Photo: Gjertrud Couthino
Photo: Espen MIlls – Visitnorway
BRYGGEN – THE HANSEATIC WHARF IN BERGEN
This is the oldest stave church in Norway, built in 1132, and the only stave church to be included on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The church contains ornaments dating from the 1060s and is unusually ornately decorated. It is beautifully situated on the southern shore of the Lustrafjord, the innermost arm of the Sognefjord. The area also contains the oldest traces of church building in Norway.
This UNESCO protected old merchant quarter is the only preserved business district from the Hanseatic period, reminding us of the town's importance as a part of the Hanseatic League’s trading empire. Many fires, the last in 1955, have ravaged the characteristic wooden houses of Bryggen. Its rebuilding has traditionally followed old patterns and methods, thus leaving its main structure preserved. Today, some 62 buildings remain of this former townscape.
Photo: Visithardanger – Dahle
Photo: Ian Brodie – Visitrjukan
URNES STAVE CHURCH
THE WEST NORWEGIAN FJORDS
RJUKAN-NOTODDEN INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE SITE
Fjords are among the most dramatic and spectacular landscapes on the planet. The World Heritage Area, the West Norwegian Fjords, embraces some of the longest, deepest, narrowest and most beautiful fjords in the world. Their scenery and cultural heritage have spellbound visitors down the ages. Many people consider the fjords the very symbol of Norway, the foremost nation of fjords in the world. The World Heritage Area comprises two sub-areas, the Geirangerfjord and the Nærøyfjord. Together, these areas have qualities that resulted in them being inscribed on the UNESCO list of the world’s cultural and natural heritage.
Located in a dramatic landscape of mountains, waterfalls and river valleys, the site comprises hydroelectric power plants, transmission lines, factories, transport systems and towns. The complex was established by the Norsk Hydro Company to manufacture artificial fertilizer from nitrogen in the air. It was built to meet the western world’s growing demand for agricultural production in the early 20th century. The company towns of Rjukan and Notodden show workers' accommodation and social institutions linked by rail and ferry to ports where the fertilizer was loaded. The Rjukan-Notodden site manifests an exceptional combination of industrial assets and themes with links to the natural landscape. It stands out as an example of a new global industry in the early 20th century.
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