My first day in Stavanger was spent exploring the town a bit. We walked down cobblestone streets in 'Old Stavanger' which is where the alcoholics & artists used to live but is now filled with the moneyed crowd...guess some things are the same the world over, lol. Old Stavanger comprises 173 wooden buildings from the turn of the 18th century. Most of them are small, white cottages. Stavanger has received several awards for its efforts to preserve Old Stavanger. This was one of three pilot projects carried out in Norway during the United Nations' Architectural Heritage Year in 1975. Many galleries and handicrafts' boutiques are located in this section of town. And even a few artists!
They're having a warm summer this year, it was about 80 yesterday and everyone was out enjoying the sun. August is the time of year that most of the country goes on holiday so there was a lot of activity & great people watching at the harbor, quite a mix of Europeans but lots of Americans too because of the oil industry. Stavanger is the sister city to Houston so, as always, there is quite a connection to Texas no matter where you go.
The whole city of Stavanger is being prepared for the big events of 2008 when it will be recognized as the European Capital of Culture in partnership with Liverpool England. As many of you know, in 2004 I was on the committee to promote Austin as the first American Capital of Culture but the City decided not to pursue that opportunity, so seeing it all come to fruition here is of particular interest to me. You can keep track of the exciting projects celebrating Stavanger 2008; their 'sister city' for the year is Liverpool '08.
After spending some time in a cafe, we walked to the oldest church in Norway which is called 'Stavekirke'. According to tradition the cathedral was built in the year 1125, after Sigurd Jorsalfarer named Stavanger as a cathedral city. Bishop Reinald of Winchester was responsible for its construction. The church was built in Anglo-Norman style, probably by English craftsmen. The church' patron saint is St. Svithun, and it is reputed that his arm was one of the church' original relics. In 1272 the cathedral was damaged by fire, after which it received a new chancel built in the Gothic style. Stavanger Cathedral is the only Norwegian cathedral from the Middle Ages that has retained its original appearance and been in constant use. Elin told me that Sigurd's last name means 'Jerusalem traveler' and the common belief is that Bishop Winchester didn't exactly volunteer to come and build the church...which is probably why they have St. Svithun's arm as a relic since it all came about because Sigurd literally twisted the Bishop's arm as he forced him on the ship to Norway!
We then met Elin's friend Mine near the city center and went to a new cafe called 'Bøker og Børst' which translates to 'Books & Booze'. It's located in a newly revitalized part of the city and reminded me of Abbot Kinney in Venice CA. One of Mina's acquaintances joined us and when he heard I was from Austin was excited to tell me that he had just bought a few of the Austin City Limits' new DVDs. That led to a thought that perhaps they should start a show called 'Stavanger City Limits' highlighting the local music here...hence the name of today's report!
We're off to a bit more touring today...and I promise to have photos tomorrow! I hope you're enjoying this peek at Norway as much as I am :-)
rg
2 comments:
Definitely sounds like a place to visit! Keep the great stories about your adventure coming. Take some specific pictures for me, please Ruth! :)
Hi, Ruth!
A couple of quick comments from an inhabitant of Stavanger:
The cathedral of Stavanger is a rather nice Gothic cathedral, and not a "stavkirke". Stavkirke is the name for a type of medieval Norwegian wooden church of which only a very few remain. You can see pictures of them at http://images.google.com/images?q=stavkirke
I also have to comment your quip about the monied crowd in Old Stavanger. I live there and although I can't claim to be poor, the main reason I do so is that my wife's great grandfather bought the house in 1907. Also, a fair number of the buildings in Old Stavanger (currently about 20, I believe) are owned by the city and used as housing for the elderly, disabled and otherwise needy. But you are right that the situation has changed dramatically on Straen. When my wife grew up here in the 60ies, she wasn't allowed to go north of her own house - that was where the "bad people" lived.
Glad you enjoyed your visit!
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