Puddefjorden is an inlet or fjord in central Bergen, Norway. An arm of Byfjorden, Puddefjorden is 3.5 km long and stretches from the tip of the Nordnes peninsula to the bay of Solheimsviken at the entrance to Store Lungegårdsvann. The fjord is 1.2 km at its widest,[1] between Nordnes and inner Laksevåg. The innermost part of the fjord, known as Damsgårdssundet, is far more narrow, scarcely 100 m wide at the narrowest. The fjord is located next to some of Bergen's most important industry areas, and has played a significant part in the city's development and industrialisation.
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Despite being situated in Bergen, Puddefjorden has not played a major role in the city's early history. The fjord experiences strong currents and has numerous small islets, rendering boat passage dangerous. Furthermore, its innermost parts used to lightly freeze over during winters. As such, Vågen has been a highly preferred entrance for water-craft traffic.
The ice, islets and the strong current caused the kings of Alrekstad (today known as Årstad) to avoid using Puddefjorden. The ice also stopped an invasion attempt by Kristoffer Throndsen in 1536, when Puddefjorden went all the way in to what is now known as Lille Lungegårdsvann.
Puddefjorden was originally not considered a part of Bergen, but rather a nearby area. This view held until around mid-1800. The fjord's north eastern side belonged to the city, however, and scattered habitations appeared there at the end of the 17th century, later becoming the neighbourhoods Møhlenpris and Nøstet.
The original Puddefjorden was both longer and broader than it is today, but after extensive industrialisation of the nearby areas in the 19th century, the fjord's form was altered. Formerly, the Puddefjord was wrapped around the city, ending only a few blocks away from Vågen. Following the final filling of the strait between Lille Lungegårdsvannet and Store Lungegårdsvannet in 1926, the fjord now stops by Store Lungegårdsvannet.
The first bridge across Puddefjorden was the first Nygård Bridge, opened in 1851.[1] Since that time, three additional bridges have been built across the fjord; the New Nygård Bridge (1978),[1] the Second New Nygård Bridge (2008),[2] and the Puddefjord Bridge (1956).[3] The former three cross the entrance to Store Lungegårdsvann, while the fourth spans the fjord between Møhlenpris and Gyldenpris.
Long term industry has had an environmental effect on the fjord, and its sediment has become polluted with PCB and mercury. There has never been a thorough record of the poisons released into Puddefjorden, and both smaller businesses and locals have used Store Lungegårdsvann as a disposal area. As a result, Puddefjorden is now divided into five sub-areas and the rinsing process is estimated to cost around ten million kroner.[4]