Part 2 - Bryggen and the German Hanseatic League The picturesque, colourful wooden houses in the Bryggen district are the symbol of the city. Today there are cafes, restaurants and bars among the houses, which are frequented by locals and tourists. 400 years ago, however, there was the smell of dried cod in the air, which was stored here. German merchants bought the cod from Norwegian fishermen and then exported it to all of Europe. This fish made Bergen the most important trading metropolis in Scandinavia at the time. On our way through the Bryggen World Heritage Site, I will tell you what made the fish so special, what the Hanseatic League was and how life for the German merchants played out here.