November 4 - 5, 2022
This massive stone edifice and multi-building compound sits above the harbor on the far end of Bryggen. And just like with St Mary's, I tried to visit on Friday, but found all the doors locked. I took lots of gloomy outside pictures. There was little information available. I've done a bit of research since and will label any buildings that I figure out.
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| Rosenkrantz Tower, The Barbican |
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| Hakon's Hall |
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| L-R: The stables, Residence of the Captain, Commandant's Residence |
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| Street side of Rosenkrantz Tower |
On Saturday morning I went back to the the Rosenkrantz Tower. The only trouble was, they only gave tours in Norwegian. I paid for some kind of combo ticket, but in the end just toured the tower itself, as it was very complex. On the wall of some rooms there was a laminated paper that had a paragraph of English. I also got a little booklet, but it was pretty cryptic and hard to follow. The photo of the sign below may provide some helpful information regarding the tower itself.
The following signs were posted outside.
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| Bergenhus Castle, taken from the parade grounds |
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| In the basement |
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Dungeon
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There were so many stairs to climb, and so many chambers to enter. Most of the stairs would never have passed back home in the US. Often one had to make use of the rope that was secured to the wall. They were very narrow, so a sign would indicate whether you should use them to go up or down. Obviously there were multiple staircases leading in and out of a room or floor.
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| In the king's bedchamber |
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| The king's "secret room" |
A couple of upstairs rooms were filled with military history. If a person had the interest, they could spend a day at the castle. At some point I quit trying to figure it all out, and just gave a quick look at the displays.
My favorite part of the tower was that we were able to go out on the walkway around the turret. It was really windy and rainy, but the views were awesome.
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| Bergen Harbor |
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| Turret on the Rosenkrantz Tower |
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| Some kind of demonstration was taking place on the ground |
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| Hakon's Hall and the Bergen Harbor |
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| View across the Bergen Harbor |
I'll end this long blog with a confession. I love looking at old things, and learning about the way people lived back then, but I just don't have a head for much history. There were so many rooms that I could have explored. There was a large display regarding the church that was a part of the fortress, but with just an hour, I couldn't take it in. And I soon had a ship to board.
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