Bergen Hanse Kontor City

Timeline

1. c. 1070–1300Bergen · NorwayBergen developed under the Norwegian kingdom as an administrative and trade center on the west coast; the port received fish products and furs from Iceland, the Faroes, Shetland, and elsewhere, and transshipped grain and manufactured goods to the European mainland, laying the groundwork for the later resident Hanse merchants.
2. c. 1290–1360Bryggen wharf district · BergenFrom the late 13th to early 14th century, Hanse merchants from Lübeck, Hamburg, and elsewhere increasingly took up seasonal and semi-permanent residence, building warehouses and dwellings along the harbor, and gradually monopolized key stages of Norway's export trade in stockfish.
3. 1360–1560German Wharf (Tyskebryggen) · BergenAround 1360 Bergen was recognized as one of the four Hanse kontore, enjoying chartered trading rights and autonomous governance; timber row buildings extended along the fjord shoreline, forming a typical Hanse port-city landscape and a tradition of fireproof rebuilding.
4. 1560Bryggen, Bergen · NorwayAfter the 16th century Hanse privileges gradually weakened and the kontor's role gave way to the modern port economy, but the Bryggen timber district was rebuilt in traditional form after repeated fires, inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1979, and became an important material witness for studying medieval Northern European kontor cities.