Ålesund Municipality, Art Nouveau municipality in Møre og Romsdal, Norway
Ålesund sits on several islands including Hessa, Aspøya, and Nørvøya, linked by bridges and tunnels along Norway's western coast. The townscape is shaped by multi-story buildings constructed from stone and brick after the early 20th-century fire.
A fire in January 1904 destroyed nearly the entire town and forced a complete redesign. Kaiser Wilhelm II supported the reconstruction, which was completed within three years and followed Art Nouveau models from Central Europe.
The Jugendstil Centre displays rotating exhibitions showing how architects reshaped the town after the 1904 fire. The rooms explain typical facade ornaments and color combinations that visitors notice while walking through the streets.
The airport on Vigra island offers daily connections to Oslo and Bergen. Hurtigruten ships dock regularly at the central harbor and provide connections along the coast northward and southward.
The climb to Aksla involves 418 steps leading from downtown to the summit. Once at the top, visitors see the island sea, the Sunnmøre Alps, and the open North Sea side by side.
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