Norwegian Drug Control and Drug Discovery Institute (NDCDDI) AS, Ski, Norway
Email: larysa.karaliova@gmail.com
Copyright © 2015 by author and Scientific Research Publishing Inc.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY).
Received 10 April 2015; accepted 26 June 2015; published 30 June 2015
ABSTRACT
Cities and their people have their own fate, and sometimes it is tragic. Often tragic events lead to the death and oblivion of a city, and traces of them only remain in the pages of historical chronicles. Ålesund has had both a tragic and a happy fate. A conflagration in 1905 became a turning point in the history of the city. Ålesund was destroyed, and only ashes were left. This tragedy changed its outlook, and made it world famous because Ålesund was completely rebuilt in an Art Nouveau style.
Keywords:
Ålesund, City of Art Nouveau, Tourist Destination
1. Introduction
Before the Fire
In the 19th century, Ålesund was a small fishing village (there were many of these along the Norwegian coast) [1] . Ålesund was a town of fishermen, go-getters, businessmen, and workers. They produced many goods for export: fish, cod liver oil, vitamin oil, and guano, a type of fishmeal. Increases in production and export involved a large workforce. Agricultural workers from nearby moved into the town and found jobs on fishing boats, and in the docks, factories, warehouses, and elsewhere. The town grew, and housing in the town center became very dense, with wall-to-wall buildings and narrow streets. However, the streets were adequately wide for walking and small carts. All production and storage facilities were located on the shore of the bay, and items moved mostly by water. Here, fish were harvested for both the local market and for export. The chief export of Ålesund was clipfish, which is fish that is cut, salted, and dried on the rocks. Favorable market conditions brought revenue to the treasury of the town. In 1841, Ålesund was granted by authorities the status of a city.
A special pride of Ålesund was its fire brigade with a permanent team of 20 stately men, as many members again as a reserve team, and about 230 volunteers. When a fire occurred, the fire brigade could count on the help of 12,500 men found among the residents of the town [2] . Fires occurred frequently, especially in the winter, because houses were heated with wood or coal, and it was not always possible to keep domestic fires under control. The fire department was equipped with an observation tower located on a hill in the center of the city. The observation tower was manned around the clock. In 1903, an expensive hydrant system was commissioned into service. The fire department was also equipped with an 18-pound cannon loaded with a blank cartridge to wake up the town inhabitants [2] . In addition to their regular duties, members of the fire brigade had to be able to speak Spanish because there were always many Spanish ships in the harbor. The fire service was arranged perfectly, and the team coped valiantly with the many serious fires. On one occasion though, the elements were stronger than the people.
2. Conflagration of 1904
The night of January 22, 1904 was like many other winter nights, it was windy and chilly. Later that night, the wind increased to storm and hurricane force. At 2 o’clock in the morning, the fire department received a massage about a fire that had started at the cannery [3] . Driven by strong winds, the fire spread so quickly that all attempts to stop it failed. The stormy winds blew sparks from house to house and from street to street, falling like a rain of fire.
The fire department chief, Johannes Solem, wrote in his report that the fire advanced across many containment lines, and that fighting against the fire could be compared with Heracles’ battle with the Lernaean Hydra, which possessed many heads, and for each one that was cut off, two more grew [2] . The people had no choice but to submit to the elements and to save as much as possible from the destructive fire. The tragedy lasted about 15 hours. By
The first reports of the tragedy appeared in the morning edition of the central Norwegian newspaper under the title, “Ålesund is burning!” The news spread throughout
Help came from all over
2.1. German Emperor, Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
The German Emperor was fascinated by Norway and its west coast [4] . For 26 years, from
Wilhelm II was captivated by the loveliness of Norwegian nature: its waterfalls, glaciers, and inlets. The Norwegian sagas and people fascinated him. He had friends among the locals: pilot Johan Parelius from Nordhus, umbrella maker Erichsen from
The visits of Wilhelm II were covered in detail by the press. The German people were well informed about what was happening in Balmholm, Molde, and Kristiania (the capital of
We must remember that Emperor Wilhelm II was the richest man in
2.2. Help from Germany
Let us return to our subject. After Wilhelm II heard about the fire in Ålesund, he reacted immediately. He contacted all seafarers and dockers in
Without detracting from the merits of many people who contributed help after the conflagration and rebuilding of the town, we must recognize the vigor and public relations (PR) talent of the Emperor of Germany. His PR talent further raised funds to rebuild the town. It is not surprising that you can find in Ålesund a “Keiser Wilhelm Street”, a “keiserstatue”, a “keiserbar”, and a “keiserbun”. When the Emperor came to Ålesund in July 1904, he was met as a hero.
3. Rising from the Ashes
Directly after the conflagration, the residents of Ålesund wandered off to the surrounding villages looking for shelter or to stay with kinsfolk, because the majority of them came from the Sunnmøre district. They themselves, or their parents or grandparents had settled in this seaport and had either found a job or started their own business.
On January 26, 1904 the construction of temporary barracks began [5] . When the ship “Prinz Heinrich” arrived in port, its team of 500 sailors began construction works. Other ships arrived with building materials, and other building materials were brought by sea and by land from almost all parts of
When the decision to rebuild the city was made, work began immediately. Builders arrived from all over
A few months after the conflagration, the first houses had already been built. The
Figure 1. The inner harbor of Ålesund.
Figure 2. Stone houses in the center of the city. Photo: author.
Figure 3. The streets are 12.5 m wide. Photo: author.
Art Nouveau and National Romantic
The reconstruction of Ålesund came about when the Art Nouveau architectural style dominated both the Old and New Worlds, at the time of turn of the century (1895-1910). Art Nouveau is an ornamental style that grew from a symbolization of organic structures. The ideal world of the Art Nouveau artist is one that prefers the reproduction of perfect forms from the diversity of nature. The architectural style at the end of the XIX century showed similarities throughout
Many of the Norwegian architects were educated, had practiced abroad, and had spent some years in
Architects who came to Ålesund had to construct a
Figure 4. An arch decorated with troll masks. Photo: author.
Figure 5. A decoration associated with Viking ornaments. Photo: author.
Several houses are decorated with flower motives Figure 6 and Figure 7, an arctic rank of leaves, open blooming sunflowers, poppies, thistles, and beautiful female faces with flowing silken hair around their foreheads and cheeks in the pure Art Nouveau tradition.
Ålesund was constructed amazingly quickly. The buildings were built within a period of 1 - 3 months. Construction was funded by individuals, municipalities, and aid funds collected immediately after the fire. The reconstruction was financed by Norwegian banks, large and small, with the money gifted from both inside and outside
Around the end of 1905, most of the city had been built, including houses and infrastructure for businesses, with 700 buildings in all. The construction of the entire city was complete in 1909, when the most expensive building in the city, the
Ålesund rose from the ashes renewed and transfigured like the mythological
4. Instead of Conclusion
Ålesund Today
Ålesund is the largest city in the Møre og Romsdal country district. The municipality has a population of 45,932 (as of the second quarter of 2014 [6] ). There are many offices and production facilities of companies in Ålesund that provide services to the offshore oil and gas industry providing technology, concept development, and innovation services. More than 16.000 vessels visit the
Figure 6. A house decorated with flower motives. Photo: author.
Figure 7. Another house decorated with flower motives. Photo: author.
Figure 8. The year of construction is shown on the façade of the buildings. Photo: author.
Figure 9. Today, Ålesund is a modern city, but with an Art Nou- veau style. Photo: author.
ships of all sizes and from many countries are welcomed in the very center of the city. Norwegian Coast Express cruise ships arrive in Ålesund twice a day.
References
- Grytten, H. (2004) Fugl Føniks, Tegningene―Hus for Hus, Gate for Gate, Nytt i Ukas Forlag, Ålesund.
- Grytten, H. (2004) Byen brenner! Om bybrannen i Ålesund 1904, Volum XXXI. P2-akademiet, Kulturredaksjonen NRK P2, Oslo, 108-117.
- Grytten, H. (2003) Ålesund brenner. Byen under ild og aske, Nytt i Ukas Forlag, Ålesund.
- Skotheim, S. (2011) Keiser Wilhelm i Norge, Spartacus, Oslo.
- Grytten, H. (2004) Ålesund opp av asken, Nytt i Ukas Forlag, Ålesund.
- Central Statistical Agency of Norway. http://www.ssb.no/