Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
• The monument marks the start of Bergen's main square...
Torgallmenningen:
Allmenningen means “for all the people.” Torg means
“square.” And, while this is the city's main gathering place, it was actually
created as a fire break. The residents of this wood-built city knew fires were
inevitable. The street plan was designed with breaks, or open spaces like this
square,tohelpcontainthedestruction.In1916,itsucceededinstoppingafire,
which is why it has a more modern feel today.
• Walk along the square to the angled slab. This “blue stone,” a popular
meeting point at the far end of the square, marks the center of a park-like
swath known as...
Ole Bulls Plass:
This drag leads from the National Theater (above on
right) to a little lake (below on left).
Detour afewsteps upforabetter lookatthe
National Theater,
built inArt
Nouveau style in 1909. Founded by violinist Ole Bull in 1850, this was the
first theater to host plays in the Norwegian language. After 450 years of Dan-
ish and Swedish rule, 19th-century Norway enjoyed a cultural awakening, and
Bergen became an artistic power. Ole Bull (a pop idol and heartthrob in his
day—women fainted when they heard him play his violin) collaborated with
the playwright Henrik Ibsen. Ibsen commissioned Edvard Grieg to write the
music for his
Peer Gynt
. These three lions of Norwegian culture all lived and
worked right here in Bergen.
The park that spills downhill from the theater has a pleasantly bustling urb-
an ambience. It leads past a popular fountain of Ole Bull (under the trees) to
a cast-iron pavilion given to the city by Germans in 1889, and on to the little
manmade lake (Lille Lungegårdsvann), which is circled by an enjoyable path.
This green zone is considered a park and is cared for by the local parks depart-
ment.
• If you're up for a lakeside stroll, now's your chance. Also notice that along-
side the lake (to the right as you face it from here) is a row of buildings hous-
ing the enjoyable
Bergen Art Museum
. And to the left of the lake are some
fine residential streets (including the picturesque, cobbled Marken); within a
few minutes' walk are the
Leprosy Museum
and the
cathedral
.
