Ålesund

A city (over 45,000 inhabitants) located on the west coast of Norway, in the county of Møre og Romsdal, 529 km northwest of Oslo , 422 km north of Bergen , 81 km southwest of Molde , the district capital (➤ map)(➤ map). One of the most important fishing ports in Norway, a tourist destination, known in particular for its Art Nouveau architecture and museum.


Ålesund is situated on the west coast of Norway, in the southernmost part of the district of Møre og Romsdal, known as Sunnmøre, on several islands, at the mouth of several large fjords into the Norwegian Sea, near the entrance to the famous Geiranger Fjord (Geirangerfjord).

It is one of Norway's most important fishing centers as well as an important tourist destination frequented by passenger ferries and cruise ships.

The most important event in the history of the city, founded in the first half of the 19th century, was the catastrophic fire that destroyed all its wooden buildings on the night of January 23-24, 1904. It was soon rebuilt almost from scratch in the Art Nouveau style, largely thanks to the help of Emperor Wilhelm, who had previously often spent holidays in the Sunnmøre area (and for this reason one of Ålesund's streets is named Keizer Wilhelms Gate ). Today, this homogeneous city development, along with the picturesque surroundings, is one of the main factors attracting tourists from all over the world.

One of the most important tourist attractions of Ålesund is the Fjellstua viewpoint on the 189 m high Aksla hill, from where there is a vast view of the city and its surroundings. The marker stands for Jugendstilsenteret - an Art Nouveau art center located in a former pharmacy, devoted in particular to the history of reconstruction of the city in 1904-1907 after the aforementioned fire.



Another popular viewpoint in the area of Ålesund is the Sukkertoppen hill (314 m), located on the island of Hesse, west of downtown.