Bergenhus Fortress and Rosenkrantz Tower

Bergenhus Fortress sits at the mouth of the Vågen harbour, a few minutes' walk from the end of Bryggen, and it is one of the oldest and best-preserved fortifications in Norway. For centuries the site was a royal seat, a bishop's seat and a military stronghold, and it still has a commandant, an office that has been continuously filled since 1628. The present layout took shape from the early 1500s through the 1600s and was at its most complete around 1700, when the areas of Holmen, Koengen and Sverresborg were joined into a single defensive system. Today the inner fortress is car-free and open as parkland, with lawns, old stone walls, cannon and benches facing the water, and admission to the fortress area is free. Two buildings stand out. Håkonshallen is the thirteenth-century ceremonial hall of the Norwegian kings, and the Rosenkrantz Tower is a fortified residence whose oldest parts date back to the 1270s and which was rebuilt as a Renaissance tower by Governor Erik Rosenkrantz in the 1560s. Between them they cover most of Bergen's royal and military past.

The fortress has seen very little fighting. Its one real siege was on 2 August 1665, when English warships attacked Dutch ships that had taken shelter in Bergen's neutral harbour, an episode known as the Battle of Vågen. The 20th century was harder on it. During the Second World War the German occupying forces made it their western headquarters, and on 20 April 1944 an accidental explosion in the harbour badly damaged the oldest buildings, including Håkonshallen and the Rosenkrantz Tower.

Norwegian restoration work went on until the mid-1960s, and what you see today is largely the result of that long rebuilding. The Koengen ramparts were torn down as early as 1809, so the parkland on that side is a later creation.

The Rosenkrantz Tower is the part most visitors want to climb. The tower was a home as well as a defence, and King Eirik Magnusson lived in an earlier building on the site, the last king to hold court in Bergen before his death in 1299. Visitors climb narrow, dark stairways up to the roof, where the view over the harbour, Bryggen and the city is excellent, and the cellar holds a dungeon that was probably used into the 19th century.

The stairs are steep and tight, and neither the tower nor Håkonshallen has universal access, which is worth knowing before you plan. The Bergenhus Fortress Museum at Koengen has a lift and covers the military history of the site. Admission to the grounds is free, while the buildings, concerts and events may charge for tickets.

Plan the fortress as the end of a harbour-front walk: start at the Fish Market, follow the quay past the whole length of Bryggen, wander into the passages and then continue to the fortress for the view back across the water. Toilets are open during the fortress's opening hours, and there is a car-free, flat main path that is easy underfoot, though the paths and stones are slippery when wet.

An hour is enough for the grounds, and two to three hours if you visit the tower and the hall as well. On a clear evening the stone walls catch the low light beautifully, and in winter the fortress is quiet and atmospheric.