Lillehammer is a town and municipality in the county of Oppland, Norway.

The area has been settled since the Norwegian iron age. It is mentioned as a site for council in 1390, had a lively market by the 1800s, and obtained rights as a merchant city on August 7, 1827, at which point there were 50 registered residents within its boundaries.

The basis for the city's commerce is its position as the northernmost point of the lake Mjøsa and as the gateway for the Gudbrandsdalen landscape, through which the historical highway to Trondheim passes. The Mesna river has provided the basis for several small industries through the years.

Lillehammer was host city of the 1994 Winter Olympic Games. It is known for being a predictable venue for winter sporting events.

Lillehammer was the site of the Lillehammer affair in 1973 where operatives of the Israeli Mossad shot and killed a Moroccan waiter they mistakenly thought was involved in the Munich Massacre.

In addition to the Olympic site, Lillehammer offers a number of other tourist attractions:

• Maihaugen, centrally located in Lillehammer, is the largest open-air museum in Norway, with 185 buildings, mostly from Lillehammer town and the valley of Gudbrandsdalen.

• The art museum, "Flygelet".

• The PS Skibladner is the world's oldest paddle steamer in scheduled service, launched in 1856. Summer sailings around lake Mjøsa: Lillehammer, Moelv, Gjøvik, Hamar and Eidsvoll.

• Hafjell , an alpine skiing resort.

• Sjusjøen is a skiing destination with forest and mountain terrain only 20 km away (east) from the centre of Lillehammer in the municipality of Ringsaker.

• The Sambandets Utdanning og Kompetansesenter is an army unit located in the camp Jørstadmoen 3-4 km north-west of Lillehammer.

External links

• Lillehammer University College
• Lillehammer Tourist Office
• Lillehammer Icehockey Club