Olaf Kyrri 265 



father iii Eiigluiid. Magnus took over the government 

 of the country till the return of his brother, but he 

 survived that return only for a short time. 



Olaf Kyrri is described as a very handsome man, of 

 a silent habit in large companies, but very talkative in 

 small, especially when he was at table ; he was a heavy 

 drinker, but even in his cups of a very mild disposition. 

 He may be reckoned as — appropriately enough — the 

 inaugurator of inns or hotels in his country, and on this 

 account he is an interesting figure to the modern tra- 

 veller. What Olaf actually did in this way was the 

 building of a merchants' house in Nidaros or Tlirond- 

 hjem ; a building which served the purpose of an inn or 

 travellers' rest. 



We may, perhaps, refer to this period a change in 

 house architecture, of which we have spoken in an 

 earlier chapter, namely, the transferring of the fireplace 

 from the centre of the room to the corner ; and the 

 building of chimneys to carry away the smoke. This 

 change would, of course, at first distinguish the houses 

 of greatest pretensions. 



Of much greater real importance is it to find Olaf 

 Kyrri laying the foundations of a new town which, 

 during the Middle A^es, was destined to be the most 

 important town in Xorway ; nay, not only in the Middle 

 Ages, but until quite modern times. Tliis town is 

 Bergen, which, as most travellers would agree, is the 

 most interesting town of Norway; so that its founder 

 deserves to be had in remembrance. Throndhjem had 

 hitherto been the great merchant town of the country ; 

 it was founded by Olaf Tryggvason, but practically 



