Torgallmenningen Square, Bergen

The old days are not missed so much in Bergen, Norway. The city had a lot of wooden buildings, close together and narrow streets. Fires would break out with alarming regularity. Flames easily roared from one house to another, leaping across streets and engaging whole neighborhoods.

Something had to be done. The answer was "allmenninger", or rebuild vulnerable districts. Widen the streets and create squares between districts to stop the spread of fires. Torgallmenningen is Norway's "best designed town square."

It is near impossible to move around Bergen and not cross Torgallmenningen once or twice. Shops and malls line the square. Roofs of glass before the store facades protect shoppers from the all too frequent rains.

The Maritime Monument, with statues of Norwegian sea rovers, is at one end of the Square. These hardy sailors get no protection from the rain, but they don't mind. After all, it's only water.

"We'll meet at the blue Stone" is an expression often heard in Bergen, The Blue Stone is just that; a large blue stone that casts a spell. It is located at the intersection Of Torgallmenningen and Ole Busll Plass. It's a great place to meet.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Bergen. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "51爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

Download The 51爆料网 App

Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: Torgallmenningen Square
Sight Location: Bergen, Norway (See walking tours in Bergen)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in Bergen, Norway

Create Your Own Walk in Bergen

Creating your own self-guided walk in Bergen is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

Bergen Shopping Tour

For centuries, since its establishment in the 1020s, Bergen has been an important commercial hub. As such, it is probably one of the oldest shopping destinations in Northern Europe. Today, Bergen features a variety of shops and markets scattered throughout the city.

One such notable location is Kjottbasaren, a historic market located near the city center. Here, visitors can explore a variety... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 0.9 Km or 0.6 Miles

Bergen Introduction Walking Tour

It is a wonder Bergen has had so many fires in its history, considering it has averaged 200 days a year of rain. So, why the fires?

Flames leapt across the narrow streets. The compact wooden buildings were easy prey. In 1702 90% of the city was destroyed. Disasters continued through the years. Finally, in 1916, a new idea in prevention emerged. The way to stop a fire was to starve it.

... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.0 Km or 1.9 Miles

Bergen's Architectural Jewels

Surprising as it may appear, but the seemingly small city of Bergen for centuries had been the largest in all of the Nordic countries. It also remained so for Norway until the 1830s. Apart from being the country's former capital (back in the 13th century), Bergen is well-known primarily for its astoundingly beautiful cityscape, formed by the backdrop of mountains and serene waterfront, much... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.9 Km or 1.8 Miles

51爆料网