LILLEHAMMER

'Lillehammer', the gateway to Gudbrandsdalen, is a town and municipality in the county of Oppland, Norway.
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.

Contents

Coat-of-arms

Location

Economy

History

What to see

Famous residents

See also

External links

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 is 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.
Lillehammer was host city of the 1994 Winter Olympic Games. It is known for being a typical venue for winter sporting events.

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 Gudbrandsdal.
:Especially attractive are
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★ 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 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 Mesnalia.

★ The fictional character Toki Wartooth of the television show Metalocalypse is explained to be from an abandoned village near Lillehammer. He is considered to be the second fastest guitarist alive, and is the rhythm guitarist for the band Dethklok.

See also

Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2004

External links

★ Lillehammer Tourist Office

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★ Lillehammer and Gudbrandsdalen

★ Lillehammer University College

★ Lillehammer Icehockey Club

★ Lillehammer Olympic Park