Kristiansund Sights

  1. Festiviteten Theatre

    Kristiansund's monumental 1914 Festiviteten Theatre, plain enough from outside, has an attractive Art Nouveau interior.

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  2. Gamle Byen

    Kristiansund's Gamle Byen, occupies part of Innlandet island, a few of whose clapboard buildings date back to the 17th century. The grandiose Lossiusgården, at the eastern end of the historic district, was the distinguished home of an 18th-century merchant. The venerable 300-year-old Dødeladen Café - where you can still get a decent meal and a drink - hosts cultural and musical events. The most convenient access from the centre is on the Sundbåt ferry from Piren ferry port.

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  3. Handelshuset

    Handelshuset, formally a lively place serving traditional food, seems to have been overcome by the general cultural languor too. Its magnificent vintage jukebox with old 45rpm hits by Presley, the Stones, the Beach Boys and other distant icons may have played its last platter unless someone gets around to repairing it. But you can still browse among Handelshuset's old posters and signs, learn something of Kristiansund's commercial history and drink the freshest coffee, roasted on Norway's oldest operational coffee roaster.

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  4. Kristiansund Church

    Architect Odd Østby's inspirational church was built in 1964 to replace the one destroyed by Nazi bombs. The angular exterior, where copper and concrete alternate, is sober and measured. Inside all lines direct the eye to the 320 panes of stained glass at the rear of the chancel. Moving upward from the earthy colours at the base, they become paler and, at the top, replicate the 'celestial light of heaven'.

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  5. Mellemværftet

    Something of a nautical junkyard, Mellemværftet and accessible any time, is best approached on foot along the quayside from the Smia Fiskerestaurant. It's difficult to make out what's what amid the agreeable clutter but it includes the remnants of Kristiansund's 19th-century shipyard, a forge and workshop, and workers' quarters.

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  6. Norwegian Klippfish Mseum

    The Norwegian Klippfish Mseum, in the 1749 Milnbrygga warehouse on Gomalandet peninsula, presents the 300-year history of the dried-cod export industry in Kristiansund and continues to produce modest quantities of klippfisk in the traditional way. From the town centre, take the Sundbåt ferry and ask to be dropped off.

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  7. Vanndammene Park

    Behind the church lies Vanndammene Park with plenty of greenery, walking tracks and the eagle's eyrie Varden watchtower viewpoint.

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