Bergen

Bergen: storia e carattere

Bergen, founded in 1070 by King Olav Kyrre, was for five centuries the unofficial capital of Norway and Scandinavia's most important Hanseatic port. The Bryggen wharf, UNESCO-listed since 1979, bears witness to that mercantile golden age: colourful wooden houses, labyrinthine alleys, dried-fish warehouses. Today Bergen counts 285,000 inhabitants and is the Norwegian "gateway to the fjords", entry point for the Sognefjord and Hardangerfjord. Wedged between seven mountains and the sea, it is one of Scandinavia's most dog-friendly cities: free public transport for dogs, off-leash mountains 7 minutes from the centre by funicular, a temperate oceanic climate (240+ rainy days a year), and a café culture that welcomes dogs indoors from October onwards. The Norwegian leash season (1 April-20 August) protects ground-nesting birds; the rest of the year, dogs run free on mountains with proper recall.