Alesund, a Norwegian called Venice for the beauty and abundance of water. And New Atlantis after the city, burnt in one night, rebuilt the world. This city is a monument to human courage and compassion — today attracts tourists from around the world. .<url>” went to the shores of the Atlantic to marvel at the man-made beauty.
Norway — fairytale land. By all the laws of reality can not exist such a landscape as fjords, with bizarre rock formations, one end going to heaven, and others as sheer and incomprehensible, deep, under water. This picturesque and harmless looking water, the river, live by the laws of the ocean — miles and miles of depth, warm and cold currents, tsunami threw ships onto the mountain. Nevertheless, it’s all there.
The trick with water
Until you see the Norwegian water you won’t believe the so-called “celadon” really exist in nature. Even in the paintings of Aivazovsky, he modestly, but there is in fact a sea of creatively reworked in a beautiful way. And then the fjords, which are generally not the sea, but something like bays, only long and narrow. In their waters, there are barges, ferries and large ships, on coast live a normal life of towns and villages, working ports and industrial plants, the oil is extracted and processed in full. And the water is clean. So clean, that all guests are informed Norway especially: to drink water from the tap! Really, it tastes much better than the one that sold in bottles.
Water in Norway a lot. Its transparency and unusual color in the first few days are very concerned about all the visitors. Local guides even worked out measures to combat this concern. They are in an accessible form explain the origin of the unnatural purity and Urusvati water in the Norwegian fjords: this water is from melting glaciers, to the crystalline transparency of its clean rock, and blue-green color indicates that the molecular structure of water is changed by the multi-ton pressure of ice strata.
In Fjærland, at the foot of towering ice-covered mountains Jostedalsbreen there is a glacier Museum where clearly explained, as is happening with water is an ordinary miracle. You can use a special device to suppress the water out of the ice and see how the color of the crystals varies from dirty grey to bright vitriol. But even with all the inexorable force laboratory evidence of a scientific theory in the Annex to the magical Norwegian water looks unconvincing.
State tale
Water is not the only Norwegian miracle. It seems incredible that a country where only three percent is suitable for agriculture land not only bad feeds itself but also exports organic products to other countries. Many of these products — national exclusive, like the brown goat cheese from the valley Gudbrandsdal or warm fleece. Why not the fertile land of rugged cliffs, providing the country with such an abundance of? Probably, this too has some kind of magic, no wonder in this age of information technology here still believe in trolls and elves, good and evil spirits, and in historical Chronicles the real story of Norway firmly woven with national fairy tales.
The so-called “celadon” really exists
Photo: Elena Orlova
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There is also the public story — about how in the 60-ies of the last century, a poor agrarian country suddenly found rich deposits of oil, and it has completely changed the lives of all its citizens. I repeat: all. Oil reserves miraculously became the property of a narrow circle of oil, and was declared a national treasure. Norway is now firmly established at the forefront of countries with the highest quality of life. The state provides its citizens with free education, medical treatment and pensions equal to the salary of a skilled worker, and even set aside money for a “rainy day” — in the so-called Fund for future generations. This story about smart government sad to hear not only the citizens of Russia.
Why Norwegians are so lucky? Maybe that happy people really got some special magical land? One of the answers to this question that plagues many visitors, is distant lands in the fairy Kingdom on the sea-ocean, on seven Islands in the miracle city named Alesund.
New Atlantis
Everyone who comes in Alesund, first, driven to the outskirts, to the top of mount Aksla, where there is an observation deck. From there you can see that the city is built on seven Islands and is very similar to Venice, only perhaps more beautiful.
The city, with three sides surrounded by waters of the Atlantic ocean, with wide channels instead of the main streets, like refusing to sink fabulous Atlantis. It impresses with its perfect beauty and seems to be drawn, not real. The impression is that he appeared at the wave of a magic wand, in an instant. In the story, where he realized all that he had drawn in his fantasies of the artist. And it’s far from the truth.
In the winter of 1904 the name of Alesund has bypassed all Newspapers of the world. Cold and windy night there was a terrible fire completely destroyed a town on the shores of the Atlantic. The fire was so relentless and rapid that seemed to burn even the water in the water — she couldn’t stop the flames, perekidyvaetsya from one house to another. The old town was almost entirely wooden, like most Norwegian towns, from wood and have a large boat sheds, and the boats and the pier, the tree was paved city streets. Alesund was easy prey for the fire element.
In Europe and America announced the collection of funds to help fire victims, sent ships with humanitarian aid, the neighboring Germany and Sweden took the elderly, children and women evacuated from Alesund. Men were left to build the city anew.
Shocked by the tragedy that happened in distant Norway, the best European architects to create projects for reviving the city, many did so for free or for token money. Then dominant in the art of luxurious art Nouveau style (Jugendstil”, as in German it is called in Norway) has defined the image of the future city and integrity of its architectural solutions.
Former fish warehouses are now the most prestigious housing in the city
Photo: Elena Orlova
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Under pavements and sidewalks laid pipe, which supplies sea water to the winter roads are not iced over. Then it was a bold technological solution which has fully justified itself: ice on the steep — downhill and uphill — the streets and alleyways of Alesund does not happen. The heating of the road surface waters of warm currents works in the city so far.
If, someday, the tragedy could not be repeated, the streets of the new city made very wide, to random sparks was nearby homes. And all the houses it was decided to build of stone. Even the roofs in Ålesund now stone — grey slate, similar to fish scales. From the above, from the plane, the city is very similar to the long silvery fish, floating on ocean water. Alesund, incidentally, named in honor of the valuable fish — sea eel. Someone said that because of the shape of the ornate narrow Strait dividing the city into Islands, while others believe it is because these are the best in the world smoked eel.
They said there was an idea to rename rebuilt in the ashes of the city, too beautiful he happened to wear a simple fish, the name — calling would be more lofty and romantic. But the townspeople hear of it would not. Fish is Norway sounds good!
In just three years Alesund literally reborn from the ashes, becoming one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The best examples of modernist architecture live tutorial urban Museum under the open sky. A monument to human courage and compassion.
Time machine
In an old shop in the town centre of a small city Museum with the “time machine”. You come into a little booth, push a button and see the beginning of the twentieth century.
Here are pictures and old films depicting the destruction and recovery phase of the city, full of live voices of witnesses of the events. The woman who in 1904 was a little girl, says that homeless people are much more than the cold, tormented by the smell of burnt fish oil, which made the refugees a few days could not eat. One of the builders with gratitude tells about a young German architect, patiently taught simple work of reading complex drawings. The priest shows the charred plank shack — the only survivor in the fire house, where he lived devoutly religious man: God has saved him, has not allowed to die in a fire.
On shelves along the walls — touching things: black soot balls and dolls with the names of former owners, the shoes of the Builder, drawings by a local artist, fisherman’s charms.
By the way, olesinska fishermen went to sea shortly after the fire, a fish processing plant was restored in the first place when they still lived in tents and dugouts. Because fish was the main source of income main source of income for the city Treasury.
Not the most fertile land of rugged cliffs gives the country a rare abundance
Photo: Elena Orlova
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That was then, this is also the case now. In Ålesund is the fishing Museum is quite small but wonderful. Except that it clearly presents the entire history of fishing by humans since ancient times to the present day, where you can participate in a unique event — tasting fish oil. Where else can you see people voluntarily swallowing it and talk about the intricacies of taste?
If you are a polite person, not confess his dislike of such a valuable and useful substance. But can easily admit to an aversion to squid — Norwegians somehow do not think they are edible and include them as sea trash. Perhaps with this wealth of choice they can afford it: fish and other seafood in Norway caught a lot, and everything is of excellent quality. The Norwegians their fish is very proud of.
On water and under water
The streets of modern Ålesund you can walk around in the halls of the Museum, stopping at each house, like a painting, examining color and the perfect texture of the facade, ornate cornices, carved doors and grilles, the smooth lines of the frames, a small delicate flower beds, where even the weeds and fallen leaves seem pertinent illustration of one of the favorite subjects of art Nouveau — love of worldliness.
The streets full of water, go small yachts and boats are moored right up to the sidewalks
Photo: Elena Orlova
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Toy city-an attraction in an adult size. The streets full of water, go small yachts and boats are moored right up to the sidewalks. And the sidewalks along the streets-canals, boardwalk, similar to the ship’s gangway. They bend under the feet of passers-by and flop at unrealistically clean water.
Here is the balcony where good smokes man with a newspaper, his Slippers barely stroking the wave from passing boats. Nice view from these apartments with views of the canal: on the background of the ocean given — carved lace peaked roofs and wrought-iron weathervanes and figure skates in the huge first floor Windows mirror reflection of the rippling water.
By the way, why in the first floors of these huge Windows? But because it was not Windows but a door through which loaded fish. Fishing boats were anchored right outside the gate, and the house was an ordinary fish stores. They were living only some 40-50 years ago, and the idea to settle people there at first very amused — it was said that the smell of fish from these walls not to ever, any renovations and repairs. Wrong: here now the most prestigious housing in the city.
Why built fish warehouses such stunning beauty? It’s hard to say. But try to find in this town at least one ugly building. There is no such.
Some of the streets of Alesund end of the stairs, run into the water. Where it is possible to go down these stone stairs, covered with soft algae? The underwater level of the city-tales?
Under water hidden magical tunnels connecting the Islands. This is, without exaggeration, a miracle of technology. The tunnels laid under the seabed at a depth of 137 meters, and they are quite long, from four to ten kilometers. The road is along the shore, and then suddenly dives under the water. Slightly ears — too deep, but the road is well lit, even the breeze walks — conditioning system driven fresh air. If the driver is tired, he can rest on a special pad where in any case there is a phone.
However, such tunnels are not only in Alesund. Recently many kilometers of underwater road paved to Norwegian village, which less than a hundred residents, so that people do not feel cut off from civilization. Of course, the construction of tunnels in the ocean is expensive, but the government felt that oil money needs to provide the most convenient and safe roads everywhere, even in the most remote provinces.
After all, a reason the Norwegians got such a magical land and a fabulously generous ocean turquoise fjords. True. They treat their resources and to each other with respect and sincere love. In the end, every people deserves what they have.
