Bergen, Norway: Rosenkrantz Tower

Those who walk along the harborside in Bergen ought to be comforted by one of the areas along the way. After all, how many waterfronts have a real, life fortress along the way?

The Rosenkrantz Tower has been around since 1270 or so. The tower was the home of King Eirik Magnusson, the last person in that job to live in Bergen. The structure has received some renovations and additions during that time. The biggest one was in 1563. 

A variety of government agencies oversee the complex at the current time. Some have military connections, while others are connected to the city of Bergen. They all have to deal with the amount of water that can crash into the fortress. At least according to a sign, everyone will be working on the roof and other parts of the area in the near future. You can walk around the grounds for free, although there is an admission charge for other parts of the area.

By the way, we just missed something of a music festival while we were there. The headliner at Rosenkrantz Tower was Iron Maiden. That must have been something.