Climbing in Nygårdsparken in Bergen

Visitors to the largest public park in the city of Bergen can not only stroll through it, but also climb through it at lofty heights. Berliner Seilfabrik created a 60-metre-long climbing landscape in Nygårdsparken that is designed to offer something for children of all ages. It was not only the slope of the park that posed a challenge during implementation.

In the center of Bergen, Norway, lies the city’s largest public park nestled between two districts: Nygårdsparken. Originally laid out in 1881 in the style of an English garden, the park was privately owned until the end of the Second World War. You could visit the 18-hectare Nygårdsparken for an entrance fee. However, after the park was made accessible to everyone free of charge, it developed into Bergen’s drug hotspot.

In 2014, the city decided to close the park. However, this made it more difficult for Bergen residents to get from Nygård to Møhlenpris and vice versa – in other words, to travel between the two parts of the city that Nygårdsparken lies between and connects. Passage was still possible via one path, while the other parts of the park were closed off. The park and its reputation were to be restored by means of various renovation measures. An important part of the renovation was the provision of exercise facilities for children.

Berliner Seilfabrik offers holistic solutions for designing and building playgrounds worldwide. The company, which is based and produces in Berlin, specializes in planning and designing “custom-made” projects.

For Nygårdsparken in Bergen, 13 different climbing towers were created. These are connected by a net tunnel, creating a coherent climbing landscape. With a length of over 60 meters, it winds its way up a tree-covered slope. Children can enter the climbing area at both the lower and upper ends, as well as halfway up the climbing area. There, ladders and climbing ropes lead up to access towers.

Recurring components were used in the project. This meant that, despite its size, the construction and production costs could be kept to a minimum, which was also easy on the budget. And the climbing trail has not lost any of its appeal as a result.

The children are additionally challenged by various obstacles that are placed inside some of the net tunnels. For example, the diameter of the net tunnels is reduced by narrowing the tunnels by means of net passages or HDPE panels, or climbing ropes criss-cross the climbers’ path.

At the lower end of the climbing landscape, more fun awaits the children: there are further add-on elements, such as rubber membranes at different heights, horizontal nets, a nest swing and a wobbly bridge. There is more than just a variety of exercise options: Climbers can ascend a total of 12 meters in height through the net tunnels. This gives them an impressive view over the rooftops of the city of Bergen.

It may not seem like it from outside the net tunnels, but the ascent and descent in some of them can be quite steep. One of the tunnels even has an incline of around 50 degrees. This makes climbing at height a lot of fun for the children and also ensures their safety.

The rope crossing points of the net tunnels are fixed by hand with ball knots using aluminum crimping. On the one hand, this guarantees a secure hold of the crossing point positions. They also ensure high slip resistance and maximum protection against vandalism. The net tunnels consist of a total of 2,300 meters of rope and 7,550 ball knots. Close-meshed stainless steel safety nets also surround the tunnels. This allows children to climb safely at lofty heights and look out over the city.

With posts and balls in red-brown, olive-colored tubes and clamps as well as ropes in beige, the installation is kept in natural colors. It blends in with the trees. The panels are clad with bamboo and enhance the appearance.

In five to six years, giant bamboo can grow up to ten meters high – which contributes to the extremely positive ecological balance of bamboo. The grass therefore not only blends in visually, but also thematically and ecologically with the climbing facility’s surroundings of old trees and preserved nature. “Nygårdsparken is a ‘protected park’, which means that no major changes can be made to the trees or the appearance of the landscape,” says Torstein Hagen from Uniqa. In Norway, Uniqa is the exclusive partner of Berliner Seilfabrik and was jointly responsible for the planning and implementation of the climbing landscape.

When installing the climbing facility, the gradient of the slope was a challenge, as was the unusual underground situation. The head of the Berlin Creative Center at Berliner Seilfabrik, Marius Kotte, says: “As the upper part of the hill consists of solid rock, it was not possible to excavate pits. The foundations for the individual posts therefore had to be laid above ground. The solution was to use steel reinforcement rods, which were drilled into the rock. The foundations could then be poured around the connectors, giving them the necessary stability.”

Kotte continues: “A few technical details that we had worked out for a project in Medebach helped us a lot with this job in Bergen. There, we were able to gain our first experience with very long tunnels and various height differences. The planning and execution of the posts in steep terrain could therefore be adopted, as could the connection between the T-clamp and the pipe.”

For the client, it was important to offer children of different ages an attraction with the new climbing landscape. “That’s why the upper part of the tunnel is slightly lower above the ground. The slightly smaller children can try their hand there. The path gets steeper the further down you go,” explains Linn Riise Handal to the City of Bergen. The landscape architect from TAG Architekter was jointly responsible for planning the facility.

The clients and users are delighted with the successful climbing landscape. “It turned out really well,” Signe Wie, project manager at the Agency for the Urban Environment, told reporters from Bergen Municipality. “It was a challenge because the terrain is so steep, but I’m very happy with the result. Nothing is as good as children’s play and laughter.”

Bergen is home to the world’s longest bicycle tunnel. Find out more about the Fyllingsdal Tunnel here.