Fodor's Expert Review Jugendstilsenteret

Housed in an eye-catching building topped by a graceful turret---it opened as Swan Pharmacy in 1907---the Jugendstilsenteret tells the story of how Ålesund became the Art Nouveau capital of the country. After the great fire of 1904 left a huge swath of the population homeless, city planners had to rebuild quickly. Europe happened to be in the middle of a love affair with Art Nouveau architecture, so the city ended up with a blend of this ornate style with the occasional Viking flourish. The KUBE Art Museum is part of the same complex.