Stavanger, Norway, a city of more than 125,000, has a beautiful and delightful Old Town with cobblestone streets lined with historic wooden homes dating to the 17th and 18th centuries.
As Viking Jupiter approaches, I can see the lovely homes on a hillside, many with red-tiles roofs.
On an included tour led by a local historian, I discover more about the little houses.
About 250 homes, shops, and museums are protected by a conservancy formed in the 1950s after developers threatened to destroy these historic landmarks. The houses are considered the best kept wooden houses in Northern Europe.
The fact we can all appreciate Gamle Stavanger comes down to the intervention of one person.
After World War II, city fathers decided to redesign Stavanger. The plans included demolishing many old wooden buildings and replacing them with more modern structures made of concrete.
But one man spoke out about the plan. The city’s architect, Einar Hedén, argued that the original wooden structures were unique and should be treasured, not razed to the ground.
Hedén saw the beauty in the buildings when others did not. His involvement was crucial in securing the town’s future.
Walking along the narrow streets, we learn that most of the privately owned houses, small in size, served the community in the preceding centuries. They could be easily dismantled and moved if residents ever wanted to relocate.
After the tour, I walk along the streets, admiring their simplistic beauty and tiny flower gardens, and eventually return to the ship.
Again, Viking Ocean Cruises delivered a beautiful chapter in Scandinavian history.
Click here for more information about Viking Ocean Cruise’s “Viking Homelands” cruise.
