  Berkeley 59 is a nearby ($\sim$1 kpc) young cluster associated with the
Sh2-171 H{\sc ii} region. We present deep optical observations of the central
$\sim$2.5$\times$2.5 pc$^2$ area of the cluster, obtained with the 3.58-m
Telescopio Nazionale Galileo. The $V$/($V$-$I$) color-magnitude diagram
manifests a clear pre-main-sequence (PMS) population down to $\sim$ 0.2
M$_\odot$. Using the near-infrared and optical colors of the low-mass PMS
members we derive a global extinction of A$_V$= 4 mag and a mean age of $\sim$
1.8 Myr, respectively, for the cluster. We constructed the initial mass
function and found that its global slopes in the mass ranges of 0.2 - 28
M$_\odot$ and 0.2 - 1.5 M$_\odot$ are -1.33 and -1.23, respectively, in good
agreement with the Salpeter value in the solar neighborhood. We looked for the
radial variation of the mass function and found that the slope is flatter in
the inner region than in the outer region, indicating mass segregation. The
dynamical status of the cluster suggests that the mass segregation is likely
primordial. The age distribution of the PMS sources reveals that the younger
sources appear to concentrate close to the inner region compared to the outer
region of the cluster, a phenomenon possibly linked to the time evolution of
star-forming clouds is discussed. Within the observed area, we derive a total
mass of $\sim$ 10$^3$ M$_\odot$ for the cluster. Comparing the properties of
Berkeley 59 with other young clusters, we suggest it resembles more to the
Trapezium cluster.
