I came to Bergen Place in advance of Norwegian Constitution Day (17 May) this year, 2023, as a bit of a self-priming for the holiday. I arrived around 7:30 a.m. today, Sunday 7 May 2023, and vendors as part of the Sunday market had started setting up their tents on 22nd Avenue Northwest. There is no designated parking area for the park, so I went with street parking closer to the Mighty-O Donuts on Northwest Market Street (about a 0.2 mile walk). The park has various sculptures, a mural, and stones with engravings dedicated to Seattle's sister city, Bergen, Norway, and the role of Scandinavians in the history of the Seattle area. The park is roughly in the shape of a quadrilateral and has a large paved open space with a long bench on one side where one can sit and rest. I appreciated the informational placard at the base of the mural that provided some of the historical/cultural significance it conveyed. As for the name of the park, Bergen is my Norwegian hometown so I am happy. I also like it considering I have encountered a number of people in my life experience who have thought Oslo is the only urban center in Norway... Per fifth-generation law, I still have land rights in Norway. A return or go back for me to Bergen or the land of my ancestors (fjordlands and further north) would be an interesting change of pace. Bergen Place here in Ballard is a fun place to go and get the creative juices (both reflective and forward mapping) going. read more

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For visitors, this is named after Ballard's sister city, Bergen, Norway. Quaint little park in the center of Ballard. Take a seat. Have a nosh. People watch. Why not, this is Seattle. A part of one of Seattle's many neighborhoods. Ballard is kinda hip kinda wow. Fooderies. Music venues. Movie theaters. Nice mural and quirky sculptures. This place is more a landmark than a park. read more

Bergen place is a smallish park, slightly bigger than its neighbor park just steps away "Marvin's Garden". Located right in downtown Ballard it sits at a triangular area right off Market st. amongst all the other businesses. There are benches and trees that line the open square. This makes it a popular area to eat or rest or decide where you'll go next thanks to all the directions you can take from the parks angle. The park is houses works by the Artist Jenn Lee Dixon, featuring here "Witness Trees" as well as a community information kiosk. Bergen Place gets it's name from Bergen, Norway. Considered one of Seattle's International Sister Cities. During the Scandinavian parade that comes through Ballard, the Park becomes a little more popular and becomes a sort of hub. Presently the park is, as mentioned a popular spot to sit and hang out, particularly when some sort of town function is going on, such as the weekly Farmer's Market. read more

Bergen Place - Bergen Place plaque - Parks Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Bergen place is a small park in the Ballard area of Seattle. This park celebrates the historic contributions of Scandinavian Americans, their cultures and the relationship between Seattle and her sister city of Bergen in Norway. The park is at the intersection of Leary Ave., 22nd Ave. and Market St. forming a triangular shape. One of the first things you notice are the very large modern sculptures of installation of Witness Trees. The witness trees have elements of Nordic mythology, Native American heritage and maritime history. They dwarf all of the other elements of the park. In 2005 they installed five granite, rune-like stones carved by artist James Cole with traditional Scandinavian weaving and embroidery patterns. Each stone features the name of a different Nordic country carved both in English and in the country's native language. At the far end of the park are all of the flags of the Scandinavian nations... Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Finland and Denmark. The flags are flying very close to the end of the park where the murals are. The panel on the left symbolizes the relationship between the city of Seattle and the city of Bergen in Norway. In the mural you can see a young Norwegian and American girl holding hands symbolizing the friendship between the two countries, cities and our people. Behind the two girls you can see the gifts exchanged by the two cities, Seattle sent a totem and Bergen sent us the flag of the city of Bergen. Ballard's ties to the past are represented in the center Panel and portrays the city hall of Ballard from 1890 -1907 and a parade of children. The lumber and fishing industries are portrayed in the left and right panels. There is also an image of Pastor Haavik blessing the fleet as it heads out of Fishermans Terminal shown in the far right panel. The Fisherman's Memorial is also depicted behind the image of the pastor. The mural was dedicated in 1995 by the King and Queen of Norway. The park is a nice place to sit and relax it there really isn't anywhere to get out of the sun and sit in the shade. There is a curved series of benches and you can also sit on the rune stones. Since place to sit and people watch in Ballard or meet friends. read more

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Ask me this 5 years ago, and it still would have been 3 stars, but for completely different reasons. Currently, the "decor" here makes me want to vomit a tad. The sculptures are not to my liking. That's just me. Additionally, you will not find someone with a job hanging out here. Hubby and I got some sandwiches from other coast and came up here to eat them. It was difficult to find a place to sit that had not been peed on or had been commandeered by a homeless person. Plus 1 star for good people watching. Plus another for not getting accosted by the residents of Bergen Place for money. Yeay Ballard! read more

This place has a name AND is classified as a park? Huh. Didn't know that. Thanks C-dogg. PS- Dante's sells hot dogs here. Snag a salty hog and have a sit on a 'poo'd' on bench. Good times all around. read more

If you're a grown up, Bergen Place offers a nice place to eat your lunch, drink a cup of coffee, or hang out with a friend. If you're a kid, the only thing you really need is there - space to run around in a circle. True story. I like the location of Bergen Place. When I'm there, I feel like I can see everything that is cool about Ballard. Some have talked about the poor choice in art - I'm not disagreeing. Although, I do like the mushrooms. Bergen Place lacks the modern style of many spaces but that's okay with me. I like the feel. Another benefit of Bergen Place is the proximity to places I love to shop and eat at - across the street is Cupcake Royale, around the corner is Full Tilt, down the street is KuKuRuza, just to name a few. On occasion, you can also find food vendors hanging around. During events like the Ballard SeafoodFest, Bergen Place gets a lot of action. It's been used differently over the years - sometimes as a place where Ballard Market sets up, a site for a stage, an eating area. The place looks different during times like that and it really seems to come alive. Or...maybe that's the lutefisk talking. Sitting outside, licking an ice cream cone and people watching at Bergen Place? That's a good day. read more

They've totally revamped this tiny urban retreat in the last couple of years and it's a great place to hang out and eat your lunch on a sunny day. Big, cool tree sculptures, a long curving bench, textured concrete platforms, a pagoda with all the latest neighborhood notices and lots to gawk at on Market and Leary streets, though now that the landscaping and plants are really kicking in it's harder to see the street. I've spent almost every sunny lunch hour here for the last couple of years. read more

Bergen Place - Parks Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Dammit! I forgot about that place again when I visited Seattle for the 2nd and 3rd time! Well. When I returned to Seattle for the 3rd time, it was raining... so I tried not to stay out too long... But I still wanna have a coffee and a pantry and people watch at Bergen Place! read more

When giving directions in Ballard, it is always fun to say: "Turn right at the ummmm.... giant phallic mushroom sculptures?" For that reason alone, Bergen Place gets an A+ in my book. read more