Gateway to Bergen

The first thing most visitors see of this place of art is a monumental work by Dutch artist Herbert Nouwens, who won the commission in 2002 to create an eye-catching sculpture to welcome visitors to the village. Intentionally rusty, the Poort van Bergen (Gateway to Bergen) was erected a year later and immediately decried as being monstrous and a waste of public funds. However, it was awarded national Public Artwork of the Year in 2013 and is now considered to be one of Bergen’s iconic landmarks.