of the answers to the question: Is the site too crowded?

Fig 4.5 Tourist group in front of the Bryggen site.

Fig 4.6 Tourists in the allyways on Bryggen.

• You could always go somewhere else.

• It’s a busy day today. You have to accept

that others want to see it.

• Not too crowded, nice to see so many people

looking at it.

One of the last questions asked were if the tourists

felt that the newer buildings surrounding Bryggen

respected the characteristics of the historic site.

2 The actual size of the Bryggen site is 7164m2. This includes the Bryggen garden (2268m2). It does not include the shops, the workshops and the galleries.

34

41.7% responded positively at the question, 6.9 % were negative and 51.4 % answered that they

did not know. 100 % of the Norwegians asked, answered that the newer buildings respected the

older buildings at Bryggen. Only 14.3 % of the Italians responded positively, 85.7 % answered

that they didn’t know. These answers indicates that there might have been a slight problem of

understanding the question for tourists who do not speak English very well.

Here are some of the answers to the question: Newer buildings surround the Bryggen site. Do

you feel that they respect the characteristics of the older buildings?

• It’s different, not everything is good.

• No, I don’t think so. They are too modern

• Yes, I think they do, and they’re not so out of character of what’ s on Bryggen.

• Some of the buildings don’t fit in.

• It seems so, they don’t look so bad.

• So far, yes.

• No, not the car park.

• Some of them do, the one built in traditional way.

• Not really, some of the buildings are very modern, and that surprises me.

• It’s not too bad, you don’t feel that this is a separate area.

• I like that the old warehouses has been transformed into flats, that’s nice. T’s a very

picturesque city.

• Yes, I think so. You don’t have the problems with the ugly 1960- plastic/concrete-

architecture like we have in England. But now they’re tearing it down and that’s not right

either, because that architecture is also a part of history.

• Some of the newer architecture is bad.

• I think so, but not the buildings that are too tall.

• The newer architecture doesn’t interpret the old structure.

• They add, and as long as you can retain the older buildings, it’s ok.

• I think it’s ok; it’s no problem for the characteristic of the old buildings.

35

We also asked our population how they found the accessibility in the Bryggen site. The people

we asked had no trouble moving around the site. We did not interview any disabled people, but

observed four people in wheelchairs. These people also seemed to move around without any

problems. When it comes to accessibility at the Bryggen site in related to the city’s geography,

the site is very easy to find. Especially for the tourists arriving with cruise at the harbour, which

is located near by. But on the other hand, the Bryggen site can be difficult to find from the town

centre, because there are few signs to show the way. There are also few signs in front of the site;

therefore some of the interviewed population had difficulties finding the passages that lead to the

rear parts of Bryggen. A lot of them said that they just stumbled across the site.

The last question asked was if the tourists had any suggestions about improvements of the site,

both as a world heritage site and as a tourist facility. In general the majority of the interviewed

population were quite satisfied with the solutions at the Bryggen site. A lot of them were of the

opinion that everything should remain as it is, and that the site is a wonderful place to be. Some

of our population had a few comments though:

• More information,

• Regulate the traffic in the front

• No, if you alter anything it wouldn’t be authentic

• No, but places like the Bryggen site should be organic. It must not have solutions imposed

on them, but develop in its own way.

• Keep everything as it’s going, just tell everybody about it, because it’s a jolly good place

to come.

• No, I don’t think so. We’re doing everything on our own and so far we’re managing. You

don’t want to ruin it with too many signs.

• Make it more obvious that the Bryggen site is a world heritage monument.

• A couple of stores only devoted to history. Living history.

• More history about the area, how it used to look and more information about what

Bryggen were earlier.

• Improve the promotion.

36

The essence from the answers above, about improvements that could be made at the Bryggen site,

indicates that the majority of the interviewed population are of the opinion that Bryggen should

remain as it is, and emphasizes the authenticity as an important issue. ICOMOS Norway

recommend in their report3 from 2000:

• The integrity of the site must be secured and maintained. This includes the relatonship

of the buildings and their uses to the sea and commercial activity along the quay.

• The site should be kept in a propitious and economic use.

• The uses should be appropriate so that they do not damage the fabric of the buildings.

• There should be a balanced community retained and sustained in the site.

• A set of guidelines should be made to guide change of use. These should be agreed by

the two planning authorities, the Foundation Bryggen and the owners and traders in the

Bryggen

It seems that it is very appropriate to ask the following question: “Is it possible to further develop the tourist industry and at the same time maintain the authenticity of the Bryggen site?”

3 ICOMOS Norway. World Heritage Convention. Periodic State of Conservation Report 1999-2000. Bergen Wharf (Bryggen)

37

5 The Impact of Tourists on the Bryggen Site

5.1 Visiting pattern Since 1979, when Bryggen was listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, there has been a

steady increase in the number of visitors, mainly tourists. In addition to that, tourism patterns

are changing. Tourists in general, but specifically visitors to museums and historic buildings

on heritage trails, come in waves, in coaches, and often have limited time before leaving for

the next destination. This leads to a short but heavy impact on the environment, and a cycling

of these impacts occur through out the day as successive waves of tourists enter he site. The

pattern described above is very obvious at the Bryggen site. Large groups of guided tourists

from the visiting cruise ships wandering around the whole day. It was, as mentioned earlier ,

difficult to interview tourists on guided tours, but we were able to observe how they used the

site.

The tourist activities at the Bryggen site are concentrated in the summer season (May-

September); within these months in 2005, 597321 people visited the site. The majority of

these visitors were tourists. In the autumn and winter months the site is more or less empty

with hardly any activity at all. This is a great challenge for private owners, the Bryggen

foundation and the City of Bergen.

5.2 Hazards and impact.

As long as Bryggen has existed, one dominating hazard has existed and that is the hazard of

fire. We have earlier described the numerous fires that have occurred on Bryggen. With the

increasing number of visitors the fire risk increases. Two measures have been implemented:

1. Water sprinkling of the whole site and, 2. It is not permitted to smoke in the site, neither

indoor nor outdoor. Fire is still a constant threat, and will increase with increasing visitors.

Also, since Bryggen was listed in 1979, there has been a change of use. From its original use

as warehouses and trading offices, many of the buildings have been let to new users. Today

we find for tourist shops, café’s handicraft and restaurants etc on the ground floors, offices for

architects and advertising in the upper parts and the lofts. ( se Fig 2.9). In addition to the

functional change of character, there has also been a physical change. Roof windows have

38

been added, entrance doors have been given glass openings to permit light into the stores and

picturesque flowerpots are hung on the fences of the outdoor balconies. Trading activity and

evidence of fish is now just part of its history. Today the sale of trolls and handicraft has taken

over alongside the loft offices. The authenticity of the site is being reduced through change in

use. It can be difficult to keep the authenticity of trading and fishing activities in Bryggen.

Bryggen today tends to be more and more a “tourist trap” filled to the brim with souvenirs.

This has lead to the fact that during the of tourist season, Bryggen is practically empty. All

parts involved in the management of the cultural environment Bryggen, agree on the fact that

there should be activity at Bryggen through the year. The present situation may lead to a

further “touristification” of the Bryggen site, with activity only in the summer season. This

“touristification” is one of the greatest impacts that alienate the inhabitants of Bergen, and

keeps them away from the Bryggen site.

Fig 5.1 The famous gables of Bryggen

The Bryggen site, nevertheless, means a lot and is very important for a huge many people,

both for the inhabitants in Bergen and for the many tourists visiting Bergen throughout the

year. The front gables (Fig.5.1) are used as symbols of the city, and are recognizable for both

people in Bergen and from the rest of Norway. Since the last big fire at Bryggen in 1955 there

39

has been a change in how the inhabitants of Bergen consider the value of the important

historical site. In 1955 the majority of the citizens of Bergen wanted to tear down all the

buildings. Today it is the pride of the city, and the symbolic effect is very important as an

established connotation for Bergen. There are a number of different opinions of how Bryggen

could be used in a best possible way. This is expressed through the diversity of users, both

private and public interests.

Strong forces in both the commercial life and the Tourist Board in Bergen want to expand the

capacity of the cruise harbour. This might not be very good news for the World Heritage Site

Bryggen. How much more tourist traffic can the Bryggen site bear before the authenticity of

the site will suffer too much? There is a conflict of interest among the different parts involved

in the development of the Bryggen site. Especially the economic pay off contra cultural

heritage can be difficult to solve.

This conflict of use is not unusual for heritage sites. It might be difficult to understand why it

is necessary to be severe according to the laws that follows listed monuments, the Cultural

Heritage Act. But of course it is important to maintain the authenticity of the site, if the

authenticity reduces the historical value reduces, and the authenticity is of major importance

for the Bryggen site as a World Heritage Monument1. This position is one of the main reasons

why such a high number of tourists are visiting Bryggen and Bergen. And tourism is an

important part of the economy of Bergen and Bryggen, but the huge amounts of tourists

visiting the Bryggen site and associated commercial activity is changing the character of

Bryggen. According to the ICOMOS-report some components of Bryggen are now faced with

a loss of authentic identity because of this ongoing process.2

5.3 The Buffer Zone According to the evaluation-report “World Heritage Convention, Periodic state of

Conservation report” 1999-2000, worked out by ICOMOS Norway, it was recommended to

establish a buffer zone around the Bryggen site to protect the World Heritage Site. Therefore

1 There are four main parameters of authenticity. Sites nominated for inscription on the World Heritage List must meet the “test of authenticity in design, materials, workmanship and setting”. Operational guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention para 24 b (i). 2 ICOMOS Norway. World Heritage Convention. Periodic State of Conservation Report 1999-2000. Bergen Wharf (Bryggen)

40

a master plan for Vågen, the quays and Bryggen, under provision of the Planning and

Building Act is now almost finished.. The purpose of this plan is to protect and visualize the

Bryggen site as part of the historical city. The need for establishing this buffer zone was

emphasized, due to the pressure from developers.

Important stages in the development of the city plan history of Bergen, can be read in the built

up area around Vågen (the bay). Devastating fires, huge slum clearance projects and

destruction during the 2. World War has imprinted this development. Within the specific area

it is possible to find rebuilt or new built up areas after the most serious city fires in the Middle

Ages, the fire in 1702, the fire in 1855 and the last devastating fire in 1916. Important,

historical events have created a picture that contains a great historic span in the urban space

around Vågen. The draft plan for Vågen, the quays and Bryggen is due to be approved by the

city council.

Another problem one needed to solve was the heavy vehicular traffic on the quayside in front

of Bryggen. This was also emphasized in the ICOMOS-report from 2000. The buildings are

built on sediments, and the traffic, among other things, lead to the sinking of the buildings.

During spring flood, the ground floors are flooded, the water up to 1 meter deep. The quay

frontage functions as a major connecting street between adjoining sections of the city. This

street has now been moved further away from the listed buildings, but the heavy traffic is still

both a physical and a visual a problem. This the area in front of the Bryggen site was also one

of the negative aspects mentioned by the tourists.

41

6.0 Conclusion

This aim of the study has been to examine how the tourist traffic affects the World Heritage

Site of Bryggen, situated in the City of Bergen, Norway, and how the tourists look upon the

site as a cultural tourist destination. The method used was qualitative questionnaires.

The activities at the Bryggen site are concentrated in the summer season (May-August);

within these months there were 597321 visitors at the Bryggen site this year. The majority of

these visitors were tourists. In the autumn- and winter-months the site is more or less empty

with hardly any activity at all. This is a great challenge for both the private owners, the

Bryggen Foundation and for the City of Bergen, which all wishes there to be as many visitors

as possible the whole year.

The results from the interviews with the tourist clearly show that the Bryggen site is very

much admired as a cultural tourist destination, and well worth a visit. The comments on the

site itself are very positive. The unique wooden structures give a feeling of the sites history,

and the demonstrations of old building techniques are a valuable asset. Many commented the

wooden structures, the feeling of history, and the preservation and restoration of the site.

Many also find the site quite unique, and very worthy of its place on the World Heritage list.

The negative comments can be divided in two main categories; the first category is comments

on the site itself, the second more general comments on Bergen and Norway. The negative

comments on the site are mainly on two aspects. One is the area in front of Bryggen, the street

and the traffic. The other aspect concerns the authenticity of the site, with the large number of

tourists visiting comments like: “It feels crowded, it is a “tourist trap”. Also the large number

of tourist shops with trolls made abroad gives a negative impact on the visitors, and several

give the warning that if the site becomes more “touristic” it will be much less interesting as a

cultural tourist destination.

The negative comments on Bergen and Norway in general are on two specific topics. The

comments specifically on Bergen is the weather. As it normally rains 260 days a year, it is

unavoidable to get negative comments on the weather. The other topic is the price level in

Norway. As Norway probably is the most expensive country in Europe, especially expensive

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is alcoholic beverage like beer, wine and spirits, we had many negative comments on that. It

should be noted however that the negative comments were few in number.

The large number of tourists have had an impact on the site. The change in functions at the

Bryggen site has been unavoidable, as the international trade in stockfish has changed. The

question however is if the new functions are the type of functions one wishes to se at a World

Heritage Site. The development the last years, both positive and negative is very well

expressed by the National Geographic traveller, in connection with their rating of 115 world

heritage sites. Bryggen was rated at 20th place, and was given the following carestaristics:

"Bryggen consists of a single row of medieval timber houses, on the quayside in

Bergen. The city easily deals with the small numbers of visitors who do not visit as

part of a cruise."

"Old, beautiful Hanseatic buildings are well kept in spite of considerable structural

work needed. The harbor architecture blends seamlessly in with the rest of the city

center, overlooking the fjords and sheltered by hills."

"One of the best managed urban World Heritage sites I have visited. Surrounding

urbanization compliments rather than competes."

"Overdone to cater to tourism and appears to be over-commercialized, sacrificing

authenticity. 'Facadism' cannot be the only answer for conservation

There is no doubt that, if one wishes to preserve what is left of the sites authenticity, one must

change the direction of the ongoing development. The way it now has become, the site caters

more to tourists, through shops with cheap souvenirs, and less to the inhabitants of Bergen.

There obviously is a conflict between is the economic payoff versus the cultural heritage. An

other challenge is to get a year round activity at the site. This can be done by establishing

shops that cater for the inhabitants in the city instead of typical tourist shops. Also the site is

absolutely suited for fairs and other outdoor happenings, like the farmers marked which is

held here.

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All in all one can say that the Bryggen site still is a very attractive World Heritage Site, well

worth a visit. If this also is to bee the situation in the future one must preserve what is left of

the sites authenticity, and try and turn the development of the site towards a less touristy

image.

.

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List of References Herteig, Asbjørn E.: The buildings at Bryggen: their topographical and chronological development, Bergen 1990-91 Myrvoll, Siri: “The Bryggen Companion” A stroll through the old harbour quarter of Bergen, Bergen 1998 The World Heritage City Bergen, Bergen 1993.

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