The Art Nouveau Town

Ålesund is today the town in Norway with most Art Nouveau buildings situated within a small geographical area. Take a walk through the town streets, and enjoy the sight of the beautiful buildings that were built after the Town Fire in 1904!

On the night of January 23rd 1904, a devastating fire raged through Ålesund After only 16 hours, 850 houses were burnt down and 10.000 people were rendered homeless. After the fire, only 230 houses were left in Ålesund's town centre, but after a remarkable effort from the local population, travellers from near and far, and other contributors, the town had been rebuilt already in 1907.

The architects that designed the houses were young Norwegians, and they were influenced by both national romantic ideas as well as that time period's popular architectural style; Art Nouveau.

The buildings are decorated with towers, turrets and imaginative and colourful ornaments. When you go on your walk, take a look at all parts of the buildings, that's when you will notice all the small details that make these houses so beautiful. Today, Ålesund is renowned both nationally and internationally for its architecture, and is a member of "Rèseau Art Nouveau Network", a European network of Art Nouveau cities, including among others Glasgow, Barcelona and Vienna.