The small town (28,000 residents) became world-famous in 1994 when it hosted the Winter Olympic Games. Lillehammer was granted city rights in 1827, and before the Olympics, it was a quiet, sleepy town that was virtually unknown to tourists. Today, day trips from Oslo to Lillehammer—located on the shores of Lake Mjøsa—are popular. The ski jump and the Olympic Museum serve as reminders of the major sporting event. The train journey from Oslo to Lillehammer takes about two hours one way.
Most interesting tourist attractions:
Lysgårdsbakken – a ski jumping complex with two ski jumps, opened in 1992. The larger hill has a construction point of K-123, and the smaller one K-90. Tourists can take a chairlift to the top of the jump. From the summit, there is a beautiful panoramic view of the town and Lake Mjøsa. Those wanting to save on the ticket can climb to the top via 936 steps.
Olympic Museum – an interesting museum located in Haakons Hall. During the Olympic Games, the hall hosted ice hockey matches, and five years later, it was the venue for the Ice Hockey World Championship. In addition to the museum, the hall also houses climbing walls, a mini-golf course, squash courts, and aerobics rooms.
Maihaugen – near the Olympic Museum lies the open-air museum Maihaugen, well worth a visit. The site features around 200 buildings arranged into three themed zones: urban, rural, and residential. Reconstructed layouts of historic villages allow visitors to travel back in time and explore the lives of the region’s past inhabitants. In the urban section, an old railway station with a steam locomotive on the platform has been recreated. A unique part of the museum is the exhibition of houses from the late 20th century. The main building also hosts multimedia exhibitions. The Norwegian Postal Museum is part of the Maihaugen complex.
Art Museum – A fascinating collection of works by both Norwegian and international artists. The highlights of the exhibition include paintings by famous Norwegian painters from the 19th century to the present day. A well-maintained city park is located nearby.
Sigrid Undset’s House – A museum established in the former home of the renowned Norwegian writer and Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. The exhibition focuses on the life and works of Sigrid Undset. Guided tours are available, with English-language tours at designated times.
A few kilometers from Lillehammer is Hunderfossen Family Park, an amusement park with numerous attractions for the whole family.
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