Lillehammer () is a

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

Innlandet Innlandet is a Counties of Norway, county in Norway. It was created on 1 January 2020 with the merger of the old counties of Oppland and Hedmark (Jevnaker Municipality and Lunner Municipality were transferred to the neighboring county of Viken ( ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. It is located in the traditional district of

Gudbrandsdal Gudbrandsdalen (; ) 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 toward the Romsdalen vall ...

. The

administrative centre An administrative centre 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 the administrative language, such as Belgi ...

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

Fåberg Fåberg is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in the old Oppland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until 1964 when it became part of Lillehammer Municipality in Innlandet county. The administrative c ...

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

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

, Vingnes, 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 Lillehammer (town), town of Lillehammer. The E ...

. The municipality is the 211th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Lillehammer is the 39th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 28,560. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

is and its population has increased by 6.4% 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 the largest lake in Norway and the fourth deepest in Norway and Europe. It is located in the southern part of Norway, about north of the city of Oslo. Its main tributary is the river Gudbrandsdalslågen flowing in from the north; the ...

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 (; ) and commonly known as Lillehammer '94, were an international winter multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Hav ...

and 2016 Winter Youth Olympics.

General information

The municipality was established on 1 January 1838 (see

formannskapsdistrikt () was the name of a Norwegian self-governing municipality. The name was used from the establishment these municipalities in 1838 until the name fell out of use in 1863. The municipalities had their legal basis from two laws enacted on 14 Jan ...

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 () was a committee named by the Government of Norway to look into the organization of municipalities in Norway post-World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a ...

. 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 A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

) is named after the old ''Hamar'' farm () since the first Lillehammer Church was built there. The name is identical with the word which means "stone" or "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 () 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 Municipality in Akershus county. Administratively, the diocese is divided into 1 ...

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

saga Sagas are prose stories and histories, composed in Iceland and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Scandinavia. The most famous saga-genre is the (sagas concerning Icelanders), which feature Viking voyages, migration to Iceland, and feuds between ...

s as ("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 last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

was granted on 4 April 1898. The arms have are divided with a diagonal line. The field (background) above the line has a

tincture A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...

of blue. Below the line, the field has a tincture of

argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...

which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The

charge Charge or charged may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary Music * ''Charge'' (David Ford album) * ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album) * '' Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...

is a

birkebeiner The Birkebein Party or Birkebeinar (; (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 propaganda from the establ ...

, carrying a spear and a shield, who is skiing down the 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. There is a

mural crown A mural crown () is a Crown (headgear), crown or headpiece representing city walls, fortified tower, towers, or fortresses. In classical antiquity, it was an emblem of tutelary deities who watched over a city, and among the ancient Rome, Romans ...

above the escutcheon. The arms were designed by Andreas Bloch.

Churches

The

Church of Norway The Church of Norway (, , , ) is an Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. Christianity became the state religion of Norway around 1020, and was established a ...

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 in Norway. It includes all of the parishes in Innlandet county plus the parishes in Lunner Municipality in Akershus county. The diocese is based at th ...

(

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the 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 residence of ...

) in the

History

The town 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 historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

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

s 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 Districts of Norway, 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. Østerdalen is often subdivide ...

(an event which is commemorated in March every year to this day). Since medieval times, the Lillehammer Church has been located here. The town 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 Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Akershus Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Romerike Districts of Norway, traditional region. The administrative centre of the munic ...

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 (; ) 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), Lillehammer and the lake ...

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 The Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations (), popularly known as Mossad ( , ), is the national intelligence agency of the Israel, State of Israel. It is one of the main entities in the Israeli Intelligence Community, along with M ...

killed a Moroccan waiter, having mistaken him for Palestinian terrorist Ali Hassan Salameh, which became known as the '' Lillehammer affair''. Lillehammer is known as a typical venue for winter sporting events; it was host city of the

, and the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics, and was part of a joint bid with applicant host city

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) 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 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

to host events part of the

2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), were an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beijing, China, and surrounding areas wit ...

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 Arts, Design, Film ...

Education

A number of schools are located in Lillehammer, including the Hammartun Primary and Lower Secondary School, Søre Ål Primary School and Kringsjå Primary and Lower Secondary School. Lillehammer Upper Secondary School consists of two branches, North and South, both situated near the city center. The private high school Norwegian College of Elite Sports, NTG, also has a branch in Lillehammer. The Lillehammer campus of Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences is situated just north of the town itself. Lillehammer is also the home of the Nansen Academy - 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 philosophy, philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and Agency (philosophy), agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The me ...

and aims at strengthening the knowledge of these principles. The

14th World Scout Jamboree The 14th World Scout Jamboree was held from 29 July to 7 August 1975, and was hosted by Norway at Lillehammer, on the shore of the Gudbrandsdalslågen river. King Olav V and Crown Prince Harald opened "Nordjamb '75", as it became popularly ...

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

Government

Lillehammer Municipality is responsible for

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

(through 10th grade), outpatient

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

senior citizen Old age is the range of ages for people nearing and surpassing life expectancy. People who are of old age are also referred to as: old people, elderly, elders, senior citizens, seniors or older adults. Old age is not a definite biological sta ...

services,

welfare Welfare may refer to: Philosophy *Well-being (happiness, prosperity, or flourishing) of a person or group * Utility in utilitarianism * Value in value theory Economics * Utility, a general term for individual well-being in economics and decision ...

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. Also available amachine-converted HTML They may be provided by individuals, private and i ...

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

economic development In economics, economic development (or 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 object ...

, and municipal

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

s and utilities. 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, borough cou ...

of directly elected representatives. The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...

indirectly elected An indirect election or ''hierarchical voting,'' is an election in which voters do not choose directly among candidates or parties for an office ( direct voting system), but elect people who in turn choose candidates or parties. It is one of the o ...

by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Vestre Innlandet District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The

of Lillehammer is made up of 39 representatives who are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a Hospitality, 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 oft ...

Mayors

The

mayors In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...

() of Lillehammer: *1838–1843: Ludvig Wiese *1844–1844: Børre Henrik Børresen *1845–1845: Knut Torkilsen *1846–1846: Christen Andersen *1847–1847: Knut Torkilsen *1848–1848: Christian Plathe *1849–1849: Wilhelm Lorange *1850–1851: Hans Jensen Selmer *1852–1852: Wilhelm Lorange *1853–1853: Ulrik Frederik Lange *1854–1854: Wilhelm Lorange *1855–1855: Ulrik Frederik Lange *1856–1856: Karl Nilsen *1857–1857: Jakob Løkke *1858–1858: Karl Nilsen *1859–1859: Jakob Løkke *1860–1860: Wilhelm Lorange *1861–1863: Ulrik Frederik Lange *1864–1867: Karl Nilsen *1868–1868: Jess Severin Horster *1869–1871: Nikolai Gunnerius Bøhmer *1872–1872: Thorstein Lunde *1873–1873: Nikolai Gunnerius Bøhmer *1874–1876: O.J. Grundtvig *1877–1878: Karl Nilsen *1879–1880: Thorstein Lunde *1881–1889: Nikolai Gunnerius Bøhmer *1890–1892: Thorstein Lunde *1893–1895: Ingvald Schey *1896–1897: Axel Thallaug *1898–1899: E. Olsen-Berg *1900–1901: Simen Fougner *1902–1902: E. Olsen-Berg *1903–1904: Axel Thallaug *1905–1907: Ingvald Schey *1908–1908: Eiliv Fougner *1909–1910: O.A. Larsen *1911–1912: Simen Fougner *1913–1913: H. Lødrup *1914–1916: Simen Fougner *1917–1917: Olaf Formoe *1918–1918: Thomas Tallaksen *1919–1919: Arne Jensen *1920–1922: Axel Thallaug ( H) *1923–1928: Johan Alfred Svendsen *1929–1931: Eilif Moe ( H) *1932–1932: Arne Jensen ( H) *1938–1940: Olaf Sanne ( H) *1940–1940: Margit Haslund ( H) *1941–1941: Peer Widding *1943–1943: Johannes Gadens *1945–1945: Olaf Sanne ( H) *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 ( Ap) *1999–2011: Synnøve Brenden Klemetrud ( Ap) *2011–2019: Espen Johnsen ( Ap) *2019–2023: Ingunn Trosholmen ( Ap) *2023-present: Hans Olav Sundfør ( H)

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, to the southeast of Gausdal Municipality, northeast of Nordre Land Municipality, to the north of

Gjøvik Municipality Gjøvik () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Gjøvik. Some of the villages in Gjøvik include Biri, Bybrua, and Hunndalen. The municipality is the 169th largest by a ...

, and to the southeast of

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

. The mountain Nevelfjell lies in the northeast part of the municipality.

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 cold ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

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

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental 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 ...

(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) giving an average frost-free season of 142 days. 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 * Lillehammer Centre * Nybu * Vårsetergrenda * Røyslimoen * Vingnes *

* Rudsbygd * Saksumdal *

* Nordseter * Hovemoen * 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 areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

, through which the historical highway from

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...

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 hemorrhagic cystitis, bleeding from the bladder. It is used either Oral administration, by mouth or ...

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

Media

The regional newspaper Gudbrandsdølen Dagningen has its editorial office in Lillehammer. The main offices of the commercial radio channel

P4 Radio Hele Norge P4 Radio Hele Norge AS Norway's leading national, private radio station with 24% national market share, about one million daily listeners and two million weekly. P4 Radio Hele Norge operates a nationwide public service-licence, with official req ...

is in Lillehammer.

Transport

One of the major Norwegian rail lines, the

Dovre Line The Dovre Line () is a Norwegian railway line with three slightly different lines which all lead to the historic city of Trondheim (city), Trondheim. Definition *Dovre Line is the main line between Eidsvoll Station and Trondheim Station, used b ...

, 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 (, , 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 through almost all of the countr ...

highway also passes through Lillehammer.

Attractions

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 An open-air museum is a museum that exhibits collections of buildings and artifacts outdoors. It is also frequently known as a museum of buildings or a folk museum. Definition Open air is "the unconfined atmosphere ... outside buildings" ...

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

. * Garmo Stave Church (built around 1150) * The Norwegian Olympic Museum 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 Maihaugen. * Lillehammer Art Museum * The Norwegian Road Museum is a large outdoor and indoor museum to the north from Lillehammer city centre. *

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 events (giant slalom and slalom) at the 1994 Winter Olympics; the speed events were held at Kvitfjell, a regu ...

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

Kvitfjell Kvitfjell () is a ski resort in Norway, located in the municipality of Ringebu. Developed for the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, it is one of the most modern resorts in the world, with snowmaking on 80% of the alpine pistes. Based near ...

(Ski resort from Lillehammer, host of downhill in the Olympic games 1994) * The PS '' Skibladner'' is the world's oldest

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

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

: Lillehammer, Moelv,

Gjøvik Gjøvik () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Gjøvik (town), town of Gjøvik. Some of the villages in Gjøvik include Biri, Norway, Biri, Bybrua, ...

, and

. * The ski jump at Lysgårdsbakkene. * Sjusjøen is a skiing destination with forest and mountain terrain only away (east) from the centre of Lillehammer in the municipality of

Ringsaker Ringsaker () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Hedmarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Br ...

. * 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 Pl ...

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 , i ...

architects close to Lillehammer Station. * Hunderfossen Familiepark, Hunderfossen Adventure Park, an amusement park to the north from Lillehammer city centre.

Sport

Sports clubs

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

Culture

Lillehammer is the main location for several annual festivals and events. * Lillehammer Live, pop music festival. * DølaJazz, jazz music festival. * Norwegian Festival of Literature * Amandus Festival, film festival and competition for young film makers. * Vinterpride, LGBT pride festival celebrated every February.

Notable people

Arts

* Kalle Løchen (1865–1893), a Norwegian painter and actor * Sigrid Undset (1882–1949), a novelist, awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928; lived at her home "''Bjerkebæk''" in Lillehammer from 1919 to 1940 and again after WWII. * Odd Grythe (1918–1995), a Norwegian radio and TV personality * Kjell Lund (1927–2013), a Norwegian architect, songwriter and singer * Sveinung Hovensjø (born 1950), a Norwegian jazz musician, plays bass and guitar * Kristin Sevaldsen (born 1966), a jazz musician (saxophone), composer, and music producer * Atle Antonsen (born 1969), a Norwegian comic and actor, was born in Lillehammer * Ingrid Olava (born 1981), a Norwegian singer and musician, born and grew up in Lillehammer

Public service

* Lars Olsen Skrefsrud (1840–1910), a Lutheran missionary in India * Johan Lunde (1866–1938), a theologian and bishop of the Diocese of Oslo * Ulrik Frederik Lange (1808–1878), educator and mayor of Lillehammer 1840s & 50s * Margit Haslund (1885–1963), a women's advocate and mayor of Lillehammer in 1940 * Thor Bjørklund (1889–1975), an inventor, invented the ''Ostehøvel'', a popular cheese slicer * Anne Stine Ingstad (1918–1997), an archaeologist, discovered Norse remains in Canada * Kai Holst (1913–1945), a seaman, fur farmer and resistance fighter during WWII * Nils Slaatto (1922–2001), a prominent and influential Norwegian architect * Egil Tynæs (1941–2004), an Anthroposophic medicine, anthroposophical physician, died in Afghanistan * Bjørn Simensen (born 1947), a director, Norwegian National Opera 1984/1990 & 1997/2009 * Torkil Damhaug (born 1958), a Norwegian physician and crime fiction writer

Sport

* Ove Nielsen (born 1924), a Danish rower, competed at 1952 Summer Olympics lives locally * Petter Belsvik (born 1967), a football coach and former player with 383 club caps * Jon Inge Høiland (born 1977), a former footballer with 396 club caps and 25 for Norway national football team, Norway * Anita Rapp (born 1977), a footballer and team gold medallist at the 2000 Summer Olympics * Grete Eliassen (born 1986), an American-Norwegian freestyle skier * Edvald Boasson Hagen (born 1987), a Norwegian professional road racing cyclist * Robert Johansson (born 1990), a ski jumper with two bronze and a team gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics * Robert Lee (ski jumper), Robert Lee (born 2001), a ski jumper

Other

*Anders Uchermann-Sandvig (1898-1966), newspaper editor

In popular culture

* The Norway, Norwegian-American Netflix original series ''Lilyhammer'' takes place in Lillehammer. The show stars Steven Van Zandt, who plays Frank "the Fixer" Tagliano, a New York City, New York mobster who moves to Lillehammer through the United States Federal Witness Protection Program, U.S. Witness Protection Program after being inspired by the

to relocate to Norway. * Toki Wartooth, the fictional guitarist from the Adult Swim TV show ''Metalocalypse'', was born and raised here. * The British automotive and entertainment TV series Top Gear (2002 TV series), Top Gear filmed an Top Gear Winter Olympics, Olympic special using many of the venues from the 1994 Winter Olympics.

Twin towns – sister cities

Lillehammer has Twin towns and sister cities, sister city agreements with the following places: * Autrans-Méaudre-en-Vercors, France * Hayward, Wisconsin, Hayward, United States * Hørsholm Municipality, Hørsholm, Denmark * Leksand Municipality, Leksand, Sweden * Minamiuonuma, Japan * Oberhof, Germany, Oberhof, Germany * Oulainen, Finland

Friendly cities

Lillehammer has also friendly relations with: * Düsseldorf, Germany * Minakami, Gunma, Minakami, Japan * Radviliškis District Municipality, Radviliškis, Lithuania * Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from Statistics Norway *
Lillehammer Tourist OfficeGudbrandsdalen Region

Hafjell ski resort north from LillehammerKvitfjell ski resort north from LillehammerInland Norway University of Applied Sciences

Lillehammer Icehockey Club

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

General information

Name

Coat of arms

Churches

History

Education

Government

Municipal council

Mayors

Geography

Climate

Populated places

Economy

Media

Transport

Attractions

Sport

Sports clubs

Culture

Notable people

Arts

Public service

Sport

Other

In popular culture

Twin towns – sister cities

Friendly cities

See also

References

External links