Hotel Norge
Lillesand, Norway
The building is a natural part of the
town and fits its architectural environment to a tee. In the eighteenth
and nineteenth centuries, Lillesand was an important seafaring town,
linked to the pulsating heart of Europe more closely than it is today.
Sailing ships from Lillesand plied the seven seas, and the sailors
brought back the culture of Europe. Many of the town's historic
architectural reminders and buildings stem from that time - English sash
windows, Dutch roofing tiles and half-hipped roofs.
History of the
Hotel
It all started with a figure of romance, the Irish rebel Robert
Gonsalvo Major. He came to Lillesand in 1837 and bought up the land on
which the hotel now stands. Here he built a tanning mill and tannery.
His offices and stores form the oldest part of Hotel Norge today.
Despite his success in business, Major was not a happy man, he took his
own life in 1839.
Success
The office was rebuilt to a hotel in 1873. Lillesand was just
at the peak of its success as a seafaring town and the hotel soon became
the center of the town's flourishing cultural life. Lars Jensen, a Dane,
took over the hotel in 1890 and joined the two old buildings by a
building a third, which from then on became the main part of the hotel.
Hard times
The First World War brought food shortages, rationing and
galloping inflation. The hotel went through very difficult years. After
a while the hotel was bought by sea captain Lindeberg and his wife. They
ran the hotel so well that it became known far and wide for its
plentiful and tasty food. When the Lindebergs sold up, the hotel entered
a long period of changes of ownership and many small alterations.
One of the later owners, Miss Mossa Foss
from Geilo, became a legend at Hotel Norge. She extended the hotel and
with her exquisite sense of detail made it a widely popular. Under her
management up till 1984 the hotel achieved the pinnacle of its fame and
glory.
Hotel Norge
today
When the current owners, Torill Kjær Taranger and Nils Arne
Taranger, took over the hotel in 1992, they decided to bring the hotel
back to its original style. This was a major undertaking. Externally,
the building was altered back to its appearance of the 1890's, with
copies made of the details which had disappeared in the interim. The
canopied gallery over the main entrance was glazed with red and blue
glass, as was customary in old-time Lillesand.
Historic and
modern
Despite taking Hotel Norge back to its former style and
atmosphere, the hotel is thoroughly modern. All en-suite bathrooms, air
conditioning, insulation etc. are of the highest standard, and provide
the comfort essential in a modern hotel. Or as Mr. Taranger says,
"We have tried to preserve the cultural history of the hotel, while
still daring to look into the future."
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