Lillehammer () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Innlandet Innlandet is a county in Norway. It was created on 1 January 2020 with the merger of the old counties of Oppland and Hedmark (the municipalities of Jevnaker and Lunner were transferred to the neighboring county of Viken on the same date). The ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. It is located in the traditional district of

Gudbrandsdal Gudbrandsdalen (; en, Gudbrand Valley) is a valley and Districts of Norway, traditional district in the Norway, Norwegian county of Innlandet (formerly Oppland). The valley is oriented in a north-westerly direction from Lillehammer (town), Lille ...

. The

administrative centre An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...

of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. Some of the more notable villages in the municipality include

Fåberg Fåberg is a former municipality in the old Oppland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until 1964. Now, it is part of Lillehammer Municipality in Innlandet county. The administrative centre was the village of Fåberg. History ...

Hunderfossen Hunderfossen is a village in Lillehammer Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located along the west shore of the Gudbrandsdalslågen river, about north of the town of Lillehammer. The small village features the Hunderfosse ...

Jørstadmoen Jørstadmoen is a village in Lillehammer Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located along the river Gudbrandsdalslågen, about to the northwest of the town of Lillehammer. The village has a population (2021) of 661 and a ...

Vingnes Vingnes is a village in Lillehammer Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located on the west bank of lake Mjøsa, just across the Gudbrandsdalslågen river from the town of Lillehammer. The European route E6 highway runs thro ...

, and

Vingrom Vingrom is a village in Lillehammer Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located along the lake Mjøsa, just north of the border with Gjøvik Municipality, and about south of the town of Lillehammer. The European route E6 ...

. The municipality is the 211th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Lillehammer is the 38th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 28,425. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

is and its population has increased by 6.2% over the previous 10-year period. The town of Lillehammer is the largest urban centre in the municipality. It lies in the central part of the municipality and it is surrounded by more rural areas. The town centre is a late nineteenth-century concentration of wooden houses, which enjoys a picturesque location overlooking the northern part of lake

Mjøsa Mjøsa is Norway's largest lake, as well as one of the deepest lakes in Norway and in Europe. It is the fourth-deepest lake in Norway. It is located in the southern part of Norway, about north of the city of Oslo. Its main tributary is the rive ...

and the river Lågen, surrounded by mountains. Lillehammer hosted the

1994 Winter Olympics The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games ( no, De 17. olympiske vinterleker; nn, Dei 17. olympiske vinterleikane) and commonly known as Lillehammer '94, was an international winter multi-sport event held fro ...

and

2016 Winter Youth Olympics The 2016 Winter Youth Olympics ( no, Olympiske vinterleker for ungdom 2016; nn, Olympiske vinterleikane for ungdom 2016), officially known as the II Winter Youth Olympic Games, took place in and around Lillehammer, Norway, between 12 February an ...

General information

The municipality was established on 1 January 1838 (see

formannskapsdistrikt () is the name for Norwegian local self-government districts that were legally enacted on 1 January 1838. This system of municipalities was created in a bill approved by the Parliament of Norway and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January ...

law). On 1 January 1906, a small adjacent area of the neighboring municipality of

(population: 140) was annexed by Lillehammer to make room for more expansion as the town grew. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the

Schei Committee The Schei Committee ( no, Schei-komitéen) was a committee named by the Government of Norway to look into the organization of municipalities in Norway post-World War II. It convened in 1946, and its formal name was (The 1946 Committee on Municip ...

. On 1 January 1964, the town of Lillehammer (population: 5,905) was merged with Fåberg Municipality (population: 13,381) to form a new, larger Lillehammer Municipality.

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) was named after the old ''Hamar'' farm ( non, Hamarr), since the first

Lillehammer Church Lillehammer Church ( no, Lillehammer kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Lillehammer Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the town of Lillehammer. It is the church for the Lillehammer parish which is the sea ...

was built there. The name is identical with the word ''hamarr'' which means "rocky hill". To distinguish it from the nearby town of

Hamar Hamar is a List of cities in Norway, town in Hamar Municipality in Innlandet Counties of Norway, county, Norway. Hamar is the administrative centre of Hamar Municipality. It is located in the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Hedmarken. ...

and

Diocese of Hamar The Diocese of Hamar ( no, Hamar Bispedømme) is a diocese within the Church of Norway. The Diocese of Hamar includes all of the churches in Innlandet county plus the churches in Lunner in Viken county. Administratively, the diocese is divided ...

, it began to be called "little Hamar": ''Lilþlæ Hamar'' and ''Litlihamarr'', and finally Lillehammer. It is also mentioned in the Old Norse

saga is a series of science fantasy role-playing video games by Square Enix. The series originated on the Game Boy in 1989 as the creation of Akitoshi Kawazu at Square (video game company), Square. It has since continued across multiple platforms, ...

s as ''Litlikaupangr'' ("Little Trading Place").

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

was granted on 4 April 1898. The arms depict a

birkebeiner The Birkebein Party or Birkebeinar (; no, Birkebeinarane (nynorsk) or (bokmål)) was the name for a rebellious party in Norway, formed in 1174 around the pretender to the Norwegian throne, Eystein Meyla. The name has its origins in propagand ...

, carrying a spear and a shield, who is skiing down a silver/white mountainside under a blue sky. The design symbolizes the historical importance of when the Birkebeiners carried the future King Haakon from Lillehammer to Rena on skis.

Churches

The

Church of Norway The Church of Norway ( nb, Den norske kirke, nn, Den norske kyrkja, se, Norgga girku, sma, Nöörjen gærhkoe) is an evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. The church b ...

has six parishes () within the municipality of Lillehammer. It is part of the

Sør-Gudbrandsdal prosti The list of churches in Hamar is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Hamar which includes all of Innlandet county (plus two municipalities in Viken county) in Norway. The list is divided into several sections, one for each d ...

(

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residenc ...

) in the

History

The village of Lillehammer is located at the northern end of Norway's largest lake,

. There have likely been settlements here since the

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

and the market here was mentioned in Håkon Håkonson's saga in 1390. It is also mentioned as a site for Thing assembly in 1390. Tradition states that it was here in Lillehammer where the birkebeiners Torstein Skjevla and Skjervald Skrukka joined up with the King's son (and future King), Haakon, in 1205 before they traveled to

Østerdalen Østerdalen () is a valley and traditional district in Innlandet county, in Eastern Norway. This area typically is described as the large Glåma river valley as well as all its tributary valleys. It includes the municipalities Rendalen, Alvdal, F ...

(an event which is commemorated in March every year to this day). Since medieval times, the

has been located here. The village was granted market town rights on 7 August 1827. At that time, 50 people lived within the boundaries of the newly established town. This site was chosen because there were no other towns in all of Christians amt (county) and this site was located along the

Gudbrandsdalslågen The Gudbrandsdalslågen (or simply ''Lågen'') is a river which flows through the Gudbrandsdal valley in Innlandet county, Norway. The long river runs through a large valley in Eastern Norway before emptying into Mjøsa, the largest lake in Norw ...

river and the whole

valley was a major transportation route from the capital to northern Norway. Within two years of the establishment of the town, the population had risen to 360 people. The merchant Ludvig Wiese has been counted as the founder of the town (a statue of him was erected in the town in connection with the town's 100th anniversary in 1927). The laying of the main railway line from the capital in Christiania to

Eidsvoll Eidsvoll (; sometimes written as ''Eidsvold'') is a municipality in Akershus in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the Romerike traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sundet. General information E ...

was completed in 1852. This railway line was connected with steamships along the lake

which travelled to Lillehammer and from there a newly laid road made connections further up into the

Gudbrandsdalen Gudbrandsdalen (; en, Gudbrand Valley) is a valley and traditional district in the Norwegian county of Innlandet (formerly Oppland). The valley is oriented in a north-westerly direction from Lillehammer and the lake of Mjøsa, extending towar ...

valley. This transport system made the transit of timber and agricultural goods from all over the county to the capital possible, and it contributed to the growth of the town of Lillehammer. In 1973,

Mossad Mossad ( , ), ; ar, الموساد, al-Mōsād, ; , short for ( he, המוסד למודיעין ולתפקידים מיוחדים, links=no), meaning 'Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations'. is the national intelligence agency ...

killed a Moroccan waiter, having mistaken him for Palestinian terrorist

Ali Hassan Salameh Ali Hassan Salameh ( ar, علي حسن سلامة, ; 1 April 1941 – 22 January 1979) was a Palestinian militant who was the chief of operations (code name Abu Hassan) for Black September and founder of Force 17. He was assassinated by Mossad ...

, which became known as the ''

Lillehammer affair The Lillehammer affair (Hebrew: פרשת לילהאמר, ''Parshat Lillehammer'', Norwegian: ''Lillehammer-saken'') was the killing by Mossad agents of Ahmed Bouchikhi, a Moroccan waiter and brother of the renowned musician Chico Bouchikhi, in ...

''. Lillehammer is known as a typical venue for winter sporting events; it was host city of the

, and the

, and was part of a joint bid with applicant host city

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

to host events part of the

2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics (2022年冬季奥林匹克运动会), officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), was an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beij ...

until Oslo withdrew its bid on 1 October 2014. Lillehammer is home to the largest literature festival in the Nordic countries and, in 2017, was designated as a UNESCO

City of Literature UNESCO's City of Literature programme is part of the wider Creative Cities Network. The ''Network'' was launched in 2004, and now has member cities in seven creative fields. The other creative fields are: Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gas ...

Education

A number of schools are located in Lillehammer, including the

Hammartun Primary and Lower Secondary School Hammartun Lower Secondary School ( no, Hammartun ungdomsskole) is a public lower secondary school situated in Lillehammer, Norway. The school educates around 489 students aged 13–16. The school started teaching in 1841. The buildings it occupie ...

, Søre Ål Primary School and Kringsjå Primary and Lower Secondary School.

Lillehammer Upper Secondary School Lillehammer () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. Some of the more notable villages in the munici ...

consists of two branches, North and South, both situated near the city center. The private high school

Norwegian College of Elite Sports Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

, NTG, also has a branch in Lillehammer. The Lillehammer campus of

Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences The Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences (also known as INN University, no, Høgskolen i Innlandet) is a state university college in Innlandet, Norway, established in 2017 from the merger of the Hedmark University College and Lillehammer ...

is situated just north of the town itself. Lillehammer is also the home of the

Nansen Academy The Nansen Academy – Norwegian Humanistic Academy ( no, Nansenskolen – Norsk Humanistisk Akademi) is a folk high school in Lillehammer, Norway. History Nansen Academy was founded as a humanist and anti-totalitarian institution. The school was ...

- the Norwegian Humanistic Academy. The Nansen Academy is an educational institution for adult students with varied political, religious, and cultural backgrounds. The Academy was founded on the core principles of

humanism Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humani ...

and aims at strengthening the knowledge of these principles. The

14th World Scout Jamboree The 14th World Scout Jamboree was held July 29 to August 7, 1975, and was hosted by Norway at Lillehammer, on the shore of Lake Mjøsa. King Olav V and Harald V of Norway, who then was crown prince, opened "Nordjamb '75", as it became popularly ...

was held from 29 July to 7 August 1975 and was hosted by Norway at Lillehammer.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Lillehammer, are responsible for

primary education Primary education or elementary education is typically the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary school. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first ...

(through 10th grade), outpatient

health services Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wiktionary:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physical and menta ...

senior citizen Old age refers to ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of human beings, and is thus the end of the human life cycle. Terms and euphemisms for people at this age include old people, the elderly (worldwide usage), OAPs (British usage ...

services,

unemployment Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for Work (human activity), w ...

and other

social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or administe ...

zoning Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a si ...

economic development In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and o ...

, and municipal

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

s. The municipality is governed by a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counci ...

elected Elected may refer to: * "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973 * ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008 *The Elected, an American indie rock band See also *Election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a populatio ...

representatives, which in turn elects a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

. The municipality falls under the

Vestre Innlandet District Court Vestre Innlandet District Court ( no, Vestre Innlandet tingrett) is a district court (Norway), district court located in Innlandet county, Norway. This court is based at four different courthouses which are located in Gjøvik (town), Gjøvik, Fag ...

and the

Eidsivating Court of Appeal The Eidsivating Court of Appeal ( no, Eidsivating lagmannsrett) is one of six courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the city of Hamar. The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Innlandet and eastern Viken. These ...

Municipal council

The

of Lillehammer is made up of 47 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature f ...

breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayors

The mayors of Lillehammer (incomplete list): *1946–1954: Einar Hansen, ( Ap) *1954–1959: Anton Andreassen, ( Ap) *1960–1963: Erling Juell Aune, ( Ap) *1964–1975: Magne Henriksen, ( Ap) *1976–1981: Knut Korsæth, ( Ap) *1982–1987: Arild Bakken, ( Ap) *1987–1999:

Audun Tron Audun Tron (born 7 March 1945) is a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. From 1987 to 1999, Tron was the mayor of Lillehammer. As such he played a role in the 1994 Winter Olympics. During the first cabinet Stoltenberg, from 2000 to 2001, ...

, ( Ap) *1999–2011: Synnøve Brenden Klemetrud, ( Ap) *2011–2019: Espen Johnsen, ( Ap) *2019–present: Ingunn Trosholmen, ( Ap)

Geography

Lillehammer is situated in the lower part of the

valley, at the northern end of lake

. It is located to the south of

Øyer Municipality Øyer is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tingberg. The two largest villages in the municipality are Granrudmoe ...

, to the southeast of

Gausdal Municipality Gausdal is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Segalstad bru. Other villages in Gausdal include Follebu, Forset, a ...

, northeast of

Nordre Land Municipality Nordre Land is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Land. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Dokka. Other villages in the municipality include Vest-Torpa, Nord-To ...

, to the north of

Gjøvik Municipality is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Toten. The administrative centre of the municipality is Gjøvik (town), town of Gjøv ...

, and to the southeast of

Ringsaker Municipality is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Hedemarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Brumunddal. Other settlements in Ringsaker include the town of Moelv and the vi ...

. The mountain

Nevelfjell Nevelfjell is a mountain in Lillehammer Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The tall mountain is the highest point in the municipality. The mountain sits about northeast of the town of Lillehammer, about to the south of the municipal bo ...

lies in the northeast part of the municipality. Lillehammer Panorama (2237447375)

Climate

Lillehammer has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: ''Dfb'') and used to have a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, ge ...

(Köppen: ''Dfc''), with the Scandinavian mountain chain to the west and north limiting oceanic influences. The record high of was recorded in June 1970. The record low of was recorded in December 1978 and January 1979, and the same low was recorded in January 1987. There has been no overnight air frost in the month of August since 1978 with the record low for that month being . The coldest recorded temperature after 2000 is in January 2010. The average date for the last overnight freeze (low below ) in spring is May 10 and average date for first freeze in autumn is September 30 (1981-2010 average). The current weather station Lillehammer-Sætherengen became operational in 1982; extremes are also from two earlier weather stations in Lillehammer.

Populated places

Lillehammer Municipality is subdivided into the following populated places (i.e.: neighborhoods, quarters, villages, localities, settlements, communities, hamlets, etc.): * Søre Ål *

Nordre Ål ''Nordre'' (Northern), formerly known as ''Haramsnytt'' (The Haram News), is a local Norway, Norwegian newspaper covering events in the northern part of the municipality of Ålesund in Møre og Romsdal county. History The newspaper was established ...

* Lillehammer Centre * Nybu * Vårsetergrenda * Røyslimoen *

* Rudsbygd * Saksumdal *

Nordseter Nordseter is a mountain cross country skiing area located 14 km from Lillehammer in Norway, not very far from Sjusjøen Sjusjøen is a cross country skiing destination in the municipality of Ringsaker in Innlandet county, Norway. Situated on ...

* Busmoen

Economy

The basis for the economy of the municipality is its position as the northernmost point of the lake

and as the gateway for the

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

, through which the historical highway from

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

passes. The

Mesna Mesna, sold under the brand name Mesnex among others, is a medication used in those taking cyclophosphamide or ifosfamide to decrease the risk of bleeding from the bladder. It is used either by mouth or injection into a vein. Common side effec ...

river has provided the basis for several small industries through the years, but Lillehammer is now all but industry-less.

Transport

One of the major Norwegian rail lines, the

Dovre Line The Dovre Line ( no, Dovrebanen) is a Norwegian railway line with three slightly different lines which all lead to the historic city of Trondheim. Definition *Dovre Line is the current name of the 548 km main line of the Norwegian railway s ...

, runs from

to the north through Lillehammer on its way up the Gudbrandsdal valley, to terminate in the city of

. The

European route E6 European route E6 ( no, Europavei 6, sv, Europaväg 6, or simply E6) is the main north-south thoroughfare through Norway as well as the west coast of Sweden. It is long and runs from the southern tip of Sweden at Trelleborg, into Norway and t ...

highway also passes through Lillehammer.

Attractions

In addition to the Olympic site, Lillehammer offers a number of other tourist attractions: *

Maihaugen Maihaugen (''De Sandvigske Samlinger på Maihaugen, Lillehammer'') is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Lillehammer, Norway. Maihaugen, with close to 200 buildings, is one of Northern Europe's largest open-air museums and is one of th ...

, centrally located in Lillehammer, is the largest

open-air museum An open-air museum (or open air museum) is a museum that exhibits collections of buildings and artifacts out-of-doors. It is also frequently known as a museum of buildings or a folk museum. Definition Open air is “the unconfined atmosphere� ...

in Norway, with 185 buildings, mostly from Lillehammer and the valley of

. *

Garmo Stave Church Garmo Stave Church () is a stave church situated at the Maihaugen museum at Lillehammer in Innlandet, Norway. Garmo Stave Church at Maihaugen is one of the most visited stave churches in Norway. Description Garmo Stave Church originally came ...

(built around 1150) * The

Norwegian Olympic Museum Norwegian Olympic Museum (''Norges Olympiske Museum'') is located at Maihaugen in Lillehammer, Norway. The Norwegian Olympic Museum shows the history of the Olympic Games in ancient and modern times, with a focus on the 1952 Winter Olympics ...

is the only museum in Northern Europe that shows the whole Olympic history from the ancient times and up to today, including all Summer- and Winter games. The museum also houses the Norwegian Sports Hall of Fame and a special section about the Lillehammer `94 Olympic Winter games. The Museum is located in the indoor museum at

. *

Lillehammer Art Museum Lillehammer Art Museum ( no, Lillehammer kunstmuseum) is an art gallery located in Lillehammer, Norway. The museum was founded in 1921 as a gift from merchant Einar Lunde. It has three main collections: one consisting of over 100 paintings from ...

Hafjell Hafjell is a village and a ski resort in Norway, in the Øyer municipality in the county of Oppland. Hafjell hosted the alpine skiing technical events ( giant slalom and slalom) at the 1994 Winter Olympics; the speed events were held at Kvitfje ...

(Ski resort from Lillehammer, host of slalom and super-G in the Olympic games 1994) *

Kvitfjell Kvitfjell ( no, White mountain) is a ski resort in Norway, located in the municipality of Ringebu. Developed for the Alpine skiing at the 1994 Winter Olympics, 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, it is one of the most modern resorts in the world ...

(Ski resort from Lillehammer, host of downhill in the Olympic games 1994) * The PS ''

Skibladner PS ''Skibladner'' is the only paddle steamer operating in Norway, it sails on lake Mjøsa. ''Skibladner'' is a sidewheel design, and her maiden voyage was on 2 August 1856, making her the world's oldest paddle steamer still in timetabled servi ...

'' is the world's oldest

paddle steamer A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses wer ...

in scheduled service, launched in 1856. Summer sailings around lake

: Lillehammer,

Moelv Moelv is a town in Ringsaker Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The town is located along the shores of the lake Mjøsa, about south of the town of Lillehammer and about the same distance northwest of the town of Hamar. Moelv is the seco ...

Gjøvik is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Toten. The administrative centre of the municipality is town of Gjøvik. Some of the villages in Gjøvik include Biri, Bybrua, and Hunndalen. The ...

, and

. * The ski jump at Lysgårdsbakkene. *

Sjusjøen Sjusjøen is a cross country skiing destination in the municipality of Ringsaker in Innlandet county, Norway. Situated on the mountain plateau south of Sjusjøen is Hedmarksvidda. The area is located with forest and mountain terrain about above ...

is a skiing destination with forest and mountain terrain only away (east) from the centre of Lillehammer in the municipality of

Ringsaker is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Hedemarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Brumunddal. Other settlements in Ringsaker include the town of Moelv and the v ...

. * The Sambandets Utdanning og Kompetansesenter is an army unit located in the camp

northwest of Lillehammer. * The rock carvings at Drotten, Fåberg, west of

about above Brunlaug bridge. * The sculpture ''Mothership with Standing Matter'' by

Antony Gormley Sir Antony Mark David Gormley (born 30 August 1950) is a British sculptor. His works include the ''Angel of the North'', a public sculpture in Gateshead in the north of England, commissioned in 1994 and erected in February 1998; ''Another Pla ...

in a pavilion by

Snøhetta Snøhetta is the highest mountain in the Dovrefjell mountain range in Norway. At , it is the highest mountain in Norway outside the Jotunheimen range, making it the 24th highest peak in Norway, based on a topographic prominence cutoff. At , it ...

architects close to

Lillehammer Station Lillehammer is a railway station located in downtown Lillehammer, Norway, on the Dovre Line. The station was opened in 1894 with the construction of the railway between Hamar Station and Tretten Station. The station got a major overhaul before the ...

Sport

Sports clubs

* Lillehammer Ishockeyklubb (The team competes in Norway's major hockey league, the GET-League.)
Lillehammer Innabandy Klubb
* Lillehammer Orienteringsklubb * Lillehammer Skiklubb * Lillehammer Fotballklubb * Lillehammer Frisbee * Roterud Idrettslag

Notable residents

Arts

Kalle Løchen Kalle Løchen (9 May 1865 – 20 November 1893) was a Norwegian painter and actor. Biography Kalle Løchen was born in Fåberg (now Lillehammer), in Oppland, Norway, the son of cand.jur. Edvard Martin Løchen and his wife Anne Elisabeth Gr ...

(1865–1893) a Norwegian painter and actor *

Sigrid Undset Sigrid Undset () (20 May 1882 – 10 June 1949) was a Norwegian-Danish novelist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928. Undset was born in Kalundborg, Denmark, but her family moved to Norway when she was two years old. In 1924, ...

(1882–1949) a novelist, awarded the

Nobel Prize for Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...

in 1928; lived at her home "''Bjerkebæk''" in Lillehammer from 1919 to 1940 and again after WWII. *

Odd Grythe Odd Horn Grythe (14 November 1918 – 7 February 1995) was a Norwegian radio and television personality. Personal life He was born in Lillehammer as a son of a travelling salesman. He had four older siblings. From 1955 to 1958 he was married to ...

(1918–1995) a Norwegian radio and TV personality *

Kjell Lund Kjell Lund (18 June 1927 – 17 August 2013) was a Norwegian architect, songwriter and singer. Lund cooperated with Nils Slaatto for many years. Personal life Lund was born in Lillehammer as a son of civil servant Arve Johan Lund and Margit ...

(1927–2013) a Norwegian architect, songwriter and singer *

Sveinung Hovensjø Sveinung Hovensjø (born 5 December 1950) is a Norwegian jazz musician (bass and guitar), known as one of the most used studio musicians in Norway, and also for his collaboration with guitarist Terje Rypdal (1974–78). Career Hovensjø was bo ...

(born 1950) a Norwegian jazz musician, plays bass and guitar *

Kristin Sevaldsen Kristin Sevaldsen (born 10 January 1966 in Lillehammer, Norway) is a Norwegians, Norwegian Jazz musician (saxophone), composer, and music producer. Career Sevaldsen has been band member and session musician for several years. In 2007 she rele ...

(born 1966) a jazz musician (saxophone), composer, and music producer *

Atle Antonsen Atle Antonsen (born 11 August 1969, in Lillehammer) is a Norwegian comedian and actor. Antonsen has participated in and contributed to several television and radio shows, including ''XL'' and ''XLTV'' (1998–99), ''Nissene på låven'' (20 ...

(born 1969) a Norwegian comic and actor, was born in Lillehammer *

Ingrid Olava Ingrid Olava Brænd Eriksen (known as Ingrid Olava, born 18 March 1981) is a Norwegian singer, musician and actress, best known for her debut single "Only Just Begun" from 2007 and as a backup singer for Madrugada. After hearing her live perform ...

(born 1981) a Norwegian singer and musician, born and grew up in Lillehammer

Public service

Lars Olsen Skrefsrud Lars Olsen Skrefsrud (4 February 1840 – 11 December 1910) was a Norwegian Lutheran missionary and language researcher in India. Biography Skrefsrud came from the parish of Fåberg situated north of Lillehammer in Oppland, Norway. As a youn ...

(1840–1910) a Lutheran missionary in India *

Johan Lunde Johan Peter Lunde (25 December 1866 – 12 February 1938) was a Norwegian theologian and Bishop of the Diocese of Oslo. Biography Lunde was born at Lillehammer, Norway. He was the son of Knud Truls Wiel Lunde (1827–1915) and Mariane Sophie Br ...

(1866–1938) a theologian and bishop of the

Diocese of Oslo Oslo bishopric is the Church of Norway's bishopric for the municipalities of Oslo, Asker and Bærum. It is one of Norway's five traditional bishoprics and was founded around the year 1070. History Oslo was established as a diocese in 1068. It ...

Ulrik Frederik Lange file:U.F. Lange (cropped).jpg, Ulrik Frederik Lange Ulrik Frederik Lange (28 July 1808 – 8 September 1878) was a Norwegian teacher and politician.

(1808–1878) educator and mayor of Lillehammer 1840s & 50s *

Margit Haslund Margit Haslund (10 September 1885 – 3 September 1963) was a Norwegian women's advocate and local politician. Margit Løkke was born in Oslo. She sat in the city council in Lillehammer from 1928 to 1940, where she represented the Conservatives. ...

(1885–1963) a women's advocate and mayor of Lillehammer in 1940 *

Thor Bjørklund image:Osthyvel 20050723 001.jpg, 250 px, ''Ostehøvel'' Thor Bjørklund (30 October 1889 – 8 December 1975) was a Norway, Norwegian inventor and businessman. He is best known as the inventor of ''Ostehøvel'', a popular cheese slicer which d ...

(1889–1975) an inventor, invented the ''Ostehøvel'', a popular

cheese slicer A cheese knife is a type of kitchen knife specialized for the cutting of cheese. Different cheeses require different knives, according primarily to hardness. There are also a number of other kitchen tools designed for cutting or slicing cheese ...

Anne Stine Ingstad Anne Stine Ingstad (11 February 1918 – 6 November 1997) was a Norwegian archaeologist who, along with her husband explorer Helge Ingstad, discovered the remains of a Norse settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows in the Canadian province of Newfo ...

(1918–1997) an archaeologist, discovered Norse remains in Canada * Kai Holst (1913–1945) a seaman, fur farmer and resistance fighter during WWII *

Nils Slaatto Nils Slaatto (June 22, 1922 – March 16, 2001) was for more than two decades one of Norway's most prominent and influential architects, having a strong and distinctive impression on Norwegian architecture. Slaatto cooperated with Kjell Lun ...

(1922–2001) a prominent and influential Norwegian architect * Egil Tynæs (1941–2004) an

anthroposophical Anthroposophy is a spiritualist movement founded in the early 20th century by the esotericist Rudolf Steiner that postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world, accessible to human experience. Followers ...

physician, died in Afghanistan *

Bjørn Simensen Bjørn Erik Simensen (born 28 June 1947) is a Norwegian culture administrator and former journalist. He is known as director of the Norwegian National Opera from 1984 to 1990 and 1997 to 2009. He was born in Lillehammer. Starting his career as a jo ...

(born 1947) director,

Norwegian National Opera The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet ( no, Den Norske Opera & Ballett, links=no) is a Norwegian opera company and ballet company. The first fully professional company each for opera and ballet in Norway and the only such professional organisati ...

1984/1990 & 1997/2009 *

Torkil Damhaug Torkil Damhaug (born 1958) is a Norwegian physician and crime fiction writer. Damhaug was born in Lillehammer. He made his literary debut in 1996 with ''Flykt, måne''. His literary breakthrough was ''Døden ved vann'' from 2008. He was awarded ...

(born 1958) a Norwegian physician and crime fiction writer

Sport

Ove Nielsen Ove Nielsen (15 November 1924 – 2008) was a Danish rower. He competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki with the men's coxed four where they were eliminated in the semi-final repêchage. Nielsen later moved to Lillehammer in Norw ...

(born 1924) Danish rower, competed at

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

lives locally *

Petter Belsvik Petter Belsvik (born 2 October 1967) is a Norwegian football coach and former player, who played as a striker. With 159 goals in the Norwegian Premier League he ranks third in the all-time goalscorer statistics, behind Harald Brattbakk. He neve ...

(born 1967) a football coach and former player with 383 club caps *

Jon Inge Høiland Jon Inge Høiland (born 20 September 1977) is a Norwegian former professional footballer who played as a defender. He has been capped 25 times while playing for Norway. Høiland played for Bryne and Kongsvinger in Norway, before he moved to the ...

(born 1977) a former footballer with 396 club caps and 25 for

Anita Rapp Anita Rapp-Ødegaard (born 24 July 1977) is a former Norwegian footballer and Olympic champion. She debuted for the Norway women's national football team in 1998, and played 62 matches for the national team. She was on the gold medal-winning te ...

(born 1977) a footballer and team gold medallist at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

Grete Eliassen Grete Eliassen (born September 21, 1986 in Lutsen, Minnesota) is an American-Norwegian freestyle skier. She won a bronze medal in ''Slopestyle'' at the 2011 Winter X Games XV in Aspen, Colorado, behind Kaya Turski and Keri Herman. She has won 6 ...

(born 1986) an American-Norwegian freestyle skier *

Edvald Boasson Hagen Edvald Boasson Hagen (born 17 May 1987) is a Norwegian professional road racing cyclist, who rides for UCI ProTeam . He was ranked as no. 3 in the world by UCI as of 31 August 2009, when he was 22 years old. He is known as an all-rounder, havin ...

(born 1987) a Norwegian professional road racing cyclist *

Robert Johansson Robert Høneren Johansson (born 23 March 1990) is a Norwegian ski jumper. He is a former ski flying world record holder, having landed a jump of in Vikersund on 18 March 2017. Johansson has often been nicknamed the "Wing Commander" for his di ...

(born 1990) a ski jumper with two bronze and a team gold medal at the

2018 Winter Olympics , nations = 93 , athletes = 2,922 (1,680 men and 1,242 women) , events = 102 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = , closing = , opened_by = President Moon Jae-in , cauldron = Kim Yun-a , stadium = Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium , winte ...

* Robert Lee (born 2001) a ski jumper

In popular culture

* The

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

-American

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

original series ''

Lilyhammer ''Lilyhammer'' is a crime comedy-drama television series starring Steven Van Zandt about a former New York-based gangster named Frank "The Fixer" Tagliano trying to start a new life in isolated Lillehammer, Norway. The first season premiered on ...

'' takes place in Lillehammer. The show stars

Steven Van Zandt Steven Van Zandt (né Lento; born November 22, 1950), also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandolin ...

, who plays Frank "the Fixer" Tagliano, a

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

mobster who moves to Lillehammer through the U.S. Witness Protection Program after being inspired by the

to relocate to Norway. *

Toki Wartooth Dethklok is a fictional melodic death metal band featured in the Adult Swim animated television series ''Metalocalypse''. The first official Dethklok album was released on September 25, 2007, entitled ''The Dethalbum''. The album debuted at nu ...

, the fictional guitarist from the

Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as

dult swim Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representati ...

and often abbreviated as s is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television Television channel, channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programme ...

TV show ''

Metalocalypse ''Metalocalypse'' is an American adult animated television series, created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha, which premiered on August 6, 2006, followed by a musical one-hour special, '' Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem'', on October 27, 201 ...

'', was born and raised here.

Twin towns – sister cities

Lillehammer has

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

agreements with the following places: *

Autrans-Méaudre-en-Vercors Autrans-Méaudre-en-Vercors is a commune in the Isère department of southeastern France. The municipality was established on 1 January 2016 and consists of the former communes of Autrans and Méaudre.Hayward, United States *

Hørsholm Hørsholm () is an urban area on the Øresund coast approximately north of Copenhagen, Denmark. It covers most of Hørsholm Municipality and straddles the borders neighbouring Fredensborg Municipality and Rudersdal Municipality. Hørsholm prope ...

, Denmark *

Leksand Leksand () is a locality and the seat of Leksand Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 5,934 inhabitants in 2010. Sport Leksand is famous for the Leksands IF ice hockey team, who have won 4 Swedish Championships, although the team is curren ...

, Sweden *

Minamiuonuma is a city located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 55,354 in 20,047 households, and a population density of 96.1 persons per km². The total area of the city was . Geography Minamiuonuma is situated in a ...

, Japan * Oberhof, Germany *

Oulainen Oulainen ( sv, Oulainen, also ) is a town and a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Northern Ostrobothnia region, south of the city of Oulu. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The populat ...

, Finland

Friendly cities

Lillehammer has also friendly relations with: *

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...

, Germany * Minakami, Japan *

Radviliškis Radviliškis () (german: Radwilischken; pl, Radziwiliszki; yi, ראדווילישאָק, ''Radvilishok'') is a town in the Radviliškis district municipality, Šiauliai County, Lithuania. Radviliškis has been the administrative center of the ...

, Lithuania *

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...

, Bosnia and Herzegovina

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from

Statistics Norway Statistics Norway ( no, Statistisk sentralbyrå, abbreviated to ''SSB'') is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876. Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every yea ...

*
Lillehammer Tourist OfficeGudbrandsdalen RegionHafjell ski resort north from LillehammerKvitfjell ski resort north from LillehammerInland Norway University of Applied SciencesLillehammer Icehockey Club

Olympic Park in LillehammerPictures from the Olympic games in 1994
�
Norwegian Olympic Museum
{{use dmy dates, date=July 2022 Municipalities of Innlandet 1838 establishments in Norway Ski areas and resorts in Norway