Ålesund Fire

The Ålesund Fire happened in Norwegian city Ålesund on January 23, 1904. It destroyed almost the whole city center, built mostly of wood like the majority of Norwegian towns in that era.

The fire started early in the night, leading to a hurried evacuation of people at very short notice. After the fire, German Kaiser Wilhelm, who had often visited Ålesund during his many visits to western Norway, paid for, and arranged for, the partial rebuilding of the city in the contemporary Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) . Modern historians have concluded that the fire was actually positive in terms of city development, as the pre-fire city center was extremely crowded, consisting mostly of old and cramped wood housing with only rudimentary sanitary facilities.