Møre og Romsdal
Hotels in Møre og Romsdal- Code:15
- Type:county
- Population:265,392 (2019)
- Area:14,356 km²
- Capital:Molde
Introduction
Møre og Romsdal holds Geirangerfjord, the Atlantic Ocean Road and Trollstigen — all covered in full on the country's own pages — alongside Ålesund, a town almost entirely rebuilt in unified Art Nouveau style after a catastrophic 1904 fire, and Runde's major seabird colony.
Overview
Ålesund's town centre tells a genuinely unusual architectural story: a single devastating fire in 1904 destroyed nearly the entire wooden town, and the rebuild that followed, completed within about three years using stone, brick and mortar rather than wood, produced one of the most unified collections of Art Nouveau (Jugendstil) architecture anywhere in Europe. Runde, an island off the county's coast, hosts one of Norway's largest and most accessible seabird colonies, drawing visitors specifically for puffins and other nesting species each spring and summer. Molde, the county's own city further along the coast, carries a distinct identity as Norway's jazz capital, hosting one of Europe's most respected jazz festivals each summer.
Discover Møre og Romsdal
Ålesund: rebuilt in three years after a single fire
On the night of 23 January 1904, a fire that started in a butter factory spread rapidly through Ålesund's densely packed wooden buildings, fanned by strong winds, and within hours destroyed nearly the entire town centre, leaving some 10,000 people homeless in the middle of a Norwegian winter. The rebuild that followed drew on architects trained in Germany and Norway who had absorbed the Art Nouveau style then sweeping continental Europe, and — required to use stone, brick and mortar rather than wood under new fire regulations — they produced a genuinely unified townscape within roughly three years, giving Ålesund one of the most complete collections of Jugendstil architecture found anywhere. German Emperor Wilhelm II, who vacationed in the region regularly, contributed relief ships and building materials, a detail still commemorated locally and part of why the town's connection to German architectural influence runs deeper than aesthetic coincidence.
Runde: puffins and a major seabird colony
Runde, a small island reached by bridge from the mainland, hosts one of Norway's largest seabird colonies — several hundred thousand birds nest on its cliffs each spring and summer, including a genuinely substantial puffin population that draws birdwatchers specifically for the chance to see the species up close in a way few accessible locations allow. The colony's exact composition shifts through the season as different species arrive and depart, and guided boat trips around the island's cliffs offer a closer view than the clifftop paths alone provide, though the paths themselves already bring visitors within a remarkably short distance of nesting birds.
Molde: Norway's jazz capital
Molde, known locally as the “City of Roses” for its sheltered, unusually mild microclimate that supports rose gardens well beyond what the latitude would normally allow, carries a genuinely distinct cultural identity as Norway's jazz capital — the Moldejazz festival, running each July since 1961, is one of Europe's longest-established and most respected jazz festivals, drawing major international performers to a town of only around 27,000 people for a week each summer. The city's own panoramic mountain backdrop, sometimes called the “Molde Panorama,” rounds out a stop that offers a genuinely different character from Ålesund's architectural draw or Runde's wildlife focus.
Ways to Experience This Destination
A town almost entirely rebuilt in unified Jugendstil style within three years of a devastating 1904 fire — one of the most complete Art Nouveau townscapes in Europe.
Several hundred thousand nesting seabirds, including a substantial puffin population, on cliffs reached by bridge from the mainland.
One of Europe's longest-established jazz festivals, running each July since 1961 in a mild-microclimate town known locally as the City of Roses.
Covered in full on the country's own western-fjords and getting-around pages.
Practical Møre og Romsdal travel notes
- Runde's puffin population and overall seabird numbers shift through spring and summer as different species arrive and depart — check current timing if a specific species is the priority.
- Moldejazz runs each July — book accommodation well ahead if visiting during the festival, since a town of Molde's size sees a genuine capacity crunch during the week-long event.
- Ålesund's Art Nouveau centre rewards slow walking rather than a rushed pass-through — the unified style is best appreciated street by street, not from a single viewpoint.
- Geirangerfjord, the Atlantic Ocean Road and Trollstigen are all physically in this county but covered in full on the country's own dedicated pages, not repeated here.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Ålesund have such distinctive architecture?
Is Runde a good place to see puffins?
What is Moldejazz?
Are Geirangerfjord and Trollstigen in this county?
This overview comes from Visaja's worldwide missions database (visaja.com), checked against official government sources; for binding answers, the mission itself always has the final word.