The fire that changed Bergen
The fire of 1916 changed the appearance of the Bergen city centre. The University of Bergen Library and Bergen City Museum now present the major exhibition "From the Ashes - The Bergen Fire of 1916."
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“It is important to show that this particular fire, the Bergen Fire, had enormous consequences for the urban landscape of Bergen. The damages marked a new beginning for the city’s main square, Torgallmenningen, from a field to an open space in the heart of the city, says Academic Librarian Marthe T. Fjellestad at the University of Bergen Library.
Marking 100 years since the fire
15 January 2016 was the day for the 100 year anniversary of the Bergen fire of 1916. The exhibition From the Ashes - The Bergen Fire of 1916 is a collaboration between the Department of Special Collections at the University of Bergen Library and Bergen City Museum. The exhibition Up From the Ashes opened at Bryggens Museum on 15 January and is based on almost 400 pictures from the city fire.
* The photos are also available for online viewing at marcus.uib.no.
“Already on the opening day, there were 200 visitors to the exhibition. So there is great interest for this event,” says Fjellestad.
Rising from the ashes
The exhibition also contains historical objects like maps and fire-fighting appliances used to extinguish the fire.
“It has been a great advantage to work together with the University of Bergen Library. We both have historians, photographers and other experts who have contributed with their knowledge and ideas,” says Anne Mette Prestegård of the Bergen City Museum.
The exhibition has two parts; an extensive exhibition at Bryggens Museum and a smaller window-exhibition at the Department of Special Collections at Nygårdsgaten 5 in Bergen. Both exhibitions are texted in Norwegian and English and are open until 4 September 2016.