ÅlesundThe Jugend Town of Norway
The architecture makes this city different from any other Norwegian city. In 1904, a huge city-fire totally destroyed about 850 buildings in the city centre. The German Emperor Wilhelm II immediately offered his help, and only two days after the fire, the German vessels “Weimar” and “Prinz Heindrich” arrived the city, offering the "First Aid" help that was so needed. After a relatively short time, Ålesund raised from the ashes, to become one of the most beautiful towns in Norway, in an amazing Jugendstyle architecture.The Coat of Arms
The Coat of Arms has been in use since 1898, and symbolizes the importance of fishery for the city.It shows a ship in silver on a red background. A ship that was so typical for the region during the 18th and 19th century. Then the waves and the fish were added to the arms drawing.In 1838, Ålesund was established as a municipality. It received it's City Rights in 1848. Tweet 
If you ever visit Ålesund, you must make a visit to the amazing view point on the mountain Aksla, just above the city centre.Entering with bus, you go on this very narrow road up in the hills, where forest hides most of the view. Then, all of a sudden, it opens up like an amazing, widescreen picture, showing a fantastic view over the town and the surrounding islands.The Fjellstua Restaurant offers a spectaculare view from the coffe tables, making you want to sit there for hours, just watching the view. 
From Fjellstua you get a beautiful overview of the town, and you can see the narrow canals that divides it. From the city park there are stairs leading up to the viewpoint, and many tourists takes this walk.You can also go by sightseeingbus from the bus station. From the website of Ålesund Municipality we quote:
The Steep streets
Just outside the inner, city centre, the streets are getting steep and narrow.That, in combination with the many beautiful buildings, is adding a charming impression, which again is giving the town it's unique identity.The climate in Alesund is relatively mild, but from time to time, during the winter, snow and ice makes driving and parking of cars quite a problem in these streets. Scenic Brosundet
A floating restaurant in Brosundet is a popular stop on a warm summer day.As you can see from the photos, the city centre is divided by canals. In one of them we find "Brosundet", where the buildings makes the waterfront. Quite unique in Norway, and it's easy to understand why the inhabitants of Alesund are very proud of their town. Brosundet IS the city centre. No other Norwegian city can offer you the environment and cityview you find at this exact spot. The Jugend Style
The Jugend style buildings has many ornaments, and are mostly in very good and authentic condition. This one is in the typical Jugend architecture. But over the years, many of the old Art Noveau style (Jugend-style) houses has been demolished, and have given place for modern buildings in glass and concrete.There is always a discussion going on in Ålesund about these things, and many are frustrated over the fact that their town might loose it's identity if this doesn't stop. The city Aquarium
One of the most popular attractions in Ålesund is the Atlanterhavsparken (The Atlantic Park), which is one of the largest saltwater-aquariums in Northern Europe.This is really an architectural gem, integrated to the coastal nature between ocean and land. The Aquarium was officially opened by the Norwegian King and Queen in 1998.If you visit Ålesund, we absolutely recommend a visit to the Atlantic Park.In the meantime you can read more in our "Atlanterhavsparken", or The Atlantic Park Aquarium page. Hurtigruten
Every day, all year through, the
Coastal Express Hurtigruten
is calling Ålesund. In the summer, the North bound ship arrives the town around 11, and then departures for Geiranger. Geiranger is a small community at the end of the Geirangerfjorden, and the spectacular nature has made it the most famous and popular tourist attraction in Norway.In Geiranger, passengers who wants to, can enter a bus which takes them on an adventure-trip along the most spectacular roads in Norway, over the Trollstigen, via Åndalsnes to Molde, where they again enter the ship.From Geiranger the Hurtigruten returns to Ålesund in the afternoon, before it again departs, this time for Molde.In the winter time, the Hurtigruten goes directly to Molde after docking in Ålesund.We recommend you to visit our Hurtigruten pages, and the Hurtigruten Classic Norwegian Cruise in particular. For the many Cruise ship passengers that are visiting Ålesund there are guided walks in the city area, and also bus and ferry tours to nearby islands and fjords. 
Small lighthouses has for hundreds of years delivered safety for ships, during night and stormy weather, along the Norwegian coast. This one in Ålesund is typical in coastal environments.Like many other coastal towns, Ålesund has it's origin in the fisherys. For hundreds of years, the town has been a trading centre for the region, and still is.Ålesund has also become an important centre for the maritime cluster of shipping, maritime industry and nautical education.
Ålesund Airport Vigra
An important hub for the region is Ålesund Airport Vigra, with connections to several destinations, both domestic and international.To get to and from the city airport, you will have to travel a subsea tunnel, as the airport is situated on Vigra, a small island just outside Alesund.By 2011, Ålesund Airport is offering direct flights to these destinations: Alicante, Antalya, Bergen, Chania, Copenhagen, Las Palmas, London Gatwick, Oslo, Riga, Sharm el Sheik, Split, Stavanger and Trondheim. Sister CitiesÅlesund has "sister-town" relations toWeather Forecast from yr.noBack from Alesund to other Towns and Places |
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Ålesund and Sunnmøre
