Balahaugen

“Balahaugen – a place where people have met for more than 100 years.

What we call Balahaugen is made up of two burial mounds and the surrounding area. The mounds and open area towards the kindergarten have served as a meeting place as long as the people of Balestrand can remember – and a lot longer than that.

Documentation shows that people gathered here in 1905 before heading to Tjugum church to vote in the referendum for or against the dissolution of the union with Sweden.

About the statues

King Bele, who according to legend was King of Sygnafylket (Sogn), is commemorated on one mound. Erected in 1913, he sits on his rock gazing thoughtfully across the landscape. This statue, like the one of Fridtjov in Vangsnes, was a gift from the German Emperor Wilhelm II, who visited the Norwegian fjords almost every year from 1889 until 1914. He visited Balestrand every summer from 1903 until the outbreak of war in 1914.

The statues were unveiled in August 1913, and brought Vangsnes and Balestrand to the world’s attention for a short while. The German Emperor and King Haakon were in attendance, and the events were recorded by journalists from across Europe. The event at Vangsnes was particularly grand, but the unveiling of King Bele that same day was also a major event in Balestrand.

Balabjørka

The birch tree Balabjørka and a standing stone originally from Flesje are on the other mound. They have featured in both paintings and postcards. Countless Constitution Day speeches have been made from this spot. The old birch was felled at the end of the 1980s as it had started to rot. A rostrum was made from the hollowed out tree trunk which was later used for Constitution Day speeches etc. A new birch tree was planted and carefully tended to, which has now grown into a large and beautiful tree.

Constitution Day celebrations

The local people primarily associate Balahaugen with the Constitution Day celebrations on 17 May. The procession led by the marching band always ended up here, and there were green benches decorated with flags. People would say ‘who will be speaking on the mound this year?’ rather than ‘who will be giving the Constitution Day speech?’. This underlines how established the Constitution Day celebrations at Balahaugen were. Asides from the speech, other integral elements included marching bands and choirs, banners held high by graduating pupils and the speech made by their representative, and children’s games. For practical reasons, the Constitution Day celebrations have been moved to Belehalli.

Opinion is divided about this. Some people think the tradition of celebrating at Balahaugen should have been kept up. To mark the new millennium and the dissolution of the union in 1905, every municipality was asked to nominate a millennium site. State funding was allocating to upgrading these sites. Balahaugen was the natural choice for Balestrand municipality, and the state funding has been used to tidy it up, plant new plants, lay paving stones and to make a boccia court.

Balahaugen is also used in connection with other events, such as concerts held by choirs. Balestrand sports club has organised the run ‘Esefjorden rundt’ on 1 May every year since 1979. The finish line and award ceremony are at Balahaugen. There are always lots of people in the area around the finish line when the runners cross it.