Ålesund is the largest city in Møre og Romsdal, Norway, with about 40.000 inhabitants (between 60.000-80.000 in the surrounding area).

Understand

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Destination Ålesund & Sunnmøre Tourist Office, Skateflukaia, Phone: +47 70 15 76 00 (Email: ), .

Get in

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By plane

The following airlines serve Vigra Airport:

HI Hamburg International

SAS'

See

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Aalesunds Museum, Rasmus Rønnebergsgt. 16, Phone: +47 70 12 31 70,

The Atlantic Sea-Park, Tueneset, Phone: +47 70 10 70 60,

Art Nouveau Centre, Apotekergt. 16, Phone: +47 70 10 49 70,

Learn

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Ålesund University College; Larsgårdsvegen 2; Phone: +47 70 16 12 00; ;

Sleep

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Scandic Ålesund; Molovegen 6; Phone: +47 21 61 45 00; Fax: +47 21 61 45 11; Email: ;

is a town and municipality in the county of Møre og Romsdal, Norway. It is a sea port, 236 km north northeast of Bergen, and is noted for its unique concentration of Jugendstil architecture (the German name of Art Nouveau).

Ålesund was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). Borgund was merged with Ålesund January 1, 1968. Sula was separated from Ålesund January 1, 1977.

The name

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The Norse form of the name was Álasund. The first element is (probably) the plural genitive case of áll m 'eel', the last element is sund n 'strait, sound'.

Until 1921 the name was written Aalesund.

Geography

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Ålesund occupies seven of the outer islands of the west coast, Hessa, Aspøy and Nørvøy,
Oksenøy, Ellingsøy, Humla and Tørla which enclose the picturesque town. Ålesund has a pronounced maritime climate with mild and windy winters; the coldest month of the year, January, has a mean temperature of 1.3°C; (34°F). The coldest temperature ever recorded at Ålesund Airport, Vigra is a mere -11 °C (12 °F). Ålesund received city rights in 1848. It is the administrative center as well as the principal shipping-place of the Sunnmøre district, and was one of the chief stations of the herring fishery in the 1950s and 1960s. Ålesund's population is about 60,000 inhabitants including the whole region.

History

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Legend has it that Gangerolf, outside of Norway better known as Rollo, the 10th century founder of the dynasty of the dukes of Normandy, comes from the community of Giske, north west of Ålesund.

The town of Art Nouveau

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In the night of January 23, 1904, the town was the scene of the Ålesund Fire, one of the most terrible of the many conflagrations to which Norwegian towns, once built largely of wood, have been subjected. Practically the whole town was destroyed, a gale aiding the flames, and the population had to leave the place in the middle of the night with only a few minutes' notice. Only one person died in the fire, but more than 10,000 people were left without shelter in the harsh Norwegian winter.

Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany had often vacationed in Sunnmøre. After the fire, the Kaiser sent 4 ships with material to build temporary shelters and barracks. After a period of planning, the town was rebuilt in stone, brick and mortar in Jugendstil/Art Nouveau, the architectural style of...