Travel Guide Lillehammer

How do you go from 50 inhabitants in 1827 to 28,600 in 2022? By receiving the commercial privileges granted to towns in 1827, and making good use of them. For the first few years of its existence, the town was limited to the Hammer farm, near the church. It is likely that it was on this farm that the two Birkebeiner, Torstein Skjelva and Skjervald Skrukka, hid Haakon, the king's son and future heir to the throne, during the Christmas season of 1205, before taking him from the Gudbrandsdal valley to the Østerdal valley, following the trail now known as the "Birkebeiner trail". In memory of this event, 5,000 to 6,000 skiers take part in the 55 km race between Lillehammer and Rena every year. In a way, it's Norway's Vasaloppet. Thanks to its very dry climate, Lillehammer is one of the world capitals of cross-country skiing and bobsleigh, and the organization of the Olympic Games in 1994 enabled it to develop a superb infrastructure: 250 stores, kilometers of slopes and many beautiful hotels. The town hosts the World Ski Championships and cultural events such as the Lillehammer Jazz Festival and the Lillehammer Literature Festival. In winter, Lillehammer has an old-fashioned charm, and its inhabitants get around on spark, a snow scooter - solo or with a child on the front - which can also be pulled by a dog.Finally, the town is famous for its eponymous series: Lilyhammer (2012). A mural depicts actor Steven van Zandt.