Bergenhus Fortress is a medieval fortress at the entrance to the Vagen harbour in Bergen, among the oldest and best-preserved stone fortifications in Norway. The first stone walls were raised in the 1240s, when Bergen was the royal residence and capital of Norway.
The grounds hold two landmark buildings. Haakon's Hall, built around 1260, is the largest secular medieval building in Norway, rebuilt after a 1944 fire and reopened in 1961; it now hosts concerts and official banquets. The Rosenkrantz Tower dates from the 1270s, was extended in the 1560s, later served as a gunpowder store, and has been open to visitors since 1966.
The fortress grounds are open to the public free of charge, while the two buildings are run as museums by the Bergen City Museum.
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