Europejski program ochrony historycznej dzielnicy portowej Bryggen w norweskim mieście Bergen

The research team in the Chair of the Theory of the History of Architecture and the Conservation of Historical Monuments at the Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture at the Szczecin Polytechnic was invited to take part in an international research project conducted within the Culture 2000 European Programme. The topic of the project is the conservation and protection of wooden constructions and foundations in a complex known as Bryggen (Bergen). The unique complex of the Bryggen timber settlement structure, dated as originating in the early twelfth century, has been protected under the Norway Cultural Heritage Act since 1927, and due to its importance for European urban culture and rich archaeological deposits it has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979 as unique testimony of bygone cultural tradition. This old harbour quarter in Bergen possesses great historical value for the development of the city and the history of the mediaeval international trade conducted by Norway. Bergen was also one of the four foreign trading stations of the Hanseatic League (next to Bruggen, London and Novgorod) with an established German counting house managed by German merchants. This network was active in Bergen between 1360 and 1744. Bryggen possesses specific value for the image and identity of contemporary Bergen. The characteristic shape of the complex, consisting of a row of wooden gable houses facing the quay of Vagen Bay, and located on narrow lots with inner courtyards, constitutes an image of Old Norway known all over the world. The European Programme for Safeguarding the Historical Waterfront of Bryggen in Bergen focused on the development of protection methods using traditional material, craftsmanship and techniques in order to safeguard the authenticity of the remaining timber structure and to prevent further decay due to the unknown consequences of new techniques. The crucial obstacle lies in the fact that the present-day state of knowledge prevents us from recreating the way in which the carpenters of old prepared timber and the technologies used at the time of the construction of the complex. The state of the preservation of the Bryggen settlement complex is also affected by contemporary investments. A new, concrete quay has been built along Vagen Bay. The original cobblestone street was covered with asphalt and comfortable pavements have been installed up to the wooden walls of the historical houses. The charming inner streets were granted a flat wooden passage, which does not drain water. The thesis about the acceleration of processes unfavourable for the complex and the analysis of those phenomena made it possible to formulate a number of conclusions about the protection of Bryggen. The numerous conservation postulates include the following particularly noteworthy proposals: - to repair the roof covering and drains, and to attach downpipes to the rainwater sewage system, - to repair the faulty drainage system, - to guarantee suitable ventilation to the wooden foundations situated straight on the ground by isolating them from moisture with a permeable layer of sand or gravel, - to exchange the damaged wooden elements of the framework construction, including some of the elements of the foundation construction, - to limit traffic along the quay and restore the cobblestone street surface.