During the middle ages the Hanseatic League took control of trade in Northern Europe. Not until the seventeenth century was Norway once again in position to rebuild its fleet. The Norwegian merchant fleet continued to prosper during the eighteenth century, and Norwegian shipping sailed to more and more distant waters. This period is well represented in the museum’s collections, with various ship models, maps and original objects. A notable event during this period was the “Battle of Vågen”, between Dutch and English vessels in Bergen harbour. This part of the exhibition includes ship ornaments and one of the cannons that were used during the Battle.