Ålesund () sometimes spelled Aalesund in English, is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in Møre og Romsdal

County A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. It is part of the traditional district of Sunnmøre and the centre of the Ålesund Region. The town of Ålesund is the administrative centre of Ålesund Municipality, as well as the principal shipping town of the Sunnmøre district. The town is a sea

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...

and is noted for its concentration of Art Nouveau

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

. Although sometimes internationally spelled by its older name ''Aalesund'', this spelling is obsolete in Norwegian. However, the local football club

Aalesunds FK Aalesunds Fotballklubb, commonly known as Aalesund or AaFK, is a Norwegian football club from the town of Ålesund, that competes in the Eliteserien, the first tier of the Norwegian football league system. The club was founded on 25 June 1914. ...

still carries that spelling, having been founded before the official change. The municipality is the 184th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Ålesund is the 13th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 67,114. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

is and its population has increased by 9.9% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

In 1793, the port of ''Aalesund'' was granted limited ladested rights. Later, in 1824, it was granted full ladested rights. In 1835, Ålesund had 482 inhabitants.https://www.ssb.no/a/histstat/nos/st_08r_1836-45.pdf On 1 January 1838, the new formannskapsdistrikt law went into effect, granting limited local self-government to all parishes in Norway. Therefore, on that date, the small ladested of ''Aalesund'' became a small municipality with its own council. It was surrounded by the large rural municipality of Borgund. In 1848, it was upgraded to the status of a

kjøpstad A (historically: ''kjøbstad'', ''kjöbstad'', or ''kaupstad'') is an old Scandinavian term for a "market town" that was used in the Kingdom of Denmark-Norway for several hundred years. The name comes from the on, kaupstaðr. Kjøpstads were ...

, a more important market town. On 1 January 1875, part of Borgund Municipality (population: 902) was transferred to the town of Ålesund. In 1922, another part of Borgund Municipality (population: 1,148) was transferred to the town of Ålesund. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the

Schei Committee The Schei Committee ( no, Schei-komitéen) was a committee named by the Government of Norway to look into the organization of municipalities in Norway post-World War II. It convened in 1946, and its formal name was (The 1946 Committee on Municip ...

. On 1 January 1968, most of the neighbouring municipality of Borgund (population: 20,132) was merged with the town of Ålesund. This merger vastly increased the land area of the municipality and more than doubled the population of Ålesund, for a new total population of 38,589. On 1 January 1977, the island of Sula and some small surrounding islets (population: 6,302) were separated from Ålesund to form the new

Sula Municipality Sula may refer to: Places Norway * Sula (island), an island in Sula municipality, Møre og Romsdal county * Sula, Møre og Romsdal, a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county * Sula, Solund, an island in Solund municipality, Vestland county * Y ...

. On 1 January 2020, the municipality of Ålesund was greatly enlarged when

Haram Municipality Haram is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It was part of the Sunnmøre region. The administrative center was Brattvåg, the industrial center of Sunnmøre. Other important villages in the municipality included Austnes, ...

Skodje Municipality Skodje (''pronunciation'': kɔʏəor køʏə is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It was part of the Sunnmøre region. The administrative centre was the village of Skodje. The other main village in the municipality was ...

Sandøy Municipality Sandøy is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It was part of the Romsdal region. The administrative centre was the village of Steinshamn. Other villages included Ona and Myklebost. The municipality was spread out over man ...

, and Ørskog Municipality were merged with Ålesund to form one large municipality of Ålesund.

Toponymy

A part of the town was originally known as ''Kaupangen Borgund''. The

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlemen ...

word ''kaupang'' means ''"

marketplace A marketplace or market place is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a '' souk'' (from the Arabic), ' ...

"'' or ''"

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

"'', thus the market town for Borgund. The Old Norse form of the current name was ''Álasund''. The first element of that (probably) is the

plural The plural (sometimes abbreviated pl., pl, or ), in many languages, is one of the values of the grammatical category of number. The plural of a noun typically denotes a quantity greater than the default quantity represented by that noun. This de ...

genitive case of ''áll'' which means "

eel Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...

" and the last element is ''sund'' which means " strait" or "

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' b ...

". Before 1921, the name was written ''Aalesund''.

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

was granted on 1 April 1898. The red and silver arms show a fishing boat on the water with three fish swimming. The arms symbolize the importance of

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

for Ålesund. The type of

ship A ship is a large watercraft that travels the world's oceans and other sufficiently deep waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research, and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished ...

was typical for the

fishing vessel A fishing vessel is a boat or ship used to catch fish in the sea, or on a lake or river. Many different kinds of vessels are used in commercial, artisanal and recreational fishing. The total number of fishing vessels in the world in 2016 was ...

s in the 18th and 19th century and is taken from a drawing made in 1762. The

waves Waves most often refers to: *Waves, oscillations accompanied by a transfer of energy that travel through space or mass. *Wind waves, surface waves that occur on the free surface of bodies of water. Waves may also refer to: Music *Waves (band) ...

and three

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of ...

were added to the drawing in the arms. The arms are shown in the Kaffe Hag album with the boat sailing right instead of sailing left.

Churches

The Church of Norway has twelve parishes () within the municipality of Ålesund. It is part of the

Nordre Sunnmøre prosti ''Nordre'' (Northern), formerly known as ''Haramsnytt'' (The Haram News), is a local Norwegian newspaper covering events in the northern part of the municipality of Ålesund in Møre og Romsdal county. History The newspaper was established as ''Ha ...

( deanery) in the Diocese of Møre. The seat of the deanery is at Ålesund Church.

History

Legend has it that ''Gangerolf'' (outside of Norway better known as

Rollo Rollo ( nrf, Rou, ''Rolloun''; non, Hrólfr; french: Rollon; died between 928 and 933) was a Viking who became the first ruler of Normandy, today a region in northern France. He emerged as the outstanding warrior among the Norsemen who had se ...

), the 10th-century founder of the dynasty of the dukes of

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

, hailed from the community of

Giske Giske is an island municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The municipality lies north-northwest of the town of Ålesund in the traditional district of Sunnmøre. The municipal centre is Valderhaugstrand. Other population centres in ...

, north-west of Ålesund. At least three statues of Rolle exist: in the town park in Ålesund, in the city of

Rouen, France Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the region of Normandy and the department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe, the population o ...

, and in Fargo, North Dakota, United States. In 1835, Ålesund had 482 inhabitants. By 1900, the population had increased to 11,777. In the night of 23 January 1904, the town was the scene of the

Ålesund Fire The Ålesund fire happened on 23 January 1904 in the Norwegian city of Ålesund. It destroyed almost the whole city centre, built mostly of wood, like the majority of Norwegian towns at the time. The town has since been rebuilt and it is now t ...

, one of the most terrible of the many conflagrations to which Norwegian towns, once built largely of wood, have been subjected. Practically the entire town was destroyed during the night, a gale aiding the flames, and the population had to leave the town in the middle of the night with only a few minutes' notice. Only one person died in the fire, the 76-year-old Ane Heen, but more than 10,000 people were left without shelter. Jugendstilsenteret-modf

Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany had often been on vacation to Sunnmøre. After the fire, he sent four warships with materials to build temporary shelters and barracks. After a period of planning, the town was rebuilt in stone, brick, and mortar in

Jugendstil ''Jugendstil'' ("Youth Style") was an artistic movement, particularly in the decorative arts, that was influential primarily in Germany and elsewhere in Europe to a lesser extent from about 1895 until about 1910. It was the German counterpart of ...

(Art Nouveau), the architectural style of the time. The structures were designed by approximately 20 master builders and 30 Norwegian architects, most of them educated in

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

and Charlottenburg, Berlin, drawing inspiration from all over

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

. To honor Wilhelm, one of the most frequented streets of the town is named after him. The town has an unusually consistent architecture, most of the buildings having been built between 1904 and 1907.

Jugendstilsenteret Jugendstilsenteret is an Art Nouveau Center located in central Ålesund, in Møre og Romsdal, Norway. Jugendstilsenteret is part of the Foundation Cultural Quarter in Ålesund. The Art Nouveau Center is located in the former Art Nouveau desig ...

is a national

interpretation centre An interpretation centre, interpretive centre, or visitor interpretive centre is an institution for dissemination of knowledge of natural or cultural heritage. Interpretation centres are a kind of new-style museum, often associated with visitor ...

, visitors can learn more about the town fire, the rebuilding of the town and the Art Nouveau style. Ålesund is a partner in the Art nouveau network, a European network of co-operation created in 1999 for the study, safeguards and development of the Art nouveau. The term "Little London" was often applied to the community during the

occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until th ...

due to the

Norwegian resistance The Norwegian resistance (Norwegian: ''Motstandsbevegelsen'') to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms: *Asserting the legitimacy of the exiled government, ...

work that took place here. Among other things, the city was central to the flights to

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Geography

The municipality of Ålesund occupies seven of the outer islands in the county of Møre og Romsdal: Hessa,

Aspøy Aspøya is an island in Ålesund Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The island is one of the islands on which the city of Ålesund is built. The other islands are Hessa (to the west) and Nørvøya (to the east). Aspøya is the ...

Nørvøya Nørvøya or Nørve is an island in Ålesund Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is the largest of the islands containing the city center of Ålesund, the others being Aspøya and Heissa, located to the west. The island of Nør ...

, Oksenøya, Ellingsøya,

Humla Humla District ( ne, हुम्ला जिल्ला), a part of Karnali Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Simikot as its district headquarters, covers an area of and has population of 50,858 a ...

, and

Tørla Tørla is a small island in Ålesund Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It has bridge connections to the islands of Humla (to the west) and to Uksenøya (to the east). The island is located in the inner part of the Borgundfjorden ...

. The town centre is located on the islands Aspøya and Nørvøya, while Heissa and Oksnøya contain residential areas. The second largest island, Ellingsøya, used to be accessible only by boat or by road via

, but the

undersea The underwater environment is the region below the surface of, and immersed in, liquid water in a natural or artificial feature (called a body of water), such as an ocean, sea, lake, pond, reservoir, river, canal, or aquifer. Some characterist ...

Ellingsøy Tunnel The Ellingsøy Tunnel ( no, Ellingsøytunnelen) is a subsea road tunnel in Ålesund Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The tunnel runs between the center of the city of Ålesund on the island of Nørvøya and the village of Hoff ...

was built in 1987 to make traveling between the island and the town centre more convenient. The tunnel is long, and was upgraded in 2009. Situated north northeast of the city of

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...

, Ålesund is adjacent to the Hjørund and Geiranger

fjord In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Förden and East Jutland Fjorde, Germany, ...

s, the latter being on UNESCO's list of

World Heritage Sites A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

. The municipality covers an area of . The population (2017) is 47,199, making the population density of . The population of the

agglomeration Agglomeration may refer to: * Urban agglomeration, in standard English * Megalopolis, in Chinese English, as defined in China's ''Standard for basic terminology of urban planning'' (GB/T 50280—98). Also known as " city cluster". * Economies of ag ...

, which includes parts of the neighbouring

, is 48,460. The municipality also contains three smaller separate

urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities ...

s on the island of Ellingsøya: Hoffland, Årset, and Myklebost with a total population of 1,279. Other villages include

Løvika Løvika is a village in Ålesund Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Løvika has approximately 200 inhabitants and is mostly known for its farming industry. It is located on the south side of Oksenøya island, southeast of the vi ...

and

Spjelkavik Spjelkavik is a borough in the town of Ålesund in Ålesund Municipality, Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is also called ''"Vika"'' by many locals. Spjelkavik is located on the western end of the island of Uksenøya, at the intersection of ...

, both on Uksenøya.

Climate

Ålesund has a temperate oceanic climate (

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''Cfb''), also known as a marine west coast climate. The driest season is April- July. The wettest season is September - January, and the wettest month is December. The mean annual temperature of is extremely warm for the latitude of 62°N. This is in a large part due to the mild autumns and winters, which can sometimes experience strong winds. The record low is from January 2010, and the record high is from July 2018. The warmest temperature ever recorded in the municipality is at a weather station a little east (inland) of the city itself. Atlantic lows can sometimes cause warm winter highs in Ålesund due to

foehn A Foehn or Föhn (, , ), is a type of dry, relatively warm, downslope wind that occurs in the lee (downwind side) of a mountain range. It is a rain shadow wind that results from the subsequent adiabatic warming of air that has dropped most of ...

effect from winds being forced over the mountains in Sunnmørsalpene.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Ålesund, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services,

senior citizen Old age refers to ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of human beings, and is thus the end of the human life cycle. Terms and euphemisms for people at this age include old people, the elderly (worldwide usage), OAPs (British usage ...

services,

unemployment Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the refere ...

and other social services,

zoning Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a si ...

economic development In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and ...

, and municipal

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

s. The municipality is governed by a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

of elected representatives, which in turn elect a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

. The municipality falls under the

Møre og Romsdal District Court Møre og Romsdal District Court ( no, Møre og Romsdal tingrett) is a district court (Norway), district court located in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. This court is based at four different courthouses which are located in Volda (village), Volda ...

and the

Frostating Court of Appeal The Frostating Court of Appeal ( no, Frostating lagmannsrett) is one of six courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the city of Trondheim. The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Trøndelag and Møre og Romsdal. ...

Municipal council

The

() of Ålesund is made up of 77 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often featur ...

breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayor

The mayors of Ålesund (incomplete list): *2015–present:

Eva Vinje Aurdal Eva Vinje Aurdal (born 6 December 1957) is a Norway, Norwegian politician for the Labour Party (Norway), Labour Party. In the 2009 Norwegian parliamentary election, 2009 and 2013 Norwegian parliamentary election, 2013 elections she was elected as ...

( Ap) *2007-2015: Bjørn Tømmerdal ( H) *1999-2007: Arve Tonning (H) *1995-1999: Asbjørn Rutgerson ( LL) *1994-1995: Asbjørn Måløy (Ap) *1990-1993: Kjell-Arne Slinning (

KrF The Christian Democratic Party ( nb, Kristelig Folkeparti, nn, Kristeleg Folkeparti, se, Risttalaš Álbmotbellodat, , KrF) is a Christian-democratic political party in Norway founded in 1933. The party is an observer member of the European Pe ...

) *1988-1989: Leidulf Dahle (Ap) *1980-1987: Svein Tømmerdal (H) *1978-1979: Olav Helge Balsnes (H) *1976-1977: Johannes Giske (KrF) *1968-1975: Gustav M. Flisnes ( DNF)

Economy

The town of Ålesund has the most important fishing harbour in Norway. The town's fishing fleet is one of the most modern in Europe. Ålesund and its surroundings also has a large furniture industry. Some well-known household items are manufactured here. In the 1950s and 1960s, Ålesund was one of the chief stations of the herring fishery business. In relation to the relatively large fishing fleet belonging to Ålesund and nearby harbours a large shipbuilding and ship equipment industry has evolved. There are not any yards building ships in Ålesund any more, the last shipyard - Liaaen Shipyard evolved into ship repairs and since late 1990s has mainly been serving the offshore industry through the company Liaaen Technology that merged and rebranded to Strata Møre in 2007. In the close by communities however shipyards continue to operate successfully:

Vard Fincantieri S.p.A. () is an Italian shipbuilding company based in Trieste, Italy. Already the largest shipbuilder in Europe, after the acquisition of Vard in 2013, Fincantieri group doubled in size to become the fourth largest in the world (2014 ...

, Ulstein Verft, Kleven Maritime, Havyard Group. When oil was found in the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...

in the 1970s the local fishing fleet ship owners seized the opportunity and rebuilt fishing vessels to serve the infant oil exploration and production industry. Soon they were able to build purpose designed offshore vessels at local shipyards to serve the

North Sea oil North Sea oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons, comprising liquid petroleum and natural gas, produced from petroleum reservoirs beneath the North Sea. In the petroleum industry, the term "North Sea" often includes areas such as the Norwegian Sea ...

adventure even better. Today this has become a cornerstone industry in and around Ålesund through leading offshore supply ship owning companies Farstad, Bourbon, Olympic, Havila, and Rem. Serving the ship building industry a large number of equipment manufacturers has evolved: Rolls-Royce, Odim, Sperre, Optimar, Ship Equip, Jets and many more. To the east of Ålesund lies the Sykkylven Municipality where the Ekornes factory, producing furniture such as the StressLess chair, is located. Håhjem, another village near Ålesund, contains the headquarters of the Stokke company. Ålesund is also one of the harbours at which the

Hurtigruten ''Hurtigruten'' (), formally Kystruten Bergen-Kirkenes ("coastal route Bergen-Kirkenes"), is a Norwegian public coastal route transporting passengers that travel locally, regionally and between the ports of call, and also cargo between ports no ...

arrives two times per day. As the cultural center of the region and with close proximity to the fjords, Ålesund is a tourist attraction. The Atlanterhavsparken aquarium is another tourist attraction.

Transportation

From Øye at the head of Hjørundfjorden, a road strikes south to the Nordfjorden, and from Maråk on

Geirangerfjorden The Geiranger Fjord ( no, Geirangerfjorden) is a fjord in the Sunnmøre region of Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located entirely in the Stranda Municipality. It is a branch off the Sunnylvsfjorden, which is a branch off the Storfjorden ...

another strikes inland to Otta. The

Rauma Line The Rauma Line ( no, Raumabanen) is a long railway between the town of Åndalsnes (in Rauma Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county), and the village of Dombås (in Dovre Municipality in Oppland county), in Norway. Running down the Romsdalen v ...

starts at

Åndalsnes is a town in Rauma Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Åndalsnes is in the administrative center of Rauma Municipality. It is located along the Isfjorden, at the mouth of the river Rauma, at the north end of the Romsdalen valley. ...

, east of Ålesund, going to

Dombås is a village or small town in Dovre Municipality in northern Innlandet county, Norway. The village serves as the commercial centre for the upper Gudbrandsdalen valley. It lies at an important junction of roads with the European route E6 highway ...

, then southwards on the

Dovre Line The Dovre Line ( no, Dovrebanen) is a Norwegian railway line with three slightly different lines which all lead to the historic city of Trondheim. Definition *Dovre Line is the current name of the 548 km main line of the Norwegian railway s ...

to Lillehammer and

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population ...

. Ålesund is a port of call for passenger and freight vessels travelling between

Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south-ea ...

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, and

, including the Hurtigruta (Norwegian Coastal Express) cruise ships, which arrive in Ålesund twice a day. The town's airport,

Ålesund Airport, Vigra Ålesund Airport ( nn, Ålesund lufthamn, ), or alternatively Ålesund Vigra Airport, is an international airport serving the town of Ålesund in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located on the island of Vigra in Giske Municipality and f ...

, has several daily flights to/from

, and

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

. It used to have several weekly flights to/from Riga (

Riga International Airport Riga International Airport ( lv, Starptautiskā lidosta "Rīga"; ) is the international airport of Riga, the capital of Latvia, and the largest airport in the Baltic states with direct flights to 76 destinations as of November 2019. It serves ...

) (

AirBaltic airBaltic, legally incorporated as AS Air Baltic Corporation, is the flag carrier of Latvia, with its head office on the grounds of Riga International Airport in Mārupe municipality near Riga. Its main hub is Riga, and it operates bases ...

) and

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

( London Gatwick Airport) but these routes have since ceased. In November 2012

KLM KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, legally ''Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V.'' (literal translation: Royal Aviation Company Plc.), is the flag carrier airline of the Netherlands. KLM is headquartered in Amstelveen, with its hub at nearby Amste ...

announced it would fly to Ålesund 5 days a week from Amsterdam starting in April 2013. Lately, there have been suggestions of a high-speed rail link to Oslo, Bergen, and Trondheim, as well as metro-style local services to meet the needs of the expanding population of the town.

Culture

The Norwegian Centre of Art Nouveau Architecture,

, is situated in Ålesund. It is a museum and interpretive center, with exhibitions telling the story of the town fire and Art Nouveu/Jugendstil in Norway and Europe. Sunnmøre museum, founded in 1931, is an outdoor folk museum devoted to the Norwegian coastal culture and way of life. Located on an area of 120 hectares (50 acres), it has more than 55 old and distinct houses from the past 300 years moved to the site, replicas of old Viking ships, and the Medieval Age Museum with artifacts from excavations of the old trading centre. The local newspaper is ''

Sunnmørsposten ''Sunnmørsposten'' () is a newspaper published by Polaris Media in Ålesund, Norway. History and profile In its early days, ''Sunnmørsposten'' competed with several other local newspapers, including ''Aalesunds Avis'' (1917–1957), '' Aalesu ...

'', founded in 1882 and published six days a

week A week is a unit of time equal to seven days. It is the standard time period used for short cycles of days in most parts of the world. The days are often used to indicate common work days and rest days, as well as days of worship. Weeks are of ...

. The newspaper '' Arbeidernes blad'' was briefly published in Ålesund in 1898. Ålesund is the site of the annual Norwegian Food Festival.

Education

Ålesund is home to a sub-division of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), with approximately 1,800 students and 150 employees. The ''Ålesund School of Art'' ( no, Ålesund Kunstskole) is a school for

visual arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile art ...

located in Ålesund. The

Norwegian School of Management BI Norwegian Business School () is the largest business school in Norway and the second largest in all of Europe. BI has in total four campuses with the main one located in Oslo. The university has 845 employees consisting of an academic staff of ...

had a campus in Ålesund, but it closed on 1 August 2008. Ålesund videregående skole, also known as ''Latinskolen'', formerly ''Aalesund Lærd- og Realskole'', is the oldest secondary school in Ålesund, having been established in 1863. Of the six upper secondary schools in Ålesund, including ''Latinskolen'', Fagerlia videregående skole is the largest with room for approximately 1,000 students. Ålesund also features an International school for children aged 5–15.

Gallery

File:Aksla-on-summer-night-2020.jpg, The viewpoint Aksla on a summer night File:Vista de Ålesund desde Storhaugen, Noruega, 2019-09-01, DD 78.jpg, Cruise port and Aspøy School File:Puerto, Ålesund, Noruega, 2019-09-01, DD 48-50 PAN.jpg, Downtown Ålesund. File:Ålesundet (2016.08.04).jpg, Ålesundet File:Ålesundet Brosundet (2016.08.04).jpg, Ålesundet File:Alesund Prestegata Kirkegata.jpg, alt=Building at the Kirkegata street, Building at the Kirkegata street

Sport

The local football team,

(''Aalesunds Fotballklubb'') was founded in 1914. The team played in the Norwegian top flight for the first time in the 2003 season. The club won its first

Norwegian Cup The Norwegian Football Cup ( no, Norgesmesterskapet i fotball for herrer) is the main knockout cup competition in Norwegian football. It is run by the Football Association of Norway and has been contested since 1902, making it the oldest football ...

in 2009 and won again in 2011. They played their home matches at Kråmyra Stadium until the 2005 season, when they relocated to the new Color Line Stadium, located approximately outside the town centre. AaFK's supporter club is called "Stormen" and has about 2,000 members.

Notable residents

Public Service & business

* Anton Ludvig Alvestad (1883–1956) Mayor of Ålesund, 1920–21 and Govt. minister * Reinert Torgeirson (1884–1969) a politician, poet, playwright and novelist * Erik Rolfsen (1905–1992) an architect; urban manager of Oslo, 1947–73 *

Monrad Norderval Monrad Oskar Norderval (1902–1976) was a Norwegian bishop in the Church of Norway. Norderval was born in Ålesund, Norway in 1902. He graduated with the cand.theol. degree in 1928 from the Royal Frederick University in Oslo. He began his min ...

(1902–1976) Bishop of Nord-Hålogaland, 1961–1972 * Dagfinn Flem (1906–1976) politician, Mayor of Ålesund, 1958 to 1965 *

Birger Strømsheim Birger Edvin Martin Strømsheim, (11 October 1911 – 10 November 2012) was a Norwegian resistance movement, Norwegian resistance member during World War II, especially noted for his role in the Norwegian heavy water sabotage, heavy water sab ...

(1911–2012) a WWII resistance member and heavy water saboteur *

Margit Johnsen Margit Johnsen Godø, , nicknamed Malta-Margit, (31 January 1913 – 20 July 1987) was a Norwegian sailor in the merchant navy. For her service on a merchant vessel in convoy to Malta in 1942 she was awarded the St. Olav's Medal with Oak Branch ...

(1913–1987) a Norwegian merchant navy sailor; the only female recipient of the military award St. Olav's Medal with Oak Branch * Joachim Rønneberg DSO (1919–2018) an Army officer, broadcaster and WWII Commando * Rolf B. Wegner (born 1940) lawyer and well known and popular former chief of police * Helen Bjørnøy (born 1954) a Lutheran minister, politician and County Governor of Buskerud * Odd Arne Westad FBA, (born 1960) historian specializing in the Cold War *

Edvard Moser Edvard Ingjald Moser (; born 27 April 1962) is a Norwegian professor of psychology and neuroscience at thKavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim. In 2005, he and May-Brit ...

(born 1962) psychologist and neuroscientist, winner 2014

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

* Harald T. Nesvik (born 1966) a politician and member of the Storting since 1997 * Paal Kibsgaard (born 1967) a petroleum engineer; chairman and CEO of Schlumberger * Peder Are Nøstvold Jensen (born 1975) controversial

counterjihad Counter-jihad, also spelled counterjihad and known as the counter-jihad movement, is a self-titled political current loosely consisting of authors, bloggers, think tanks, street movements and campaign organisations all linked by apocalyptic beli ...

blog A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order s ...

ger known as ''Fjordman'' * Torry Larsen (born 1971) a Norwegian adventurer and Arctic explorer * Cecilie Skog (born 1974) a professional adventurer, guide and lecturer. * Sylvi Listhaug (born 1977) a Norwegian politician and Govt. minister * Erik Tørrissen (born 1988) a Norwegian politician and yachtsman

The Arts

* Jacob Fjelde (1859–1896) an American sculptor of public monuments *

Ambrosia Tønnesen Ambrosia Tønnesen (28 January 1859 – 21 January 1948) was a Norwegian sculptor. She is regarded as the first professional female sculptor in Norway, and is best known for her many portraits, including statues, busts, and reliefs. Personal ...

(1859–1948) the first professional female sculptor in Norway *

Pauline Fjelde Pauline Gerhardine Fjelde (May 1861 – December 23, 1923) was a Norwegian-born American painter, embroiderer, and textile artist. Background Pauline Gerhardine Fjelde was born in Ålesund, Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. She and her family immi ...

(1861–1923) an American painter, embroiderer and textile artist *

Sigvart Høgh-Nilsen Sigvart Høgh-Nilsen (29 April 1880 – 1919) was a Norwegian pianist and composer. Biography He was born on 29 April 1880 in Ålesund, Norway to Captain Sigvart Nilsen (1852–1906) and Sophie Marie Olesdatter (1853–1924). After his birth, ...

(1880–1919) a Norwegian pianist and composer *

Axel Revold Axel Revold (24 December 1887 – 11 April 1962) was a Norwegian painter, illustrator, and art professor at the Norwegian National Academy of Fine Arts for twenty years. He was highly decorated for his merits. Personal life Revold was born in ...

(1887–1962) a Norwegian painter, illustrator and academic * Ole Barman (1897–1983) a novelist, short story writer, playwright and theatre director *

Hartvig Kiran Hartvig Kiran (3 November 1911 – 15 August 1978) was a Norwegian author, lyricist and composer. He was most commonly associated with his broadcasts on the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. Biography Kiran was born at Ålesund in Møre og ...

(1911–1978) an author, journalist, songwriter and composer * Mattis Mathiesen (1924–2010) a Norwegian photographer and film director * Arnold Eidslott (1926–2018)

poet laureate A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate) is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch ...

, 1986 to 2018 and telegraphic engineer * Arild Rypdal (1934–2015) author of spying stories, a pilot and engineer *

Oddbjørn Blindheim Oddbjørn Sverre Blindheim (born 24 February 1944 in Ålesund, Norway) is a jazz pianist and dentist from Vigra, the older brother of jazz bassist Svein Olav Blindheim, and a veteran on the Norwegian jazz scene. Biography Blindheim started p ...

(born 1944) a jazz pianist and dentist *

Svein Olav Blindheim Svein Olav Blindheim (born 25 July 1954) is a Norwegian jazz double bassist, composer and writer, and the brother of jazz pianist Oddbjørn Blindheim. Biography Blindheim was born in Ålesund, Norway and raised in Vigra, Sunnmøre, and has ...

(born 1954) a jazz double bassist, composer and writer *

Geir Rönning Geir Rönning (born 5 November 1962) is a Norwegian-Finnish professional singer-songwriter from Ålesund. He later moved to the capital Oslo in the 1980s, and later on to Stockholm, Sweden, where he found opportunity to start a musical career. H ...

(born 1962) a professional singer-songwriter *

Annbjørg Lien Annbjørg Lien (born 15 October 1971) is a Norwegian musician, playing the hardingfele (Hardanger fiddle), violin, and nyckelharpa. Career She first came to national prominence in 1986. Shortly afterwards got a recording deal with the Heilo ...

(born 1971) a Hardanger fiddler, nyckelharpist, and violinist. * Magne Hovden (born 1974) a writer, translator * Ernst Simon Glaser (born 1975) a classical musician (cello) and music teacher * Stian Omenås (born 1980) a jazz musician (trumpet), music conductor and composer * Hilde Marie Kjersem (born 1981) a jazz and pop singer, musician and songwriter * Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen (born 1982) a guitarist, vocalist and composer *

Ingrid Helene Håvik Ingrid Helene Håvik (born 1987 in Ålesund, Norway) is a Norwegian songwriter and vocalist. She is best known as the lead singer of Highasakite but has also released a solo album under the artist name Ingrid. Biography Håvik is a former membe ...

(born 1987) songwriter and vocalist, lead singer of ''

Highasakite Highasakite is an indie pop and indie rock band from Norway. The band formed when vocalist and songwriter Ingrid Helene Håvik met drummer Trond Bersu whilst studying jazz at the Trondheim Jazz Conservatory. In 2010, after just six months, the d ...

'' *

Bjørn Johan Muri Bjørn Johan Muri (born 4 January 1990) is a Norwegian singer known for having taken part in Series 5 ''Idol'' (the Norwegian ''Pop Idol'') in 2007 where he came runner-up. In 2010, he took part in the Norwegian qualification for the Eurovisi ...

(born 1990) a Norwegian pop singer * Sigrid Solbakk Raabe (born 1996) known as ''Sigrid'', a singer and songwriter John Arne Riise

Sport

* Knud Leonard Knudsen (1879–1954) gymnast, team gold medallist, 1912 Summer Olympics * Harald Stenvaag (born 1953) rifle shooter, silver and bronze medallist at the 1992 &

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...

Ann Kristin Aarønes Ann Kristin Aarønes (born 19 January 1973) is a Norwegian former footballer. She first played for Spjelkavik IL, then for Trondheims-Ørn and the Norwegian national team. Later she played for the WUSA's New York Power, during the club's first ...

(born 1973) former footballer, 111 caps with Norway women *

Ingrid Tørlen Ingrid Tørlen (born July 21, 1979 in Ålesund) is a Norwegian female beach volleyball player. Her beach volleyball partner since 2002 has been Nila Håkedal. The pair competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece where they placed 22nd. ...

(born 1979) a beach volleyball player, competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics *

John Arne Riise John Arne Semundseth Riise (born 24 September 1980) is a Norwegian professional football manager and former player who played as a left back and a left midfielder. He is currently the manager of Toppserien club Avaldsnes. With 110 caps, Rii ...

(born 1980) a former footballer with 546 club appearances and 110 caps for

* Leni Larsen Kaurin (born 1981) football midfielder, 98 caps for Norway women *

Bjørn Helge Riise Bjørn Helge Semundseth Riise (born 21 June 1983) is a Norwegian former professional footballer. Riise played either a central midfielder or a right winger, and has earned 35 international caps for Norway. He played for Fulham of the Premier Lea ...

(born 1983) a former footballer with 358 club appearances and 35 caps for

* Olav Lundanes (born 1987) orienteering competitor, ten times gold medallist at the

World Orienteering Championships The World Orienteering Championships (or WOC for short) is an annual orienteering event organized by the International Orienteering Federation. The first World Championships was held in Fiskars, Finland in 1966. They were held biennially up to 2 ...

* Nina Haver-Løseth (born 1989) slalom ski racer, team bronze medallist,

2018 Winter Olympics The 2018 Winter Olympics ( ko, 2018년 동계 올림픽, Icheon sip-pal nyeon Donggye Ollimpik), officially the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (french: Les XXIIIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver; ko, 제23회 동계 올림픽, Jeisipsamhoe Donggye Ollimpi ...

Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal (born 14 June 1990) is a Norwegian middle-, long-distance and steeplechase runner. She won bronze medals for the 10,000 metres at the 2016 European Championships, and in the 3000 m steeplechase at the 2018 Eu ...

(born 1990) long-distance runner; competed at the

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

& 2016 Summer Olympics * Sebastian Foss Solevåg (born 1991) alpine ski racer, team bronze medallist,

* Andrea Raaholt (born 1996) a Norwegian tennis player

In popular culture

Mark Kozelek wrote and performed an eponymous song about Ålesund under the Sun Kil Moon moniker, on the record

Admiral Fell Promises ''Admiral Fell Promises'' is the fourth studio album by American indie folk act Sun Kil Moon, released on July 13, 2010 on Caldo Verde Records. Despite being released under the Sun Kil Moon moniker, the album features Mark Kozelek performing sol ...

.
Ålesund was shown briefly at about the 20:17 mark in the 1969 film, "It's Tough to Be a Bird," by Disney. The town is shown being stepped on by an enormous bird foot.

Twin towns – sister cities

Ålesund is twinned with: *

Akureyri Akureyri (, locally ) is a town in northern Iceland. It is Iceland's fifth-largest municipality, after Reykjavík, Hafnarfjörður, Reykjanesbær and Kópavogur, and the largest town outside Iceland's more populated southwest corner. Nickn ...

, Iceland (1949) *

Borgo a Mozzano Borgo a Mozzano is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Lucca, in northern Tuscany (Italy), located on the Serchio River. History The town is mentioned for the first time in 879, when a document mentioned one place ''In loco Mozzano prope Dec ...

, Italy (1979) *

Lahti Lahti (; sv, Lahtis) is a city and municipality in Finland. It is the capital of the region of Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme) and its growing region is one of the main economic hubs of Finland. Lahti is situated on a bay at the southern e ...

, Finland (1947) *

Peterhead Peterhead (; gd, Ceann Phàdraig, sco, Peterheid ) is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is Aberdeenshire's biggest settlement (the city of Aberdeen itself not being a part of the district), with a population of 18,537 at the 2011 Census. ...

, Scotland, United Kingdom (1967) *

Randers Randers () is a city in Randers Municipality, Central Denmark Region on the Jutland peninsula. It is Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 62,802 (as of 1 January 2022).Tacoma, United States (1986) *

Västerås Västerås ( , , ) is a city in central Sweden on the shore of Lake Mälaren in the province of Västmanland, west of Stockholm. The city had a population of 127,799 at the end of 2019, out of the municipal total of 154,049. Västerås is the se ...

, Sweden (1947)

General information

Toponymy

Coat of arms

Churches

History

Geography

Climate

Government

Municipal council

Mayor

Economy

Transportation

Culture

Education

Gallery

Sport

Notable residents

Public Service & business

The Arts

Sport

In popular culture

Twin towns – sister cities

See also

References

External links