Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The city centre and northern neighbourhoods are located on Byfjorden, "the city fjord", and the city is surrounded by mountains; Bergen is known as the city of seven mountains. Trading in Bergen may have started as early as the 1020s. According to tradition the city was founded in 1070 by king Olav Kyrre. It served as Norway's capital in the 13th century, and from the end of the 13th century became a bureau city of the Hanseatic League. Until 1789, Bergen enjoyed exclusive rights to mediate trade between Northern Norway and abroad and it was the largest city in Norway until surpassed by the capital city, Oslo, in the 1830s. The remains of the quays, Bryggen, is a World Heritage Site. The city was hit by numerous fires. (wiki)
