Fjellstua, Ålesund, Norway

Architect	Jens Bang Braaten
Date Built	originally 1903 - rebuilt after a fire in 1934 - refurbished in 1985
Location	Mount Aksla, Ålesund
Description
The Fjellstua Cafe (Lodge Cafe in English) occupies a prominent site on the edge of Ålesund's town mountain Aksla, The original cafe was built in 1903 by a local shoemaker, Knut Gregorius Lied. It was a wooden building painted red with white moldings. It survived the fire that destroyed much of Ålesund in 1904 but thirty years later it succumbed to a devastating blaze. However, the decision was taken to replace it and that same year a new functionalist concrete building designed by Jens Braaten was erected. The fire happened in January of 1934 but the new Fjellsyua opened in November. In 1985 the building was modified again adding the glass and aluminium dome that is the dominent feature today. In addition to the cafe, terraces on the building offer visitors a viewpoint that is ranked in the top 10 in Norway. It is possible to drive up the top of Aksla or you can climb the 418 steps. You can see people doing that in the image below. A line of street lights illuminate the steps at night.