Bryggens Museum

Bryggens Museum stands beside Bryggen at Dreggsallmenningen in central Bergen, in Vestland county, Norway. It was built after the archaeological excavations carried out in the area burned by the great Bryggen fire of 1955, which exposed the layered remains of medieval Bergen, whose origins are dated to about 1070. The permanent exhibition follows the city from its foundation as a royal and trading town through the Hanseatic period. Best known are the runic inscriptions carved on wooden sticks, which record business messages, personal letters, prayers and jokes, and which show how widespread literacy was among Bergen's merchants. Other displays include shoes, tools, household objects and textiles preserved in the waterlogged ground, together with excavated building foundations left in place inside the museum. The approach is chronological and archaeological, using finds to rebuild the town's trade, social structure and religion. The museum is run by Bergen City Museum and serves as an introduction to the wharf outside. The waterlogged organic finds need careful conservation. Visitors often combine the museum with the Hanseatic Museum, St Mary's Church and a walk along Bryggen.