Ålesund is a city and port on the west coast of Norway, in the county of Møre-og-Romsdal. The population is 40.8 thousand residents. One of the few cities in the world preserved in the style of “art nouveau,” which is why it has become a tourist center. The city lies between the UNESCO World Heritage fjords of Hjørundfjord and Geirangerfjord. Ålesund is located on seven islands: the city center is on two of them, while residential districts have been built on five. The island of Elingsøy (the second-largest) can be reached only by sea, or by road through the town of Skodje, where in 1987 an underwater tunnel was built.
The unique cityscape of Ålesund (neoclassical and neo-Gothic stone buildings with reliefs, small towers, and coats of arms) emerged as a result of a tragedy. On the night of 23 January 1904, the city was almost completely destroyed by a massive fire (as in other Norwegian towns, the houses in Ålesund were all made of wood). Surprisingly, only one person died in the blaze, but more than 10,000 people were left without shelter. The city’s reconstruction was overseen by an architect, a proponent of the art nouveau style popular in Europe at the time. Thus, from the ruins a new Ålesund grew very quickly-an authentic architectural masterpiece. This doll-like, almost fairytale town forms a single, harmonious ensemble where a perfectly even line of refined development, elegant narrow streets, and elaborate decorative elements blend ideally together: graceful little towers, slender columns, festive spires, gingerbread-like ornaments, mosaics, and painted ornamentation styled to evoke romantic medieval times, as if sharing a part of the surrounding natural beauty of Ålesund.
ClimateÅlesund has a temperate maritime climate, softened by the proximity of the Gulf Stream. Even in winter, in the coldest January month, the air temperature here, as a rule, does not fall below zero. Snow may occur in places, but not as heavily as in northern Norway. The lowest temperature ever recorded within the city limits is only -11 degrees. In summer, of course, it is also not particularly hot, but above +20 happens regularly. Rain falls, but not often, and when it does it is short-lived.
