Ålesund city

Ålesund City is a beautiful and exciting city with a long history. One of the most iconic moments in the city’s history is the great fire in 1904. On the 23rd of January in 1904, a devastating fire started around 2 AM and destroyed almost all of the city’s buildings. It is said that a cow kicked a torch, which then started the fire. In those days, a lot of timber and wood were used because it was cheaper to build with than more fireproof bricks and mortar, and it was easier to acquire. Driven by a strong storm with hurricane-like gusts, the fire ravaged the city for 16 hours before the fire department managed to get control. People had trouble standing up in the strong wind. The radiant fire and the flying sparks spread the fire easily. Around 850 buildings were destroyed, leaving around 230 buildings unharmed.

Before the fire was out, Kaiser Wilhelm II sent one of the first telegrams about the fire. He also sent 4 ships loaded with food, personnel, medicine, materials for shelters, and equipment needed.

The city was rebuilt after the fire in a newer building style called Jugendstil (Art Nouveau). While the old city was cramped with old buildings with bad sanitary options, the new city rose from the ashes in a better and more organized way, with more stone, brick, and mortar used as building materials.

Today, the city is one of 3 cities in the country of Møre and Romsdal; it is the leading city in the Sunnmøre area. It offers a wide range of opportunities for the local inhabitants and tourists for pleasure, activities, shopping, sports, camping, and leisure. The travel from the outer coastal areas to the deeper fjord areas is less than 2-3 hours at the most if you like to explore the area in more detail. The car is the best option to get around.

Here is a view from the harbor of Ålesund in a photo from Flickr I found below.

And here. The building on top of the mountain is Fjellstua (Mountain lodge). See the photo below this one below for the view.

And this is the view for Fjellstua below at day.

And at night or late evening.