Molde

Provided by:

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines

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Points of interest

#1

Seilet Molde

Seilet Hotel has become a major attraction in Molde. Located in The Town of Roses, it is perhaps the most complete and versatile culture and conference hotel in the northwest. Part of the building stretches out above the sea in Romsdalsfjorden and offers a marvellous view of the surrounding Romsdalsalpene mountains, centrally located next to Molde Stadium and at walking distance from the town centre. Kjell Kosberg is the architect who designed the hotel and on August 5th 2001, Princess Märtha Louise laid the first stone in the construction of the hotel and Bjørnsonhuset cultural centre. The following year, 80,000 cubic metres of land were poured into the sea, then 60 steel pipes were drilled 37 metres into the ground, meaning that a significant part of the hotel is actually supported by pillars in the sea. This is where Rica Seilet was built, and was completed one year after construction began. The building has 16 floors and contains 224 rooms, 15 meeting rooms, 2 bars and a restaurant. It was inaugurated by then Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik on October 11th 2002. Bjørnsonhuset, the adjacent cultural centre, opened at the same time. The hotel building has also provoked negative reactions, and encountered huge resistance in some parts of Molde before it was built. Believe it or not, Seilet was nominated in 2010 NRK's (the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation) vote to determine Norway's ugliest building! The hotel's profile transformed in 2014 when Scandic Hotels bought the Rica chain. Outside the hotel is Bjørnson's square with cobblestones, cement blocks and several flower beds with about one thousand roses. Here you'll find a bust of Kjell Magne Bondevik, former Prime Minister and member of parliament from Molde. He was the parliamentary leader for the Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti in Norwegian), and served two terms as Prime Minister in 1997-2000 and 2001-2005.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British), 日本語, Deutsch , Español

#2

The Royal Birch

Kongebjørka (The Royal Birch) has become a part of Norwegian history. In April 1940, German occupation forces were hunting King Haakon VII. and Crown Prince Olav. They sought refuge in Molde where they stayed at Glomstua on the outskirts of town. The Government and the Queen, who had also fled with them, stayed in other locations in Molde. Rumours were circulating that the King was no longer functioning as Head of State. To debunk the rumours and calm tempers, they called for a member of the press, Per Bratland, who was then escorted blindfolded to Glomstua. The plan was to conduct an interview with the King and the Crown Prince, but the moment he arrived, the bomb alarm went off and the two Royals sought shelter under what is today called Kongebjørka. Bratland was able to take some photos, among which the iconic picture of King Haakon and Crown Prince Olav beneath the birch trees. Fredslunden (The Peace Grove) is an initiative based on the idea of freedom from oppression. It is located next to Kongebjørka and many oak trees have been planted here by advocates of human dignity and peace. The first to plant oak trees in Fredslunden were Africa's first winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Wole Soyinka from Nigeria, and the writer Yasal Kemar from Turkey.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British), 日本語, Deutsch , Español

#3

Molde Cathedral

Molde Domkirke (Molde Cathedral) was inaugurated in 1957 and has been the cathedral of the Diocese of Møre since 1983. One might say the church is lucky to still be standing. The two previous churches burnt to the ground. The only objects that were rescued were an old wooden cross and an altar called the Resurrection, made by painter and sculptor Axel Ender. Today the church has a double-naved basilica and a copper-clad tower rising like a gothic monument among the red rose gardens. The church is a long basilica built in stone and concrete. The nave is 65 metres long, 25 metres tall and can seat 900 people. The tower is independent with clockwork and chimes, and is 50 metres tall. The altarpiece was painted by Stinius Fredriksen.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British), 日本語, Deutsch , Español

#4

Aker Stadion

Aker Stadion is a football stadium and home ground for Molde Football Club, MFK. The stadium is often referred to as Røkkeløkka, since it was a gift to the town from the business magnates Kjell Inge Røkke and Bjørn Rune Gjelsten. Kjell Kosberg was the architect behind the building which was completed in 1998, and was nominated in the prestigious architecture competition FIABIs Prix d'Excellence in 1999 and won the Norwegian City Prize the same year. The installation cost 212 million NOK and houses a commercial space, a cafeteria and a restaurant. It was inaugurated on April 18th 1998. The arena has also hosted international fixtures. Molde Football Club's old home ground is today called Molde idrettspark (Molde Sports Park) and is used by the town's other football teams, and also for other sports. The stadium changed its name from Molde Stadion to Aker Stadion on May 3rd 2006, named after Kjell Inge Røkke's company involved in financing the installation. The name change was part of a relatively new trend in Norway — previously Aalesund's Color Line Stadion had been the only stadium in Tippeligaen named after a private company, a phenomenon which is spreading across Europe. At the moment of the name change, Aker announced a donation of six million NOK to a football hall at Årø in Molde, called Akerhallen. The municipality contributed with 3.5 million NOK and the plot of land. Molde Football Club (MFK) plays in Eliteserien (the Norwegian top division) and is one of two Norwegian teams to have played in Champions League. The Club won the Norwegian Premier League in 2011, 2012 and 2014. Furthermore, the club won The Norwegian Football Cup in 1994, 2005, 2013 and 2014 in addition to seven league silver medals. The Club was founded in 1911 and first went under the name of International. Today the organisation has 900 members and about 55 football teams. Tornekrattet is The club's primary independent supporter group.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British), 日本語, Deutsch , Español

#5

Plassen

You are now in front of the building called Plassen, completed in 2012. This is the location for Møre og Romsdal's art centre, the regional theatre in Møre og Romsdal, known by the name Teateret Vårt, Molde Library and Kafe Kurt. Møre og Romsdal art centre was established in 1978 and is owned by the associations Bildende Kunstnere Møre og Romsdal and Norske kunsthåndverkere Midt-Norge. The art centre strives to present art of high quality to a broad audience and aims to fascinate, surprise and engage visitors. This is also where the administrative tasks related to sculpture and craft in the district can be found. Here, you will find a diversified exhibition from Norway and abroad, in addition to a wide collection of graphics, glass and ceramics for sale on the second floor. Teateret Vårt, located in the same building, was established in 1972 and is Norway's oldest regional theatre. It is based in Molde, but performs on tours across the whole county of Møre og Romsdal. The theatre organises between 250 and 300 performances each year. To the left of the entrance there is a nice and modern library. If you wish to eat something, or have a cup of coffee, we recommend Kafe Kurt — they serve cold and warm dishes, and a large selection of beverages. If you walk up the stairs on the southern side of the building, you will reach the roof where you can enjoy a beautiful view of the town, the fjord and the mountains in the background.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British), 日本語, Deutsch , Español

#6

Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson

You are now standing next to a bronze statue in memory of Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson, made by Hjalmar Hansen in 1957. Bjørnson was born on December 8th 1832 in Kvikne, north of Tynset, but about 5 years later, his family moved to Nesset municipality in Møre og Romsdal before he moved to Molde to attend school. He was a prominent Norwegian writer, participant in public debate, public speaker and theatre figure, and is considered one of The Four Greats — the most influential Norwegian writers in company with Henrik Ibsen, Jonas Lie and Alexander Kielland. The Parliament granted him a writer's salary in 1863, and in 1903 he became to first Norwegian writer to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. He is also known as the founder of The Riksmål Society — The Society for the Preservation of Traditional Standard Norwegian. Bjørnson died on April 26th 1910 in Paris.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British), 日本語, Deutsch , Español

#7

The first bomb

Storkaia below Alexandra Park is where the first bomb fell during World War II. With approximately 3500 inhabitants, Molde was a very peaceful little city, but by 15 April 1940, just a few days after the German invasion, the first bomb went off. A bomber tried to hit the motorboat “Trygg” lying moored at the pier. Another bomber destroyed a harbor shed and left a huge hole in Storkaia. The bombing increased and by the end of April the entire city center of Molde was burning. The bombing went on for two weeks: in total around 300 bombs were dropped over the city and its surrounding areas. More than 200 buildings were destroyed. The king and the government escaped together with the Norwegian gold bars and a large amount of gold coins. There were dramatic times in Molde during those April days. Most of the gold reserves were taken on board the British cruise ship HMS “Glasgow” which was located just off Storkaia. The gold reserves were transported there from the other end of the city using the local ferries “Legona” and “Rovdehorn”. Due to the heavy bombing, the cruiser eventually had to escape from Molde with only a part of the valuable freight on board. The rest was secured in other ways. The gold transport had a great symbolic significance for the resistance struggle in Norway.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British), Deutsch , Español

#8

Alexandra park

This park is not particularly large, but well known amongst jazz fans worldwide as a music venue for the Molde Jazz Festival. The park is indeed so tiny that the author Arild Stavrum described it as "the world's smallest park, with its three trees". It has been a park area ever since the establishment of Molde`s first tourist hotel in 1883. The park features some of the same diversity as the city’s larger gardens that have inspired Molde’s byname “City of Roses”. It was the garden architect Njål Bele who in 1954 designed the park and it is mostly his design we still see today.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British), Deutsch , Español

#9

The Rosegarden

In his poem "Til Molde" Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson uses the term "The City of Flowers" and "Houses between Gardens", alluding to Molde`s climate for cultivating a large variety of plants and flowers. The city indeed had many gardens and parks filled with plants normally only found in Southern Europe’s warmer climate. Both small private gardens in residential areas and larger gardens and public parks in commercial areas reflected great botanical variety. The gardens formerly belonging to the governmental residences of county officials were famous for their floral displays of spectacular rose varieties. The climate in Molde still provides good growing conditions and is favorable for plants and flowers in general. Although roses are not typical for Norway, Molde Municipality sets out approximately a thousand rose plants around the city every year. You can find them on the roof of the town hall, east and west of the cathedral, at the entrance to the large parking garage, and in some of the roundabouts in the city.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British), Deutsch , Español

#10

Rosepiken - The Rose Girl

This is a bronze sculpture made by Ragnild Butenschøn. Together with the statue made by Nina Due, Jazzgutten (The Jazz Boy), at the bottom of the square, Rosepiken symbolizes Molde as the City of Roses and Jazz. The statue is a gift to Molde from the owners of the former Høvding Clothing Factory, Gotlib and Benedicte Moe. The Rose Girl was unveiled on 9 October 1971. There is often a lot of play and fun among children and young people in the square around Rosepiken.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British), Español, Deutsch

#11

MOLDE SQUARE - AR

The square in Molde is a meeting place for concerts, markets and activites. The artwork ‘togetherness’ by the Swedish artist Jacob Dahkgren was picked out in an architecture competition. It is installed with a small chute that runs water down into a small pool. The turquoise sculpture inspires us to be together, many children enjoy climbing on the sculpture and playing in the water. In just a short space of time the sculpture has become the signature of Molde, at the same time as challenging us. There will certainly be some people who wonder what an earth it is, in the way that all art that does not flow is able to provoke a reaction. But the reaction from most people is positive, and they think it is exciting. People can see everthing from worms and snakes to signs and writing.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British)

#12

The Jazz Boy

The sculptor Nina Due created the bronze figure Jazzgutten (The Jazz Boy). This sculpture was given to Molde on the 250th anniversary of the city in 1992, a work of art supporting the claim that Molde is the Jazz capital of Norway. What was intended to be a universal representation of jazz musicians has caused much controversy among locals. As everywhere, art here too is a matter of subjective opinion. For example, some have opined that this metal saxophonist is too athletic to be a typical jazz musician. Jazz fans will politely indulge all discussion and are of course delighted by this monument to music.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British), Deutsch , Español

Molde

Points of interest