| Åndalsnes | |
|---|---|
| — Town — | |
| View of Åndalsnes from the mountain Nebba | |
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Åndalsnes
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Norway |
| Region | Western Norway |
| County | Møre og Romsdal |
| District | Romsdal |
| Municipality | Rauma |
| Area[1] | |
| • Total | 2.34 km2 (0.9 sq mi) |
| Elevation[2] | 16 m (52 ft) |
| Population (2009)[1] | |
| • Total | 2,207 |
| • Density | 943/km2 (2,442.4/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+01:00) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+02:00) |
| Post Code | 6300 |
is a town in the municipality of Rauma in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Åndalsnes is the administrative center of Rauma. The 2.34-square-kilometre (580-acre) town has a population (2009) of 2,207.[1] The village of Isfjorden lies about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) to the east, Veblungsnes lies just to the west across the Rauma River, and Innfjorden lies about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) to the southwest via European Route E136.
Åndalsnes has an association football club, Åndalsnes Idrettsforening. The town's newspaper, Åndalsnes Avis, had a circulation of 4,125 in 2007.[3] The harbour is called "NATO kaia" or NATO harbour, and is visited every year by cruise ships, including Costa Marina, MS Thomson Celebration, Costa Victoria, and Costa Atlantica—the biggest ship that currently comes to Åndalsnes.
Åndalsnes is located on the shores of the Romsdalsfjord near where the Isfjorden begins. It is located at the mouth of the Rauma River, one the first Norwegian rivers to host English fly fishermen in the nineteenth century. The river's salmon population is currently undergoing restoration after seeing strong declines in the 1980s following an infestation with the salmon parasite Gyrodactylus salaris. As many other infested rivers, the Rauma River is experiencing an increase in the population of sea trout. The river flows through the Romsdal valley, which features some of the most spectacular scenery in the entire country. Trollveggen (the Troll Wall) one of the cliff formations in the valley, has a vertical drop of over 1,000 metres (3,300 ft). It was an early launch site for European BASE jumpers. The railroad Raumabanen terminates at Åndalsnes, with bus connections to Molde and Ålesund.
After the German World War II invasion of Norway in April 1940, British troops landed in Åndalsnes as a part of a pincer movement to take the mid-Norwegian city Trondheim. The northern arm of the attack was based in Namsos. Lacking control of the air, the forces at Åndalsnes were withdrawn in early May 1940. It was also the site of the Battle of Åndalsnes.