One of the first castles built for the King of Norway in the 12th century. Well preserved and maintained structure. There is a wall from the 11th century. Well worth a visit and so much more when visited with a knowledgeable guide to tell the story.

We weren't sure what to expect, but we were pleasantly surprised. We went with our two kids (ages 10 and 12). It was right before closing time, so we only had time to explore the keep. There also weren't many people around at that time of the day (it was a self-led tour). This suited my kids who (instead of just following the recommended 1-way path) ran all over the place exploring. There were plenty of nooks and crannies, some 'secret' passages connecting different floors, and even a dungeon. The flyer we received was only available in Norwegian, but we were able to figure out roughly what most rooms were used for (there was no real furniture in the castle). The keep included a public toilet (downstairs in the dungeon area), which was useful. You can also go all the way up to the ramparts on the roof which gives you a lovely view of the harbour. It took us about half an hour to explore the keep.

The significance of the Bergenhus fortress is rather not in itself, but in the place where it is located, and 2 preserved buildings of the XIII century - the era of the Magnusson kings. Then this place was called Holmen and there was a royal residence, a cathedral, a Dominican monastery and other buildings. From those times, only the Rosencrantz Tower (circa 1270) remains, in which Magnusson the Legislator's bedroom is preserved, and the Royal Hall, today known as Haakon's Hall (circa 1260), in Norwegian Håkonshallen. Hakonshallen is the oldest and largest secular medieval building in Norway. The architecture of this building in the Gothic style is not typical for Norway, so there are suggestions that it was built by invited English architects. The fortress itself appeared during the Danish rule. During the Nazi occupation, the fortress was used by the Wehrmacht, which built a bunker on the territory of the fortress. The Dutch ship that exploded on the raid in 1944 severely damaged the buildings of the fortress. The entrance to the fortress is free except on days when some holidays are held here. At the same time, part of the fortress territory is still used by the Norwegian military. But in my opinion it doesn't bother tourists much. Just like the Arsenal in Venice..

We enjoyed walking around the outside part of this fortress. There is a tower but seemed only to be open on weekends. There is a higher point where you get a harbour view. Sheer drops off the edge of the wall are marked with warning signs. So mind your children yourself.

We were only in Bergen for a few days and on a rainy morning we went here for a morning outing. The staff in the Tower we very helpful , spoke english and we able to share with us the history about the place. We enjoyed our walk through Tower ( if you save your ticket from Tower you get a discount in Hall) and Haakon Hall as well as the grounds. It takes about 2.5 hours. It was worth it . Recommend this for an outing while in Bergen!

Nice Fortress that's in good condition to walk around, including the outer walls and tower. Visited in winter with snow covering Fortress and it was still very good to see, located only 10 minutes walk from wharf area. Believe some of the walls standing are original so Fortress does have historical value to the area, making it a must do for me. Carefull walking around as their are some drop off areas to walls if you are not carefull you could take a fall.