MSC PREZIOSA: Cruise from Hamburg to Svalbard and North Cape

     Norway's second largest city with a population of around 200,000, Bergen is a destination of architectural, historical and natural fascination. The city lies facing the sea with a dramatic backdrop of seven hills. Some 50,000 tourists visit Bergen annually, attracted by the beauty of the region and the accessibility of Norway's spectacular fjords. Bergen's port has throughout its history been crucial to the city's prosperity - and even the very survival of its people. In 1702, when a fire swept through the wooden houses of the then village of Bergen, the sea provided an escape route for thousands.
     Bergen was founded as Norway's capital in the 11th Century by King Olav Kyrre and its high status remained until the 13th Century when the powerful Lubeck Hanseatic League made the 'Bryggen' quarter into a German ghetto, contained by a barrier and with special localised rules which gave great favour - and power - to the merchant classes. German dominance remained for 400 years, eventually being replaced by the Danes, and then the Swedes, until Norway gained peaceful independence in 1905. Only four houses remain from the days of the Hanseatic League, although the area of the former ghetto is the financial centre of the city.
     One of Bergen's most illustrious sons was the composer Edvard Grieg, whose life and work is celebrated in his former home Troldhaugen. The contemporary cultural life of Bergen is also thriving and the city was selected as one of the Cultural Cities of Europe for the year 2000. Architecturally, Bergen has much to offer. Of particular note is the stone-built 12th Century St Mary Church. The Hanseatic Museum in the centre of Bergen near the Fish Market is one of the city's best-preserved wooden buildings. The wooden Fantoft Stave Church is another structure of particular fascination. The original church, which also dates to the 12th Century, was destroyed by fire in 1992 and the present structure is a faithful restoration.
     Norway has much to offer souvenir hunters, including high quality hand-made glassware and china. Pewter items are particularly popular and have the distinctive feature of being lead-free. Other Norwegian specialities include jewellery made from the national semi-precious stone thulite, and woollen clothing. Among the culinary specialities of Norway are smoked salmon dishes called lads, and pickled herring.

     Longyerbyen, Ny-Alesund and Magdalenenfyord are the three most important centres of the Svalbard islands, an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean with a total surface of 62,700sq km, situated between northern latitudes 74' and 81' and eastern longitudes 10' and 35'. The exact date of the islands' discovery is still a matter of debate. Some historians attribute their origins to the Vikings, others believe they were discovered by Russian sailors.
     The first visitor to the islands to supply a detailed description was Dutch explorer Willem Barentz in 1596 who named them Spitzbergen, due to the sharp mountain peaks. The name persisted for more than 300 years, until the islands fell under Norwegian rule in 1925 and were renamed Svalbard ('the country with cold coasts' in ancient Norwegian). Currently Spitzbergen is the name of the largest island of the archipelago.
     The first regular visitors to the islands were hunters and fishermen, mainly from England and the Netherlands, attracted by the rich fauna. In the 18th Century, the Russians began walrus, polar bear and arctic fox hunting, soon to be followed by the Norwegians. Only fox hunting continues to be practised, although to a much lesser extent.
     At the beginning of the 20th Century, Norway discovered deposits of coal and other minerals, establishing the first permanent villages and industrial sites. The Svalbard islands are a sort of geographical co-operative. While several countries claimed ownership down the ages, they were generally regarded as "no-man's land'. In 1925, their status was formalised when, following an international agreement called the Svalbard Treaty, Norway undertook sovereignty, committing itself to the non-military use of the islands and establishing the possibility of a presence from other contracting countries. As a result of the treaty, Norwegians on the islands are outnumbered by other nationalities. The 3,000 inhabitants of the Svalbard islands are equally divided between the three main cities: Longyearbyen, Barentsburg and Pyramide. Longyearbyen includes the islands' administrative centre, governor's residence ('Sysselmann') and is where the mining company Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkumpani is registered. Apart from Spitzbergen, the other islands are designated national parks and natural reserves. On the southern coast of the Kongsfjord lies Ny-Alesund, the site of several fatal mining tragedies in 1962. It was also the point in 1925 from which Roald Amundsen started his attempt to reach the North Pole by seaplane. The following year, Amundsen, Umberto Nobile and the American Ellsworth, took off from Ny-Alesund in their 'North' airship and for the first time flew over the North Pole, landing in Alaska near the village of Teller.
     In 1928 Ny-Alesund was also the starting point of a fatal expedition by Umberto Nobile in his 'Italia' aircraft. It is still possible to visit the 'Italia' hangar. North of Ny-Alesund is the seven-mile long Magdalenafjord, surrounded by magnificent glaciers.

     The gateway to the North Cape, Honningsvag was in mediaeval times believed to lie on the edge of the world. The region is one of icy winds and the land of the midnight sun and offers the visitor spectacular landscapes and stunning views. The rocky promontory of North Cape was first discovered in 1553 by English captain Richard Chancellor while on an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to find a new passage to China. The captain, however, developed significant commerce on the Russian coast at Mourmansk and became very wealthy.
     The first organised tour to the North Cape was by ship in 1875 through the English Cook agency. The ship had to anchor at Hornvika, just below North Cape and the remaining journey was done on foot. It reportedly took the visitors one-hour to climb the 307 metres to the peak of North Cape, overlooking the Arctic Ocean at the top of the European continent.
     In 1956 a road was constructed between Honningsvag and North Cape, heralding a period of substantial commerce for the region. North Cape is situated on Mageroy Island, which since 1998 has been connected to the mainland by a 7km tunnel. The road from Honningsvag to North Cape is 34km long and the 45-minute journey passes through beautiful Arctic landscape.
     The focal point for visitors to North Cape is the Pavilion, built in 1988, which through a 75-metre tunnel connects to a large cave dug out the rock where a terrace bar offers striking views over the Arctic Ocean. The Pavilion also has a number of restaurants and a cinema showing films about North Cape and various expeditions. Outside the Pavilion are the Globe, a symbol of North Cape, and a large sculpture in the shape of seven medallions. The sculpture, called Children of the Earth, is the work of seven youngsters who visited North Cape in 1988 and is meant to convey joy, peace, friendship and solidarity.

     The Norwegian city of Tromso is the gateway to the Arctic and starting point for expeditions to the North Pole. Situated on a small islet, connected to the coast by bridge, its main commercial activities revolve around the food and fishing industry, focused on the sea and nearby Lake Prestvant. The city's distinctive features include traditional timber warehouses and wooden houses. As a university town and a centre of the whaling industry,Tromso has enjoyed considerable prosperity with a thriving social and cultural life. The university is world renowned for its Geology and Natural Science faculties.
     The Tromso Museum is the city's most visited tourist attraction and was built at the same time as the university, with geological, botanical and zoological departments, reflecting all aspects of life in the Arctic. Another city highlight is Tromsdalen Church, the so-called 'Arctic Cathedral', one of the northernmost centres of Christianity.

     This is a city that, throughout a history dotted with numerous problems and even moments of great drama, has owed much of its drive, success and pride to the sea. In terms of its population and commerce Stavanger is nowadays Norway’s fourth most important city. Starting out as a small North Sea fishing village in perennial danger of Viking invasion, Stavanger managed to carve itself out a primary role in the Norwegian fish, food, shipbuilding and oil (and its derivatives) storage industries becoming, as a consequence, one of northern Europe’s most important ports. Of the city’s 110,000-strong population, around a third work in industries directly dependent on the port or its related businesses. Stavanger also has the highest immigration levels in Norway: it has been estimated that at least 7% of the population was born outside the city (either elsewhere in Norway or, in more recent years, abroad) before moving here, attracted by the plentiful employment and the chance to forge themselves a successful working life here, a city where working between 10-12 hours a day is par for the course.
     This is why Norwegians describe Stavanger as both the country’s most important town and its most important port. For this reason it is a city with a dual image - just like other provincial cities it has a very strong communal spirit where everyone knows and is happy to assist each other. So much so, in fact, that struggling businesses often receive support from more successful companies and employees migrate from one company to another without causing problems but rather contributing to an elastic workforce that has little comparison in Europe. Indeed it is this continual turnover of staff in the town and port that has made Stavanger Norway’s most cosmopolitan and international city.
     The old town, notable for its traditional local architecture with its little coloured wooden houses and picturesque cobbled streets, is truly beautiful, and is the heart of the city when it comes to shopping, nightlife and entertainment. Everyone works but nobody steals: this is another saying around these parts because Stavanger is also particularly proud of the fact that it is a 30,000-strong city with the lowest crime rates in Norway. If an old lady sprains her ankle while shopping it makes headline news here.
     In recent years the city has also attracted more tourists and large cruise ships for whom Stavanger is always a stopping-point on the way to visiting Rogaland, which has one of the most beautiful views of the Norwegian fjords, and the breathtaking Pulpit Rock on Lysefjord.
     The modern history of Stavanger, without doubt inhabited since the Stone Age and strongly characterised by a long Viking domination beginning around 800 A.D., began in 1825 when the sloop “Restauration” left for New York on 4th July with 52 pilgrim fathers, victims of religious persecution, aboard.
     In the following years a further 800,000 Norwegians left their homeland, departing from Stavanger with the United States the destination. More evidence of the growing importance of a city that, thanks to the continual stream of money sent back from US emigrants, has developed into the influential town it is today.

     Founded in 808 by Charlemagne, the fortress of Hammaburg was the original nucleus of Hamburg. The city immediately grew thanks to the institution of the archbishop’s see. Following the invasions of the Vikings, the Danes and the Slavs, Hamburg formed an alliance with the German cities of Bremen and Lubeck forming the Hanseatic League, which was to have a strong commercial influence in the North and Baltic Seas. Occupied by the French from 1806-11 during the Napoleonic wars, Hamburg became part of the German Confederation in 1815. The city was devastated by the bombardments of World War II which claimed 40,000 victims, but the post-war reconstruction saw Hamburg regain its historical and commercial importance as well as primary roles in industry and culture. With a population of over 1.7 million it is Germany’s second city after Berlin. In fact Hamburg is not just a city but also a city-state - Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg (the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg) – and is one of the 16 Länder that form the Bundesrepublik, the Federal Republic of Germany. Only the capital Berlin and nearby Bremen have been afforded the same status.
     Hamburg stands at the point at which the Alster and Bille flow into the River Elbe, around 110km from the North Sea. It is one of Europe’s busiest and most important ports and is connected to a large proportion of the continent via canals and other waterways. The building of the Kiel Canal in 1895 further increased traffic in the port making water transport between the city and the Baltic region that much easier. The port extends across the entire width of the Elbe, covering an area of around 40km2, and stands principally on the south bank of the river. One of the most characteristic areas of the city is around the Speicherstadt, the free port or warehouse district constructed between 1881 and 1887, where the buildings stand right on the edges of the canals. This district is also home to the majestic Kohlbrandbrücke bridge, the new emblem of Hamburg.
     Meanwhile on the north bank of the Elbe, directly opposite the old port, are the modern districts of St. Pauli and Altona, the ideal places for those looking for an evening of entertainment. As well as being the heart of Hamburg’s nightlife, the area is famous for the Reeperbahn red-light district. The banks of the river are connected by bridges and two tunnels: one for pedestrians and cyclists built in 1911 and the other, the Elbtunnel, designed for transport and constructed in 1975. Before flowing into the Elbe the Alster forms two lakes, the Aussenalster and the Binnenalster. From these two basins the water is channelled into the network of waterways that makes Hamburg distinctive.
     The Binnenalster, with the famous Alster fountain at its centre, is flanked by the historic town centre, the most elegant area of the city. At the heart of the Alstadt is the town hall (the Rathaus), which, built in 1897, boasts 646 rooms and dominates the square of the same name (Rathausmarkt) and also houses the stock exchange. Not far away you can also visit St. Peter’s Church, construction of which began in the 12th century. Other religious buildings of particular interest are the churches of St. Jacob (13th-15th century), St. Catherine (14th-15th century) and St. Michael, which dates back to the end of the 18th century. Also of note are the best examples of 20th century architecture that characterise a large part of the new city and its cultural buildings: the Musikhalle (1904-1908), the Landungsbrücken (1909), the Chilehaus (1923), the Shell-Haus (1931), and the Amerikahaus (1957). Capital of Germany when it comes to musicals, Hamburg has one of the most lively and enterprising cultural scenes in Europe: the city has 31 theatres, 6 comedy theatres, 10 cabaret theatres and 50 state and private museums.
     Most well-known of the museums is the Hamburger Kunsthalle which has been restored many times since its opening in 1869. Here you will find a large collection of paintings by European artists such as Manet, Munch and Rembrandt, as well as works from the German Romantic painters such as Friedrich and Otto Runge. 1997 saw the opening of the Gallery of Contemporary Art Wing, a cube-like structure designed by Mathias Ungers.