Haakon’s Hall is one of the most imposing sights as you approach Bergen by sea. The medieval structure was originally built in the thirteenth century by King Haakon Haakonsson, and was used for the coronation of his son, King Magnus the Lawmender. Norway had no monarchy of its own from the late Middle Ages onwards, and this once grand building fell into substantial disrepair until it was restored in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It is now used once again for ceremonial functions and for concerts.
