Ålesund (town)

Ålesund (ˈôːɫəsʉn) 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. In Norwegian, Ålesund is considered to be a by which can be translated as a town or a city. Ålesund is the ninth largest town/city in Norway. The town has become more of an urban agglomeration during the late part of the 20th century and the urban area has spread out and into the neighboring municipality. The town has a population (2018) of 52,626 and a population density of . About of the town with a population of 44,070 lies in Ålesund Municipality and the remaining of the town with a population of 8,556 lies in Sula Municipality. The town has an unusually consistent architecture, most of the buildings having been built between 1904 and 1907. Jugendstilsenteret is a national interpretation centre, visitors can learn more about the town fire, the rebuilding of the town and the Art Nouveau style. Ålesund is a partner in the Art nouveau network, a European network of co-operation created in 1999 for the study, safeguards and development of the Art nouveau. The term "Little London" was often applied to the community during the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany due to the Norwegian resistance work that took place here. Among other things, the city was central to the flights to Scotland and England. Legend has it that Gangerolf (outside of Norway better known as Rollo), the 10th-century founder of the dynasty of the dukes of Normandy, hailed from the community of Giske, north-west of the present-day town of Ålesund. At least three statues of Rolle exist: in the town park in Ålesund, in the city of Rouen, France, and in Fargo, North Dakota, United States.