The Statue of King Haakon VII lies by the Bergenhus fort in central Bergen. The sculpture is larger than life size at 2.5 metres. It was made by Ottar Espeland and unveiled in 1972, in the centenary year of the King’s birth. Haakon VII is one of the few monarchs in modern times to have been elected. Born into a branch of the Danish royal family, he was acclaimed by the Norwegian parliament as part of the break of the union with Sweden. He reigned more than fifty years.
