Lillehammer
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| Lillehammer kommune | |||
| — Municipality — | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country | Norway | ||
| County | Oppland | ||
| District | Gudbrandsdal | ||
| Municipality ID | NO-0501 | ||
| Administrative centre | Lillehammer | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor (2005) | Synnøve Brenden Klemetrud (Ap) | ||
| Area (Nr. 211 in Norway) | |||
| - Total | 477 km² (184.2 sq mi) | ||
| - Land | 450 km² (173.7 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2004) | |||
| - Total | 25,070 | ||
| - Density | 56/km² (145/sq mi) | ||
| - Change (10 years) | 5.0 % | ||
| - Rank in Norway | 33 | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Official language form | Bokmål | ||
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| Website: www.lillehammer.kommune.no | |||
Lillehammer is a town and municipality in the county of Oppland, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics.
The town of Lillehammer was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The rural municipality of Fåberg was merged with Lillehammer January 1, 1964.
The city centre is a well-preserved late 19th century concentration of wooden houses, which enjoys a picturesque location overlooking the northern part of lake Mjøsa and the river Lågen, surrounded by mountains. The main street is excellent for people-watching, shopping and dining.
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[edit] Coat-of-arms
The coat of arms is from 1898. It shows a birkebeiner. (See Birkebeinerrennet.)
[edit] Location
Lillehammer is located to the south of Øyer, to the southeast of Gausdal, northeast of Nordre Land and to the north of Gjøvik, all municipalities in Oppland. To the southeast it is bordered by Ringsaker municipality in Hedmark county. Lillehammer has a relatively dry inland climate (1).
[edit] Economy
The basis for the city's commerce is its position as the northernmost point of the lake Mjøsa and as the gateway for the Gudbrandsdal landscape, through which the historical highway to Trondheim passes. The Mesna river has provided the basis for several small industries through the years.
One of the major Norwegian rail lines, the Dovrebanen runs from Hamar to the north through Lillehammer on its way up the Gudbrandsdal, to terminate in Trondheim.
The E6 highway passes through Lillehammer.
[edit] History
The area has been settled since the Norwegian Iron Age. It is mentioned in the old sagas as "Litlikaupangr" ('the small trading place') and as "Litlihamarr" ('the small Hamar' - to distinguish it from the town and the bishopric of Hamar). It is also mentioned as a site for council in 1390. It had a lively market by the 1800s, and obtained rights as a merchant city on August 7, 1827, at which point there were 50 registered residents within its boundaries.
Lillehammer was the site of the Lillehammer affair in 1973 where operatives of the Israeli Mossad shot and killed a Moroccan waiter they mistakenly thought was involved in the Munich Massacre. The affair is described in the video Death in Lillehammer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0wqHyhmzoI
Lillehammer was host city of the 1994 Winter Olympic Games. It is known for being a typical venue for winter sporting events. It is now bidding for the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics.
In 2005, the popular British automotive show Top Gear aired its "Winter Olympics" special, an episode of various Olympic event-themed challenges involving cars, set in the surrounding area of Lillehammer.
[edit] What to see
In addition to the Olympic site, Lillehammer offers a number of other tourist attractions:
- Maihaugen, centrally located in Lillehammer, is the largest open-air museum in Norway, with 185 buildings, mostly from Lillehammer town and the valley of Gudbrandsdalen.
- Especially attractive are
- Garmo stave church (built around 1150)
- The art museum, "Flygelet".
- The PS Skibladner is the world's oldest paddle steamer in scheduled service, launched in 1856. Summer sailings around lake Mjøsa: Lillehammer, Moelv, Gjøvik, Hamar and Eidsvoll.
- The ski jump at Lysgårdsbakkene.
- Sjusjøen is a skiing destination with forest and mountain terrain only 20 km away (east) from the centre of Lillehammer in the municipality of Ringsaker.
- The Sambandets Utdanning og Kompetansesenter is an army unit located in the camp Jørstadmoen 3-4 km northwest of Lillehammer.
- The rock carvings at Drotten, Fåberg, west of Lågen about 1.5 km above Brunlaug bridge.
[edit] Famous residents
- Sigrid Undset lived in Lillehammer at her home 'Bjerkebæk' from 1919 through 1940. She brought her children with her for a short rest, planning on returning to Oslo. However, she chose to remain in Lillehammer. She wrote her most famous works there: the three-volume "Kristin Lavransdatter" and the four-volume "Olav Audunssønn". In 1940, because she had expressed strong anti-Nazi sentiments since the early 30s, she fled Lillehammer before the German invasion of Norway reached there. She returned to Lillehammer after the war and died there in 1949. She is buried at the cemetery in Mesnali a nearby village.
- Toki Wartooth (fictional character) Second fastest guitarist in the world. Was born in an abandoned village near Lilehammer
[edit] See also
Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2004
[edit] External links
- Lillehammer Tourist Office
- Lillehammer travel guide from Wikitravel
- Lillehammer and Gudbrandsdalen
- Lillehammer University College
- Lillehammer Icehockey Club
- Lillehammer Olympic Park
- Pictures from the Olympic games in 1994
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