Åndalsnes

Audio|Aandalsnes.ogg|Åndalsnes is a Norwegian town in the municipality of Rauma, of which it is also the administrative center. Åndalsnes has around 3000 inhabitants, and is located on the shores of the Romsdalsfjord at the mouth of the river Rauma, one of Norway's first rivers to host English fly fishermen in the nineteenth century. The river's salmon population is currently undergoing restoration after seeing strong declines in the 1980s following an infestation with the salmon parasite "Gyrodactylus Salaris". As many other infested rivers, Rauma is experiencing an increase in the population of sea trout. The river flows through the Romsdal valley, which features some of the most spectacular scenery in the entire country. Trollveggen (the Troll Wall,) one of the cliff formations in the valley, has a vertical drop of over 1 000 meters. It was an early launch site for European base jumpers. The railroad Raumabanen terminates at Åndalsnes, with a bus connection to Molde and Ålesund.

After the German World War II invasion of Norway in April, 1940, British troops landed in Åndalsnes as a part of a pincer movement to take the mid-Norwegian city Trondheim. The northern arm of the attack was based in Namsos, (see Namsos Campaign). Lacking control of the air, the forces at Åndalsnes were withdrawn in early May, 1940.

Åndalsnes has a football club, Åndalsnes Idrettsforening. The town's newspaper, Åndalsnes Avis, had a circulation of 4125 in 2007.Cite web|url=http://www.aviskatalogen.no/index.asp?section=utgave&item=velg_fylke|title=MBL [Aviskatalogen] - Velg utgave - Velg fylke|accessdate=2008-04-11|publisher=Aviskatalogen|year=2007|language=Norwegian]

They also have a harbour called "NATO kaia" or NATO harbour, which every years are being visited by cruise ships, like Costa Marina, Thomson Celebration, Costa Victoria and today the biggest ship that comes to Åndalsnes is Costa Atlantica.

See also

* Battle of Åndalsnes

References