Bergen and the German Hanseatic League

About 900 years ago – between 1070 and 1075 the Norwegian harbor town Bergen was

founded, influenced by the Hanseatic League it grew to one of the most important Nordic trading

places in the Medieval era. German merchants dominated the town's scenery between the 13th

and 17th centuries, the German town district „Tyskebryggen“ „German Bridge“ from 1945 on

named „Bryggen“ - „The Bridge“ shows up today how the trade metropolis in the high north has

looked like. One century after its founding Bergen was a splendid trading town. Regarding to

Danish sources originating from that time around 1180 and researches made in recent times, in

pre-Hanseatic times intense trade between Normans with Iceland and Greenland took place,

English and German, Danish and Swedish merchants visited this harbor located at the transition

between North Sea and Atlantic Ocean, having been the most important place of transshipment

for Northland Cod.

The German merchants trading there in the beginning mainly came from Cologne and

Bremen. In the year 1186 they were – regarding to Sverrir's Tales – not welcomed by King

Sverrir because they imported large amounts of wine and „favored the gluttony“ of his people.

Luebeck – refounded by Henry the Lion in 1158 – invited on the occasion of the granting

of ducal and imperial trading privileges merchants of all Nordic realms including the

Norwegians to visit his harbor, but it took 50 years to establish trade between the Trave town and

Norway. Regarding to old documents, the Norvegians took initiative: in the year 1248 King

Hakon IV Hakonsson (1204-1263) asked the Luebeckian council desperatly for deliveries of

grain, flavour and malt, at that time Norway had an insufficient agriculture and was at the brink

of a famine. This manifested the beginning of Luebeckian and the later Hanseatic economic

power in Bergen. The king granted all this far existing privileges with a treaty. The Germans

were able to settle down there successfully, they were given permission to buy and to rent old

gild houses for a half year., according to municipal law of 1276 they were given permittance to

buy own yards or to rent them over the year – from now on they were allowed to to stay in

Bergen over the winter month which they had not been allowed before. Soon the council of

Luebeck could urge for more privileges in favour of German port towns. The time of preemption

the King of Norway had for German import goods was limited to three days, later the Hanseatic

League was allowed to trade freely. In matters of justice the merchants working in Bergen

enjoyed many rights, no German could be jailed – when guarantees were given. Legal protection

and guarantees of the Hanseatic League continuously were expanded. In the beginning of the

13th century the King of Norway tried to cut Hanseatic privileges. But the merchants reacted

quickly, their economic power was strong enough to wage fighting with the king. The Hanseatic

Council gathered in Weismar and determined the blockade of all Norwegian harbors, especially

Bergen. By threatening with high fines and by capturing of freight the Hanseatic League

successfully hamstringed all grain deliveries to Norway. Norway came under the treat by a

famine in 1294, so Norway's King Erik Magnusson (1280 -1299) had to accept a peace treaty,

granting far-reaching privileges to the Germans: the freedom to trade in all Norwegian harbors

up to Bergen, permittance to trade inside the country and to build branch offices without having

to pay royal or local customs. The only restriction the treaty said was the forbiddance to trade

north of Bergen. Import customs were low. Besides that the Hanseatic League managed the

annulment of the „Law of the beach“ - regarding to old traditions stranded belonged to those who

found it. For the merchants of the Hanseatic League it was important to gain back stranded ships

with their valuable freight. The Hanseatic League demanded all stranded goods have to be given

back to the legal owner, but those living near the shore, annoyed by this law, refused to help

salavaging stranded ships – so this question always remained a controversial subject to the

Hanseatic League and the Lords of the Shore despite the granting of privileges. Numerous

granted privileges for the Hanseatic merchants led to a dominating position compared with

domestic merchants. Hakon V (1259 -1319) tried to solve this problem during his rule. He

wanted to forbid Germans trading outside the towns and the stay over the winter season, which

was reserved for the trade in the inner country. But his laws hardly were followed, the

Norwegian Royality was to weak to encounter the mighty Hanseatic League; besides this the

domestic nobility used to have good relationships with the foreigners and was keen to please the

Germans. So a half century later King Magnus VII Erikson (1319 – 1363) had no other choice

but to cancel all restrictions and to give all „Merchants of the German Hanseatic League“ back

their extensive priviliges of 1294 in 1343.

The German Kontor

At that time of renewed deepening of Norwegian-Hanseatic interrelations – the exact year

of founding is unclear - the „German Kontor“ (business office) in Bergen as common merchant

community of interest, besides of the Stalhof in London, the Kontor in Brugge as well as the

Petershof in Novgorod, as fourth Hanseatic merchant's base in foreign lands was established.

The organization of a German Kontor in Bergen in form and substance seems have to be

fixed in 1343, when Magnus Eriksson confirmed the Wendish towns their old privileges and

acknowledged their bylaw. The Kontor in the first instance was named „ The Cooperative of the

German Merchants in Bergen“, later just “Common German Merchant“. The term „Kontor“ was

used from the 16th century on. „The Merchant of the German Hanseatic League“ scaled to a

climax of economical power that sporadic meant a monopol position in the political weakened

Norway. The leadership layed in the hands of Luebeckian merchants. At that flourishing times

for the Kontor in Bergen, that lasted until the end of the Medievial era, the Luebeckians had a

overwhealming primacy compared to their non-Hanseatic trading rivals, the English and the

„South-Seaers“ - the Dutch, the “Prussians“ - the merchants of Danzig – and the three other

„Wendish“ Baltic Sea towns trading there – Rostock, Stralsund and Wismar. Numerous

documents of senior councillors and assessors of Bergen's Kontor and the customs registry bring

clear verification. The goods Bergen mainly imported were vital goods, predominantly grain,

flavour, malt and beer. The main exported good was Northland Cod, the Luebeckians sold it

salted at the continent, where it was in demand as fasting meal. Located at the Fjord of Bergen,

„The Balance“, there was broadly based the German district „Tyskebryggen“. At the inner

narrow side there was the district of the German craftsmen. To face, located at the south-western

side, „Above Strand“ native citizens built their houses after the Germans came.

The superiority the Hanseatic League had in foreign lands was due to their successful

organization. Groups of merchants were organized after the trade treaties they had with specific

harbours, and at the end of the 14th century they founded „driving companies“ where merchants

and not sailors were members. The „Bergen Drivers“ right after the „Scania Drivers“ were the

oldest company, citizens of Luebeck that were wealthy mercantilists and great traders in Luebeck

and „Kontorish“, young men thet were merchandiser in Bergen who came regularly to Norway

and stayed there for a while in order to trade with stockfish, participated in equal numbers. The

Kontor's organization was stricter than the organization in the Hanseatic towns. The Great

Council of Merchants, that had more than 100 members in the 15th century, every year elected

three Olderrmänner (senior chairmen) who had to serve a difficult administrative office as they

had to judge over the members, to manage the exchequer and to carry out the correspondences

with local offices. Bergen's Kontor of the General Merchant was led in the beginning by six

senior chairmen, later by two; as possible they had to be citizens of a town of Luebeckian law

and almost without exceptions were Luebeckians. Together with the „Achteiner“ (Council of the

Eighteen) as jurymen they founded the Council of the Merchants.

Tyskebryggen

The isolated district of the Germans in Bergen, named „Tyskebryggen“ by the

Norwegians mainly was constructed in „Gaarden“, yards, that had been noble holdings before.

Soon twenty premises in that privileged district became properties of the Germans. Each of them,

like „Goldschuh“ (Golden Shoe), „Sonnenhof“ (Sunny Yard) had it's own name after special

signs, like it was tradition in many Medieval German towns to name houses this way and

survived in names of pharmacies and restaurants up to today. In front of every yard - it

comprised a rectangle of 20 metre in width and 100 metres in length - a small bridge with cranes

was constructed into „The Balance“ as pier to enable a comfortable discharging and charging of

ships. All yards were seperated by small lanes and places. This was necessary because especially

buildings made out of wood were threatened by fires. However the „German Bridge“ with it's

numerous buildings, merchant houses and storages, cooking houses and „Schüttingen“, guild

houses, often was damaged or even devastated by fires. The Germans lived seperated in their

district of town, they even had an own church, the “St. Mary's Church“, partly a Romanic stone

building that was owned by the Kontor from the 15th to the 18th century.

The „Schütting“ was a house for meetings and for staying during the cold winter. With

this building the Germans took over the old Norwegian „Skøtstuene“, originally a kind of guild

room. Around a main room located in the centre, several „Staven“, rooms equipped with desks

and sitting-tiers with high leans were grouped – like in the „Schiffergesellschaft“ (Shipping

Company) in Luebeck.

The „Achteiner“ (Council of the Eighteen) had their own „Kopmanstaven“ as meeting

room. The Secretary, who was an indispensably and important man among the employed in the

Kontor, had requirement for an own flat. Statutes of the Kontors demanded strict discipline. The

Kontor's institutions had own judgement over their members in matters of Civil law; instance for

appeals was Luebeck. The right to control the Kontor's spendings also was reserved by by

Luebeck – without executing it.

The number of inhabitants of the Bridge only can be estimated. During the flourishing

times in might have been 2000 journeymen that lived in the German branch office; the number of

independent merchants remains completely unclear.

The „Wintersitzer“

Work during summer was hard for the Kontorish. But many also stayed during the calm

winter months in the district of the German Bridge, cared as „Wintersitzer“ for buildings and

property and provided goods. These Bergen Drivers mostly were of low social origin and reliant

upon hard work to grow to men. Some of these simple men after all worked themselves up so

they were affiliated to the councils of German towns. Some few out of the ranks of the Bergen

Drivers even became mayors of Luebeck and members of the „Zirkelgesellschaft“ (Circel

Society; coterie). During the winter month of course it was not always easy to keep those

inhabitants of the Bridge, who were mostly gutsy daredevils in their best ages, who had to live

without enough work and without women, in good mood. Free beer and amusement games,

devotions and churchgoing as well as lessons in profession furtherance for the junior staff made

an compensation.

Joachim Schlu for example, at the end of the 16th century a respectable merchandiser in

Rostock, reported thankful about the furthering lessons he enjoyed as journeyman in Bergen in

subjects like religion, elementary subjects as well as in economic studies.

Theater performances „nice comedies and tragedies“ brought diversification in this often

enough boring weekday business during the winter months. Even though disciplinary measures

of course became necessary to maintain order when those tough chaps kicked over the traces. „It

is a fact“ Koren Wiberg, a specialist in the matter „Bergen and the Hanseatic League“ explains „

that the Germans permanently kept discipline strict and with military precision over the whole

district in all yards.“

Famous because of their crudeness, but also because of their magnificence, were the

traditional „Bergen Games“ which for those not directly involved brought desired diversification,

with parades and custumings, dances, drinking sprees and expensive wassails. But in the centre

stood the entrance examinations for the novices, brutish-hard customs that are typical for all-men

socities: the torture of the “Smoke Test“ in which the novice was pulled up the chimney and had

to stay there until he almost smothered, the „Water Game“ in which the poorest almost was

drowned and barbaric flogged afterwards, the “Thrashing Test“ in which he was made in drunk

and tortured until the blood shed in „Paradise“, whilst the noise of cymbals and drums drowned

out his screams of pain. Such games, numbered thirteen, were extended over many days.

This famous-notorious selection ritual in fact was a scare off and closure measures of the

dependent Bergen Drivers, that were of low social origin to prevent the foreign infiltration of

sons of rich merchants that wanted to secure their preponderance in trading. The sadistic-rude

negative spin-offs of those entrance examinations caused offences and protests, but clerical and

Hanseatic orders did not cause a change. Not before the Hanseatic League's comedown the

„games“ came to their end.

Interfolkish relationships

The living in an exceptional position for the inhabitants of the Bridge led to sequestering

and therefor to an independent existence in a foreign country. This was according to trading

policy of the merchants, and was written down in their bylaws: „None of this guild may

fraternize or have any other relationship with Nordic citizens, for he shall lose his status as

merchant“.

But such orders not only correlated with matters of trading. In concern of tiptoeing

competition marriages with Norwegian women were forbidden, such a marriage caused strictly

exclusion and even outlawing. The „defector“ had to leave his habitation in the Bridge. In the

long run such obligations for living without women of course could not to be maintained. There

are not just few reports about the immorally living of the Germans and their bustle in the

brothels, supposedly whole shipments with whores were brought to Bergen, who calculated with

a good economic situation there. Now that the Hanseatics settled down in long-term, interfolkish

relationships were completely inevitable and naturally. Wiberg elaborately reports about

evidence of friendship and the societal contact between high-ranking officers of the king which

resident at Bergenhus Castle, the church and the Ältermänner (senior chairmen) of the Hanseatic

League, that were fostered only with some few interruptions. „And when high-ranking officers

took this stand towards the Kontor it settled trends for the citizens.“ Wiberg explains. An

instructive evidence is handed down in Absalon Pedderson's diary of 1560. It proofes that

interpersonal relationships existed for a long time, and the Ältermänner and the Achteiner

(Council of the Eighteen) of the Bridge as well as their merchants and warehousemen had

contacts with officers and citizens – per standing postion and per position. Herewith simple diary

records maks clear what official sources do not reveal. Absalon Peddersen reports about mutual

visits, of bourgeois weddings at „Above Strand“, which were repeatedly visited by merchants of

„The Bridge“ as guests. The German vicar of St. Martin married a bourgeois daughter from

Bergen, and that of course had to lead to interrelations between Germans and Norwegians. Old

journeymen's notes describe beer festivities and about social contacts with Norwegian bourgeois

daughters. The journeymen, is written down there, danced and skipped with the young girls and

were happy doing this. The principal of seperation had to fail as such because of it's inconsistent.

The Bridge depended on good relationships with the native population, therefor she could not

avoid personal relationships. With the Hanseatic League's downgoing ties to the hometown

loosened anyway. The Kontorish felt home in Bergen long ago, marriages were on the increase.

Had the “defector“ been forced to leave the Bridge in ancient times he now was allowed to stay

and could continue trading on own calculus. In the 13th century in Bergen and in other

Norwegian towns German already craftsmen lived in large numbers, generally named

„Schomaker“. About 1350 their number increased as King Hakon, who appreciated this German

feature, issued new invitations. The German craftsmen continuously spread out, ousted the lesser

competitive indigenous, and dominated almost all craftsman offices in around 1450. Their

relationships to the indigenous people naturally were more close than those of the Hanseatics,

but they also seperated themselves – on the one hand because of a time- and performance related

national pride, at the other hand because gaining the Norwegian citizenship brought no benefits

to them.

The end of the Kontor

With the downgoing of the Hanseatic League at the end of the 17th century, the

dominating position of the Kontor in Bergen diminished. Step for step indigenous started

pushing forward and to buy parts of the Bridge. At the middle of the 18th century the last

Kontorish dropped out of the “German Bridge“. Successor of the Konter became the „Det

Norske Kontor“, that was a trading company with less fame and that just was a spark compared

to the former glory of the mighty German Hanseatic League.

After WWII with it's bitter time of occupation for Norway many voiced called for an

demolition of the „German Bridge“. Oficially the term „Tyskebryggen“, the word that awakened

this many evil associations, was deleted: since 1945 it only is named „Bryggen“. Despite the

upstirred mood during that times prudent natures prevailed over the nationalis ressentiments and

made sure restoring of old buildings was carried out.

Again and again the Hanseatic League is accused of having been exploitative. A closer

look to the fact proofs interrelations through the Hanseatic League brought many benefits for the

participating towns. Especially Bergen depended on imports and on a strong organization that

made sure the stockfish, which was the most important good for export, was sold. The prospering

of that town during the Medieval era mainly was based on the prospering of the Kontor.

The goals of the Hanseatic League always were aimed at trading: it was about opening up

large markets and about direction of sales. Without a doubt remains the fact this organization

played a vast role as peaceful interceder between different folks. In a broadcast about Norway in

the German TV channel ZDF, that was broadcasted at dec 24th 1970, also pictures of Bergen

were shown. Among others a Christmas celebrity in an old Hanseatic Schötstube, the centre of

social life for German merchants, was shown. In a short speech adressing the German spectators,

the mayor of Bergen reminded about the great historical role the Hanseatic League played for the

relationship between Germany and the old residency town. At the anniversary day on the

occassion of the 1000th year of founding of Bergen as official guests also municipal president

and mayor of Luebeck took part „in order to renew the old and current good connections

between both towns, and to build a bridge into future for common actions in trade and culture.“