Enjoy the friendly atmosphere of Aalesund
In the picturesque county of Møre og Romsdal in Norway you will find the municipality and sea port city of Ålesund. It is situated roughly 230 km northeast of Bergen and it occupies seven of the outer islands of the west coast. These are Hessa, Aspøy and Nørvøy, Yksnøy, Ellingsøy, Humla and Tørla. Ålesund has a very good maritime climate. In a country where much of the land reaches below freezing temperatures for significant portions of the year, Ålesund enjoys faily mild weather and somewhat windy winters. The coldest month of the year has an average temperature of 1.3°C, though the lowest temperature recorded here was 11°C. Ålesund is better known for its Art Nouveau architectural style than for its weather.
In January 1904 the city was ravaged by the Ålesund Fire. Residents had seconds to gather what they could and flee from their homes as strong winds fanned the fire causing it to engulf, what was at the time, a largely wooden town. When the fire eventually died out, plans were made to rebuild the town. Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany, who had often vacationed in Ålesund, sent four ships filled with materials to be used in reconstruction. New structures were designed by a group of Norwegian architects who were educated in Trondheim and who drew on Germanic, Scottish, French, Belgian and Spanish architectural styles for inspiration. As a result the town was rebuilt in what is known as the Jugendstil architectural style (German Art Noveau). Turrets, spires and ornamentation adorn many of the buildings and there is a strong concentration of the architecture in this particular city. Most recent additions have been built in the same style so visitors can really enjoy the architectural legacy of Ålesund.
Today Ålesund serves as one of the largest and most important fishing harbors in the country. It also see the Hurtigruten berth at its harbor two times a day. Tourist come here not only to see the unusual architecture but to enjoy the surrounding Hjørund and Geiranger fjords. These fjords are incredibly beautiful and are well worth seeing. Tourists also enjoy visiting the Aksala with Fjellstua, the Atlanterhavsparken Ålesund Akvarium and the Sunnmoersposten. Make Ålesund a part of your trip to Norway - you wont regret it.
