UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Norway

UNESCO's Description

Bryggen, the old wharf of Bergen, is a reminder of the town’s importance as part of the Hanseatic League’s trading empire from the 14th to the mid-16th century. 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, which is a relic of an ancient wooden urban structure once common in Northern Europe. Today, some 62 buildings remain of this former townscape.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

History

Bergen was established before 1070 AD. In the Middle Ages, the Bryggen area encompassed all buildings between the sea and the Stretet (Øvregaten) road, from Holmen in the north to Vågsbunnen in the south. According to the Sagas, the city was founded within this area.

One of the earliest pier constructions has been dated to around 1100, and the existing buildings are of a much later date, with only Schøtstuene and some buildings towards Julehuset being originals from 1702.

Around 1350, a Kontor of the Hanseatic League was established in Bryggen. As the town developed into an important trading centre, the wharfs were improved and the buildings of Bryggen were gradually taken over by the Hanseatic merchants.

UNESCO's Description

The wooden church of Urnes (the stavkirke ) stands in the natural setting of Sogn og Fjordane. It was built in the 12th and 13th centuries and is an outstanding example of traditional Scandinavian wooden architecture. It brings together traces of Celtic art, Viking traditions and Romanesque spatial structures.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q210678 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

This group of petroglyphs in the Alta Fjord, near the Arctic Circle, bears the traces of a settlement dating from c. 4200 to 500 B.C. The thousands of paintings and engravings add to our understanding of the environment and human activities on the fringes of the Far North in prehistoric times.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Cultural and historical background

When the carvings were made, Norway was inhabited by hunter-gatherers. The almost 5000 years over which carvings were made by the people of the late stone age and early metal age, saw many cultural changes, including the adoption of metal tools and changes in areas such as boat building and fishing techniques. The carvings show a wide variety of imagery and religious symbolism. There are however some main motifs that are found through all the periods, like the reindeer. Rock carvings especially from the earliest period show great similarity with carvings from northwestern Russia, indicating contact between and maybe parallel development of cultures over a wide area of Europe's extreme North.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q433634 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

A cluster of dozens of islands centred on Vega, just south of the Arctic Circle, forms a cultural landscape of 107,294 ha, of which 6,881 ha is land. The islands bear testimony to a distinctive frugal way of life based on fishing and the harvesting of the down of eider ducks, in an inhospitable environment. There are fishing villages, quays, warehouses, eider houses (built for eider ducks to nest in), farming landscapes, lighthouses and beacons. There is evidence of human settlement from the Stone Age onwards. By the 9th century, the islands had become an important centre for the supply of down, which appears to have accounted for around a third of the islanders’ income. The Vega Archipelago reflects the way fishermen/farmers have, over the past 1,500 years, maintained a sustainable living and the contribution of women to eiderdown harvesting.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Description

The islands bear testimony to a distinctive frugal way of life based on fishing and the harvesting of the down of eider ducks, in an inhospitable environment. There are fishing villages, quays, eider houses (built for eider ducks to nest), farmland, and lighthouses. There is evidence of human settlement from the Stone Age onwards. By the 9th century, the islands had become an important centre for the supply of down, which appears to have accounted for around a third of the islanders' income.

UNESCO's Description

Situated in south-western Norway, north-east of Bergen, Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord, set 120 km from one another, are part of the west Norwegian fjord landscape, which stretches from Stavanger in the south to Andalsnes, 500 km to the north-east. The two fjords, among the world’s longest and deepest, are considered as archetypical fjord landscapes and among the most scenically outstanding anywhere. Their exceptional natural beauty is derived from their narrow and steep-sided crystalline rock walls that rise up to 1,400 m from the Norwegian Sea and extend 500 m below sea level. The sheer walls of the fjords have numerous waterfalls while free-flowing rivers cross their deciduous and coniferous forests to glacial lakes, glaciers and rugged mountains. The landscape features a range of supporting natural phenomena, both terrestrial and marine, such as submarine moraines and marine mammals.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Geography

The World Heritage Site consists of two areas 120 kilometres (75 mi) apart, located in south-west Norway, north-west of the city of Bergen, and part of the fjord landscape of western Norway extending over 500 kilometres (310 mi) between Stavanger in the south and Åndalsnes in the north. The areas of Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord total 122,712 hectares (1,227 km2; 474 mi2), including 111,966 hectares (1,120 km2; 432 mi2) on land and 10,746 hectares (107 km2; 41 mi2) of water.

The Geirangerfjord area is situated 60 kilometres (37 mi) inland and constitutes the Geirangerfjord itself as the upper end of Storfjorden as well as Tafjorden. The heritage site lies within Møre og Romsdal county and includes parts of Fjord Municipality and Stranda Municipality.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q12269990 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

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 20 th 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 associated to the natural landscape. It stands out as an example of a new global industry in the early 20 th century.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

History

In the early 1900s, Norway was able to leverage the geographical availability of cheap hydroelectric power to begin industrial development. The sparsely populated Telemark region made the transition from a primarily agricultural zone to a center of industry, which required strong industrial development. In order to support agricultural expansion, Norway required large quantities of fertilizer. The common solution was sodium nitrate, which was extracted through mining.

The main industrial component of the Rjukan–Notodden site is the facilities created for producing fertilizer through nitrogen fixation.