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 the administrative centre of Ålesund Municipality.
Ålesund in 1900 before the fire. The view is from the east looking west as seen from the local mountain Aksla. The bulk of the island Aspøya can be seen in the foreground; the near channel is demarked by the harbor to the right. The fire began on the island, near the last buildings on the island in the upper left. Note that a west wind would push the fire toward the more densely built up areas. The fire was finally controlled at a point to the left, behind the point from which this picture was taken; most of the buildings seen here were destroyed.
Ålesund is a town in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The town is the administrative centre of Ålesund Municipality. The centre of the town of Ålesund lies on the islands of Hessa, Aspøya, Nørvøya with newer developments located on the islands of Uksenøya the outer parts of the "urban area" even stretch onto the island of Sula which is in the neighboring Sula Municipality. The town is the main headquarters for the Norwegian Coastal Administration as well as the location of the Sunnmøre District Court.
View of the town
Ålesund, Norway, ca. 1895, before the fire
Jugendstilsenteret – The Art Nouveau Centre of Norway
MS Polarlys in Ålesund (December 2005)
