Norway, Bergen, Bryggen UNESCO list for World Cultural Heritage sites

Bryggen (Norwegian for the Wharf), also known as Tyskebryggen (the German Wharf) is a series of Hanseatic commercial buildings lining the eastern side of the fjord coming into Bergen, Norway. Bryggen has since 1979 been on the UNESCO list for World Cultural Heritage sites. Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of 263, 400 as of 2011. Bergen is located in the county of Hordaland on the south-western coast of Norway. Bergen's inter-municipal harbour, Port of Bergen, is by far Norway's largest and one of Europe's largest ports. The main reason for Bergen's importance was the trade with dried cod from the northern Norwegian coast, which started around 1100. By the late 14th century, Bergen had established itself as the centre of the trade in Norway. Throughout the 15th and 16th centuries, Bergen remained one of the largest cities in Scandinavia, and was Norway's biggest city until the 1830s, when the capital city of Oslo became the largest.