Everything about Lillehammer totally explained
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.
Coat-of-arms
The
coat of arms is from 1898. It shows a
birkebeiner. (See
Birkebeinerrennet.)
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's bordered by
Ringsaker municipality in
Hedmark county. Lillehammer has a relatively dry inland climate (
1).
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.
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.
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.
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'd 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 LilehammerFurther Information
Get more info on 'Lillehammer'.
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