Holmen Bergenhus The Royal and Ecclesiastical Centre of Bergen in the Middle Ages

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1 Holmen Bergenhus The Royal and Ecclesiastical Centre of Bergen in the Middle Ages Knut Helle and Ole Egil Eide Alvheim & Eide 1 North Point bastion 2 Newer buildings in military use 3 Ballasttangen's bastion 4 Site of Christ Church 5 Remains of Håkon Håkonsson s girdle-wall 6 Håkon s Hall 7 Remains of Håkon Håkonsson s second stone hall 8 German bunker from Second World War 9 Palace courtyard 10 Commandant s residence 11 Residence of the Captain of the Guard 12 Stable buildings 13 Jørgen Hanssøn's girdle-wall 14 Håkon Håkonsson s gatehouse 16 Parade ground 17 Koengen 18 Sverresborg 19 Fishery buildings 20 Fortress quay

2 HISTORICAL SURVEY For almost nine hundred years the royal residence at "Holmen", later Bergenhus castle and fortress, has watched over the sea traffic into Vågen, in Bergen. King Øystein Magnusson ( ) moved the royal residence from Alrekstad (now Årstad) about 2 km southeast of the inner end of Vågen. The royal power could hardly have made clearer its interest in the budding commercial town beside Vågen! King Øystein's grandfather, Olav Kyrre ( ), had already started to build churches at Holmen. He had the small Christ Church built of wood, and laid the foundations of the large Christ Church, the town's medieval cathedral, in stone. His plan was clearly to make Bergen into a regular episcopal see. This is probably one of the reasons why he was later considered the founder of Bergen. When the civil wars came to an end in the first half of Håkon Håkonsson's long reign ( ) and Norway became more permanently united under a single, national monarchy, the wooden royal residence gradually had to give way to an up-to-date fortified complex of stone buildings. Under King Håkon and his immediate successors, Bergen became the first true capital of Norway, and the complex of new royal buildings at Holmen developed into the country's political centre. From this period Håkon's Hall and King Magnus Lagabøte's keep still remain the latter as the backbone of the present Rosenkrantz Tower. The large Christ Church loomed up now, on Holmen's highest point, with the bishop's palace beside it. Before any other buildings, it caught the eye of those who arrived at Bergen by sea. Beyond Christ Church the royal buildings raised themselves on the rocks, facing Vågen (see model next page). No-one who sailed into Vågen could doubt that they were arriving at something more than just a busy commercial town. This was also a king's and a bishop's seat, from which the surrounding area was ruled.

3 In about 1530 the church centre at Holmen was levelled, on military-strategic grounds. But the royal power endured. It is true that because of the union with Denmark in the late Middle Ages Bergen ceased to be a permanent royal residence. But the royal palace remained a political-administrative centre. This is where the "captain of the royal palace", or governor, the king's leading representative in western and northern Norway, had his headquarters. King Christian II's governor, Jørgen Hanssøn ( ) put the royal palace in order again, partly as an administrative centre, with warehousing for the king's income in kind, partly as a military strongpoint in a period which saw bullets and gunpowder coming into use. His comprehensive reconstruction gave the medieval complex the name it has borne ever since: Bergenhus. The last syllable in this name (-hus) at that time signified a fortified castle. The castle received its imposing renaissance façade facing the town when governor Erik Rosenkrantz ( ) had the medieval keep converted into a handsome residential tower. Today this is the "Rosenkrantz Tower". With the introduction of a Dano-Norwegian absolute monarchy in 1660 the civil and military authorities were separated from one another, and Bergenhus became a fortress pure and simple. Now began the extensive work on walls and ramparts which gradually altered Holmen's topography and gave the Bergenhus area its present appearance. Powerful stone bastions dominate the ground plan. The remains of the medieval complex are for the most part visible only in the area of the old royal palace (see plan, previous page), all being of grey stone. As parts of the fortress, Håkon's Hall and the Rosenkrantz Tower have been preserved (under various forms of roof) until today. Their walls withstood the catastrophe in Bergen harbour in 1944 when a German ammunition ship exploded, and both buildings were given a thorough archaeological investigation and restored after the Second World War. Between them is the Palace yard,

4 which is now bounded on three sides by whitewashed buildings from the early 18th century). Bergenhus, together with Sverresborg, underwent its last, comprehensive improvements at the time when Denmark-Norway was drawn into the European war on Napoleon's side in But the fortress has continued to have a military role into our own times. The army chief for western Norway is still the Commandant of Bergenhus and has his residence there. THE ECCLESIASTICAL CENTRE AT HOLMEN The Icelandic saga writer Snorre Sturlasson tells us that King Olav Kyrre ( ) had the small Christ Church completed in wood and that he laid the foundations in stone of the large Christ Church cathedral. This church was probably more or less ready in , when King Magnus Erlingsson was crowned there. But the bishop himself was most likely living in Bergen from the end of Olav Kyrre's reign. His diocese was reduced to central Western Norway (Hordaland, Sogn og Fjordane) when Rogaland and Agder were transferred to a new episcopal see in Stavanger, at the latest in the 1120's. The foundation of the see in Bergen gave impetus to the development of an ecclesiastical complex at Holmen. East of the large Christ Church, towards the marshy Veisan (now called Koengen), there is evidence from the 1180's of an episcopal palace, with several buildings. Just north of this there were erected buildings for the canons. Farthest out, on Holmen's northern slopes, where today we have the fishery buildings at Bontelabo, a Dominican friary was founded in about 1240 or perhaps a little earlier. Today the only traces of the medieval ecclesiastical complex at Holmen are a couple of stones from the foundations beneath the large Christ Church's west front. In about 1530, when an attack by the banished King Christian II was feared, the ecclesiastical complex was regarded as being dangerously close to Bergenhus. After the Dominican friary burnt down in 1528 the remaining buildings outside the royal estate were demolished during the years The extensive work on the walls and ramparts of the fortress during the second half of the 17th century did away with those remains of the large Christ Church and other buildings which were still visible. Behind the bastions the ground was conscientiously levelled and the rock partly blasted away. But the stones from the old churches were used again. Ordinary rubble went into the walls and redoubts of the fortress. But the most valuable stone, moulded soapstone, was saved for those buildings which remained, or which were later to be erected, at Bergenhus. Stone from the medieval churches was found in the walls of Håkon's Hall during restoration work in the last century and a great quantity of such stone, all of it having been previously used, came to light when

5 parts of the walls of the Rosenkrantz Tower and of the Captain of the Guard's residence collapsed following the explosion in Bergen harbour in THE MEDIEVAL ROYAL RESIDENCE The original timber residence from the 12th and the early 13th centuries has disappeared without trace. We know that it contained a Chapel of the Holy Apostles (the first of three such at Holmen) and a large Hall, both erected by King Øystein Magnusson. In the 1180's two halls had been added in the vicinity. All these buildings were connected by galleries and probably were situated in the present Palace courtyard area south of Håkon's Hall. It is possible that King Øystein's residence, whose hall and chapel were connected, took its form from older, German models. King Inge Bårdsson ( ) built a wooden royal palace in the same area after a fire in When Håkon Håkonsson and his counsellors chose Bergen as a capital a need arose for several more, larger and better buildings on the royal estate. Accommodation was needed for the king, the royal retinue and administrative personnel; also storage room for the royal income in kind; and premises suitable for assemblies and banquets. Appearances were important to the regime: monumental buildings would show that it enjoyed fully European status and would symbolise its power. The experience of the civil wars dictated, furthermore, that the royal residence in Bergen should be properly fortified. This is the background to the fact that during Håkon's, his son's and his grandsons' reigns, the old timber buildings were gradually replaced by a large up-to-date stone complex. A new Chapel of the Holy Apostles (No 2) was ready for King Håkon's coronation in However, there was as yet nowhere large and fine enough halls to hold the great coronation banquet. So instead this was held in an enormous boathouse, down by the sea. The lessons of this particular summer (an unusually wet one, incidentally) contributed to the decision to build Håkon's Hall. This was ready by the time that Håkon's son and co-monarch, Magnus, later called "Lagabøte", the Lawmender, celebrated his wedding and was crowned in Bergen in It was then possible to host nearly 2000 guests in "The Stone Hall", as Håkon's Hall is referred to in Håkon's saga, and in two halls besides. One of these, too, was a new stone hall, beyond Håkon's Hall, facing the sea (see picture opposite page). Before he died in 1263 King Håkon also had built a solid girdle-wall around the whole royal estate, with two gate-towers, one facing the town, and the other probably facing Vågen. Håkon's projects were influenced by the larger palace- and castle-complexes in Europe, and primarily those in England. The English Palace of Westminster may have been a kind of model for the royal residence in Bergen. The construction work on the royal palace did not come to an end with King Håkon's death. His son Magnus Lagabøte ( ) supplied the palace with a

6 substantial fortified tower, "The Keep by the Sea", in about He also laid the foundations for a third Chapel of the Holy Apostles in his herb garden probably outside the girdle-wall beneath today's Parade ground. This chapel was finished under Magnus's sons, Eirik ( ) and Håkon V ( ), and was consecrated in A new, large stone building was probably also erected during King Eirik's reign beside the girdle-wall, facing Vågen. Remains of it are preserved beneath the Commandant's residence. By the beginning of the 14th century, the medieval royal complex had reached the limits of its development. HÅKON'S HALL has taken its name from its first builder, King Håkon Håkonsson. As we have seen, it was erected at some time between 1247 and 1261; in the latter year it was in use as "The Stone Hall". Today the Hall turns its handsome rows of Gothic windows out towards Vågen. But originally the view on this side was blocked by King Håkon's second hall. Håkon's Hall faced onto a closed castle yard. The Similarity between this building and its Gothic contemporaries in England and Scotland is striking: first we have one, or several, lower stories; then there is a great hall, with a rostrum at one end for the owner of the palace. The master's private rooms would often be situated outside the actual hall, at the rostrum end; but here, at Holmen, there was inadequate space within the girdle-wall for this arrangement. Most likely these rooms were in this case placed within an annexe at the northern end of the Hall's eastern long wall. Possibly there were kitchens at the opposite end from the rostrum. The great hall has been and still is splendidly suited to formal receptions. During the middle ages it was used in connection with major events such as coronations, royal weddings and important political meetings. The king almost certainly held court here when he was staying in Bergen. Originally the floor in the great hall rested on timber joists, carried on square, soapstone pillars. But after a fire in 1266 solid stone vaults were erected above the middle storey as a fireproof foundation for the floor of the great Hall. With its comparatively large windows and ample space, the middle storey was well suited to be a living and working area. The lower storey, with its narrow slit-windows, was best suited for the storage of provisions. In the late Middle Ages the original functions of Håkon's Hall lapsed. It was probably still used for meetings and celebrations in connection with royal visits to Bergen in 1450, 1453 and But during the period of Jørgen Hanssøn's governorship the Hall was used as a warehouse for the royal income in kind. And it was precisely this function as a storehouse, which allowed it to survive, under various roof-forms, during the succeeding centuries. During the wave of nationalromantic feeling around 1840 it was rediscovered for what it had originally been. The fabric was restored in and richly decorated in But

7 practically the entire contents of the Hall were lost in the enormous fire which followed the catastrophic explosion in Bergen harbour in Only the walls were left standing. A period of archaeological investigation, and subsequent restoration, led to the Hall being opened to the public again on 11th September 1961 the 700th anniversary of its first known use. The guiding principle behind the most recent restoration has been that the medieval stonework should speak for itself and that our contemporary contributions (timber floors and ceiling, furniture, and the artistic decorations) should merely round out the picture, without pastiche. Today Håkon's Hall is used ceremonially on important occasions. It is also in use for concerts. JØRGEN HANSSØN'S RECONSTRUCTION When Jørgen Hanssøn came to Bergen as Christian II's governor in 1514 the medieval royal complex was in a dilapidated state. As we have explained, it was his extensive improvements which turned the royal complex into "Bergenhus". Jørgen had "The Great Tower" (i.e. the medieval keep) made fully usable again, with a new arrangement of storeys. The girdle-wall, to the east, was drawn in considerably by comparison with the medieval wall, and the main entrance through Håkon Håkonsson's gatehouse was blocked up. In the corner, between the Tower and the new girdle-wall, Jørgen built an open outwork (see plan on next page) with a new main entrance. Jørgen;s books of account also refer to building work on two other towers, "the small tower" and the "new tower". "The Hall" (i.e. Håkon's Hall) received a new roof. ROSENKRANTZ TOWER The richest historical monument at Bergenhus today is the Rosenkrantz Tower, named after the builder Erik Rosenkrantz, castle governor from With its apparently harmonious renaissance façade, the Tower is the face proffered by Bergenhus to the town. But we have already seen that the backbone of the Tower is far older: a massive and approximately square keep built by King Magnus Lagabøte. It was known as "The Keep by the Sea" when it had been finished in Not only was it intended to strengthen the defence of the royal estate; it was to have a residential function, too. Under the pious King Magnus a chapel was fitted up in the second storey, and a bedchamber above, in the topmost storey. Around 1520 Jørgen Hanssøn put the Tower into a sound state again, and added his outwork. When Erik Rosenkrantz came to Bergen as King Fredrik II's governor in 1560 he was given the task of putting the whole of Bergenhus into

8 good architectural and military order. He summoned stonemasons from Scotland to incorporate the medieval keep and Jørgen Hanssøn's outwork into a larger residential tower, influenced by contemporary Scottish tower architecture. The medieval keep received a new south wall, beyond the old one, in line with the leading edge of the outwork. The outwork was now built up to the full height of the tower, by the side of the medieval keep. The storeys within the keep were in part rearranged, and above the wall head, here and in the outwork section, there was built a cannon-loft. A spiral staircase within the new south wall connected the floors in both parts of the Tower. It ended in a small octagonal tower with onion cupola and a gilt mermaid for a weathervane. The Tower received a completely new wall head with breastwork and embrasures around the parapet. And a gable roof was put up, as a protection against the Bergen rain. The year 1563 on the façade signifies that the Rosenkrantz Tower must have been well on the way to completion by then, but work on it continued until By then it had received the appearance which we see in the Scholeus print of about This appearance was more or less retained through the years, with various kinds of roof, although the Tower itself filled different functions (as a powder magazine, for instance, in the 18th century, it was provided with new vaultings). Today the original appearance has been restored even in respect of the roof. Inside the Tower there has been an effort, to reveal for visitors all three main phases of the architectural history of the Tower. In the medieval keep the old arrangement of storeys has been retained in the cellars, the guardroom, the king's chapel and the bedchamber. Today the latter is identical, in its dimensions, with the most distinguished room in the Rosenkrantz Tower, "The King's Hall". The outwork section of the Tower, which faces the Parade ground, still has the same arrangement of storeys and the same room dimensions as in Erik's days. Above the entrance hall are the new guardroom, Erik's room, with his arms above the fireplace, and Lady Helvig's room. In the cannon-loft, uppermost in the Tower, the Norwegian Military Museum has laid out a permanent exhibition which shows western Norways's military history, with Bergenhus and the Rosenkrantz Tower at its heart. Right at the very top, beneath the gable roof, there are a series of pictures of Bergenhus under various forms of roof, and a photomontage of the effects of the explosion catastrophe in Part of the Tower collapsed. But this provided an opportunity for the thorough archaeological research which has given us our present knowledge of its architectural history. Amongst other things, these researches threw light upon the re-use of stone from the medieval churches at Holmen. A good deal of this stone, probably from the third (and last) Chapel of the Holy Apostles, is now on show in the uppermost room in the Tower. The latest restoration of the Tower, which followed the 1944 explosion, was completed in The Tower was then opened to the public again.

9 SVERRESBORG The 12th century royal residence at Holmen was not fortified, and was thus vulnerable to attack during the civil wars. In the middle of the 1180's King Sverre decided to build a stone fortress on the high crag about 250 meters northeast of the royal residence Sverresborg (Sverre's Castle). Adequately supplied and garrisoned, the castle proved to be virtually unassailable during the last phase of the civil wars. But in 1207 it was undermanned, so that the king's enemies in the civil war were able to capture and destroy it. King Håkon Håkonsson had Sverresborg rebuilt during the first part of his reign, and again after the great town fire in There follows a long silence in the official records that have come down to us. We must suppose that Sverresborg was overshadowed by the new, fortified royal residence at Holmen. The castle must have been in a ruined state in 1477, when the townsfolk complained that the Hanseatic merchants had torn down its walls. Today all visible traces of the original Sverresborg have vanished. They have been erased by the fort which was built as a stage in the development of Bergenhus fortress after the middle of the 17th century. The fort received its present form in the years , when Denmark-Norway was drawn into the Napoleonic wars. It was now broken away from the reminder of the Bergenhus complex, and it remains separate today. A walkway has been opened, running from Bergenhus's northern gate, by stairs to Sverresborg. The view from here over Bergenhus and the town of Bergen is superb.