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Art Nouveau, Scandinavian Style - Aalesund, Norway
Gordon Turner
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Aalesund's main claim to distinction is its Art Nouveau architecture. But this is Art Nouveau, Scandinavian style.
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Aalesund. In English it means "eel sound," or so someone told me. When I arrived all I knew was that it was one of Norway's leading fishing ports, and it was 170 miles up the coast from Bergen. Its main claim to distinction, as I soon found out, is its Art Nouveau architecture. |  | But this is Art Nouveau, Scandinavian style. The buildings lack the flashy trappings of their counterparts in France, where the style originated. Flamboyance is held firmly in check. Yet it is Art Nouveau. Aalesund has made a compelling case for UNESCO to declare the center of the town a World Heritage Site and is eagerly awaiting the decision. The town has a rich history that dates back to Viking times. To most residents, though, the boundary between Aalesund's past and present was drawn decisively on January 23, 1904, when a fast-spreading fire, apparently caused by an oil lamp toppling over, burned down 800 closely packed wooden buildings, leaving nearly 10,000 residents homeless in the depths of a bitter Nordic winter. When the fire threatened the town jail, the warden released the panic-stricken prisoners with the earnest but futile plea, "Now, be sure to come back tomorrow." | | Art Nouveau, with its sinuous swirls and flashes of color seemed at odds with the stolid character of Aalesund and its residents, yet the town fathers endorsed this progressive style. |
| That Art Nouveau flourished a century ago in a remote corner of Norway seems unlikely. France, yes. That's where it was reaching the height of its popularity. It was making inroads in Belgium and Germany too. But Norway? Art Nouveau, with its sinuous swirls and flashes of color seemed at odds with the stolid character of Aalesund and its residents, yet the town fathers endorsed this progressive style. Young Norwegian architects who had been trained abroad did not feel bound by the blueprints of the past; they were keen to put Art Nouveau theories into practice. Still, they showed a marked sensitivity to the homespun architectural legacy of the region, and, fittingly, they worked elements of Nordic mythology into some of their designs.
When it came to rebuilding, wood was out, stone was in. Buildings not constructed in Art Nouveau style were erected on traditional Norwegian lines, each fashion at ease with the other, as I discovered when I stood on the Helle bridge near the head of the Brosundet, admiring the view from the inner end of the old harbor, the location of four- to six-story structures that had served as warehouses for Aalesund's import and export businesses for many years. But things have changed since the early 1900s. Those old warehouses have been converted to hotels, apartment buildings and office blocks.
Just as the architects of 1904 respected the traditions of their day while they introduced the decorative elements of Art Nouveau, so the more recent restorations have remained true-at least externally-to the buildings' origins. Narrow windows have stayed narrow, steeply pitched roofs continue to be steeply pitched. Most buildings feature pastel walls, with grey, tan and a subdued red being among the more common colors. Immense cut stones, untouched by paint, provide solid foundations for the transformed warehouses. One of the most notable conversions is the Hotel Bergen at Apotekergate 1-3. Not far off is the Scandic Hotel, at Molovegen 6. It looks thoroughly modern without turning its back on the traditional appearance of its neighbors.
I strolled along Aalesund's streets. Apoketergate (look for the Swan pharmacy at no. 16, now the location of the recently opened Art Nouveau Centre), Kongensgate, Lovenvoldgate and Kirkegate revealed an abundant range of Art Nouveau buildings, all carefully maintained and in everyday use. Turrets competed with spires, balconies with doorways; straight lines yielded to ornamental twists and turns; glass was decorative as well as functional. However, Norwegian sensibilities have prevailed; Art Nouveau stylings lean toward judicious restraint, not unbridled exuberance.
Guided walking tours of these architecturally engaging streets are offered in the summer months, but I arrived too early in the year to take part. This was not altogether a bad thing. Although I missed not having a knowledgeable guide to explain the details, at least I could choose my own route and walk at my own pace, lingering here, hurrying there.
In fact, on Kongensgate I combined Art Nouveau with shopping and deciding where to have lunch at one of several pleasant restaurants lining the street. A bonus for visitors and residents alike is that Kongensgate is restricted to pedestrians. There, as in the converted warehouses facing the Brosundet, the buildings are individually distinctive but harmonize agreeably with their surroundings. Among the more important structures I noticed on this winding street were numbers 4 and 6, the former having been restored to its post-1904 appearance a few years ago after an incompatible front was removed. At number 25, a fire in the early 1970s left only the face of the building intact. Residents thwarted a proposal to tear it down and erect a modern facade. The town's architectural heritage remains to this day in proud and sensitive hands.
Aalesund, built on three islands, is home to 40,000 people. Most of the popular attractions are contained within its central area. Not far away from Aalesund are the spectacular Geirangerfjord, famous for its near-vertical cliffs and its lofty waterfalls, and the less known but still scenic Hjorundfjord. About 25 miles from the town is the Runde bird rock, a notable breeding ground for numerous species of sea birds. | If You Go The Art Nouveau Center, Apotekergate 16, N-6004 Alesund, Norway, is an essential stop for anyone with an interest in Art Nouveau. Tel: +47 70 10 49 70. Fax: +47 70 10 49 71. E-mail: post@jugendstilsenteret.no. Website: www.jugendstilsenteret.no
General information on Norway, including Aalesund: Norwegian Tourist Board, P.O. Box 4649, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163 - 4649, USA. Tel: (212) 885-9700. Fax: (212) 885-9710. Website: www.visitnorway.com. E-mail: usa@ntr.no.
Additional information on Aalesund: Aalesund Tourist Office, Radhuset, N-6025
Aalesund, Norway. Tel: +47 70 15 76 00. Fax: +47 70 15 76 01. E-mail: info@alesundinfo.no. Website: www.visitalesund.com.
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