General Conference 1999

Around 24,000 people are living in Lillehammer. The town is situated about 180 km north of the capital Oslo and 130 km north of the new Oslo airport Gardermoen at the northern end of Norway's largest inland lake, Mjoesa. (Area 362 km², length 100 km). At Joerstadmoen, about 10 km from the centre of Lillehammer, the Army Signal Corps has its school and training centre. The town is one of the main tourist resorts of Norway and an important school centre.

Lillehammer has a typical inland climate with cold winters and relatively warm summers. The mean temperature is -9^o C in January and 16^o C in July. You should bring some warm clothes with you, because the average temperature is 8.5^o C in September.

The first trace of people is found at the mouth of the river Laagen, a few kilometres north of the centre of Lillehammer, dating back till about 2000 BC. The town was first mentioned in the Kings' Saga 1205 AD. At that time there was a civil war going on in Norway between the king's party "birkebeinerne" and "baglerne". Two "birkebeiner" soldiers saved the life of the one year old prince Haakon Haakonsson by carrying him while going on ski through a snow storm over the mountains to the valley Oesterdalen, a distance of about 50 km. Later the prince became king Haakon IV. The skier in the logo of Lillehammer is a "birkebeiner".

This incident is the background for "Birkebeinerrennet", a cross-country skiing competition in prepared ski trails between Rena in Oesterdalen and Lillehammer. All competitors have to carry a backpack weighing 5.5 kg, the supposed weight of the prince!

In 1994 the XVII Olympic Winter Games took place in Lillehammer. The games was a great success. Around two million spectators were present at the competitions, while millions all over the world watched the games on TV. At the closing ceremony the President of the IOC Juan-Antonio Samaranch characterised the games as "the best winter games ever"!

Some places of interest:

Lillehammer Kunstmuseum (Museum of Arts)

Maihaugen - De Sandvigske Samlinger. (Exhibition - more than 170 old buildings, showing the old farmer culture of Gudbrandsdalen, a 203 km long valley starting (or ending) a few kilometres north of Lillehammer).

Norway's Olympic Museum, in Haakon's Hall - the main arena for ice hockey during the Olympic Games. Today a multi-user hall.

For more information about these and other places of interest, visit: http://www.lillehammerturist.no/severdix.htm

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Lay-out: Ingun Nerlie LA1LIA (e-mail: nerlie@online.no)

Last updated 10. januar 1999