In 2023, we celebrated our 20th anniversary and are proud to operate this historic and traditional eatery in the heart of Bryggen!
The restaurant is located in one of the oldest and best-preserved wooden houses in Bergen’s historic harbor district, Bryggen. The building dates back to the 18th century and offers visitors a unique dining experience in a charming and historic atmosphere. Bryggen Tracteursted is known for serving traditional Norwegian food with a modern twist. Everyone is welcome; whether you spend an entire evening with good friends, or just stop by for a nice drink.
We serve food inspired by West Norwegian and Bergen culinary culture. We use seasonal, local ingredients that provide a pure and authentic taste experience. Our great passion is to showcase the best of Norwegian food traditions through our “Smakfulle Småtterier” (Flavorful Bites); a very social and flavorful dining experience.
Around 1360, Bryggen in Bergen was established as a Hanseatic “kontor” (trading post), and the Germans came to dominate Bryggen for the next 400 years. The export of dried cod and import of grain were the main foundations of their business. The German Kontor at Bryggen was a unique male community characterized by hard work and strict discipline. The Kontor had its own jurisdiction and its own school system.
Although most of the buildings at Bryggen were built as warehouses, they also housed simple offices and living quarters for merchants, journeymen, and apprentices. At the back of the courtyards were the schøtstues, the Hanseatic League’s common gathering place, where they were served warm meals in winter. A Schøtstue also served a number of other functions in addition to this – it was a party venue where they socialized among themselves or with guests.
At the back of the courtyards were the Schøtstues, the Hanseatic League’s common gathering place, where they were served warm meals in winter. A Schøtstue also served a number of other functions in addition to this – it was a party venue where they socialized among themselves or with guests.
Due to fires in the late 1400s and throughout the 1500s, most of the Schøtstues disappeared from Bergen; they were not rebuilt as the townspeople were no longer satisfied with the communal system that the Schøtstues with their associated Ildhus (firehouses) were based on. However, the Germans at Bryggen retained both their Schøtstue and Ildhus. Therefore, the halls in our area were used until around the 1840s. Today, four of them remain, of which Svensgården’s Schøtstue is protected and the only one still standing in its original location.
Today, Svensgården’s Schøtstue and the Ildhus, which represents the Schøtstue’s kitchen, are part of Bryggen Tracteursted. Reopened as an intimate restaurant with a modern kitchen inspired by Bergen and Hanseatic culinary culture. Here, you can once again enjoy a festive meal on historic ground!
When people came to the coast, they saw that the sea teemed with living creatures. One particular species was abundant at certain times of the year – and was easy to catch. They gave this fish species a name that in today’s Norwegian has become ‘torsk’ (cod). The etymological origin has been interpreted as “the fish that is dried,” indicating that the art of drying cod under the open sky is an experience as old as the art of catching it. Through the drying process, the fish was transformed into more than just a seasonal raw material; it provided the nomadic hunter-gatherers with vital proteins year-round. For Bergen, dried cod was of great importance, which made the city Northern Europe’s largest center for trade in dried cod from Northern Norway for almost 800 years.
Small, delicate dishes with distinct character provide a rich and flavorful meal, and the serving style is a social experience! Norwegian cuisine, with its many specialties, is particularly well-suited for this type of serving. We have brought forth known and forgotten flavors combined with the right accompaniments.
From the 14th century to the mid-16th century, the Hanseatic League dominated trade between Northeast and Northwest Europe. It covered raw materials and food supplies for the West, and the East received Western products in exchange. The West received products such as furs, wax, grain, fish, flax, hemp, wood and timber products, tar, and potatoes. In return, the Hanseatic merchants brought industrial, finished products such as textiles, metal goods, weapons, and spices.
It is somewhat uncertain when the Hanseatic era in Bergen truly began, but what is known for certain is that Bergen’s trade with Germany was already taking place in the 12th century. In Germany, the Hanseatic era is usually dated from the 13th to the 16th century.
It was primarily the Hanseatic merchants who further developed the export of dried cod to England and Western Europe. The Hanseatic merchants were very efficient and well-organized and had good contacts with the export market. During this time, the King imposed a ban on foreign merchants traveling north to buy dried cod directly, which made the ‘jektefart’ (traditional cargo boat trade) a very lucrative business.
Under the Hanseatic League, both the population and prosperity in Norway increased. The Hanseatic era began in the mid-14th century and lasted until 1754 when the Norwegians took over the trade. The Hanseatic merchants gradually gained solid expertise in assessing and trading dried cod.
In the late 17th century, fish prices dropped, and with this came hard times for both the Hanseatic merchants and the Norwegian fishermen. The Hanseatic merchants could no longer maintain the trade of goods.
