Molde
Town
Downtown Molde
Nickname:  Rosenes by (Town of Roses)
Molde Show map of Møre og Romsdal Molde Show map of Norway
Coordinates:62°44′15″N7°09′33″E / 62.7375°N 7.1591°E /62.7375; 7.1591
Country	Norway
Region	Western Norway
County	Møre og Romsdal
District	Romsdal
Municipality	Molde Municipality
Established as
Ladested	1614
Kjøpstad	1742
Area [1]
• Total	9.48 km2 (3.66 sq mi)
Elevation [2]	4 m (13 ft)
Population  (2024)[1]
• Total	22,410
• Density	2,364/km2 (6,120/sq mi)
Demonyms	Moldenser Moldensar
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Post Code	6400 Molde

Molde (Norwegian pronunciation:[ˈmɔ̂ɫdə]^ⓘ) is atown and the seat ofMolde Municipality inMøre og Romsdal county,Norway. It is located in thetraditional district ofRomsdal. It is located on theRomsdal Peninsula, surrounding theFannefjord andMoldefjord.

Molde has amaritime,temperate climate, with cool-to-warm summers, and relatively mild winters. It is nicknamedThe Town of Roses.^[3]

The settlement emerged as a shipping port for lumber to the Netherlands in the late 1500s.^[4]: 24 Formal trading rights were granted at some point before 1604,^{[5]: 79–87} and the town was incorporated through aroyal charter in 1742.Bolsøy Municipality, which later merged with Molde town, was established on 1 January 1838 (seeformannskapsdistrikt law).^{[citation needed]}

The town continued to grow throughout the 17th to 19th centuries, becoming a centre for the Norwegiantextile andgarment industry, as well as the administrative centre for the region, and was a major tourist destination untilWorld War I. AfterWorld War II, Molde experienced accelerated growth, merging withBolsøy Municipality and parts ofVeøy Municipality andNord-Aukra Municipality on 1 January 1964, making the municipality much larger than the urban area of the town of Molde. On 1 January 2020, the municipality was expanded again through the incorporation of the neighboringMidsund Municipality andNesset Municipality, making the area of the municipality quite large in comparison to the town.

The town has a population of 22,410 (2024) and apopulation density of 2,364 inhabitants per square kilometre (6,120/sq mi).^[1]

The city's current location dates from the late Medieval times but is preceded by an earlierMedieval township onVeøya, an island to the south of present-day Molde. The settlement at Veøya probably dates from theMigration Period, but is first mentioned in the sagas bySnorri Sturluson as the location of theBattle ofSekken in 1162, whereking Håkon the Broad-shouldered was killed fighting the aristocratErling Skakke, during theNorwegian civil wars.However, settlement in the area can be traced much further back in time—evidence given by two rock slabs carved withpetroglyphs found at Bjørset, west of the city center.

At the eve of the 15th century, the influence of Veøya waned, and the island was eventually deserted.

Originating from the two farms Reknes and Molde (later Moldegård), a minor port calledMoldefjæra (Molde Landing) emerged around 1600, based on trade with timber and herring.

The town gained formal trading rights before 1604 under the supervision ofTrondheim.^{[citation needed]} After theTreaty of Copenhagen in 1660, Molde became theadministrative center ofRomsdal amt, and was incorporated as acity through aroyal charter in 1742. Molde continued to grow throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, becoming a center for the Norwegian textile and garment industry. Tourism later became a major industry, and Molde saw notabilities such as the German emperorWilhelm II ofGermany and thePrince of Wales as regular summer visitors. Molde consisted of luxurious hotels surrounding an idyllic township with quaint, wooden houses, lush gardens, and parks, esplanades, and pavilions, earning it the nicknamethe Town of Roses. This was interrupted when one-third of the city was destroyed in a fire on 21 January 1916. However, Molde recovered and continued to grow in the economically difficult interbellum period.

A second fire, or series of fires, struck from theGerman air-raids inApril and May 1940, which destroyed about two-thirds of the town. Molde was in effect the capital of Norway for a week after King Haakon, Crown Prince Olav, and members of the government and parliament arrived at Molde on April 23, after a dramatic flight from Oslo. They were put up at Glomstua, then at the western outskirts of the town, and experienced the bombing raids personally. The Norwegian gold reserve was also conveyed to Molde, and was hidden in a clothing factory.

However, German intelligence was well aware of this, and on April 25 theLuftwaffe initiated a series of air-raids. For a week the air-raid siren on the chimney of the dairy building announced the repeated attacks. April 29 turned out to be the worst day in the history of Molde, as the city was transformed into a sea of flames by incendiary bombs. Until then the church had escaped undamaged, but in the final sortie a firebomb became stuck high up in the tower, and the wooden church was obliterated by fire.

After World War II, Molde experienced tremendous growth. As the modernization of the Norwegian society accelerated in the post-reconstruction years, Molde became a center for not only administrative and public services, but also academic resources and industrial output. After the consolidation of the town itself and its adjacent communities in 1964, Molde became a modern city, encompassing most branches of employment, from farming and fisheries to industrial production, banking, higher education, tourism, commerce, health care, and civil administration.

The town of Molde was established as an urban municipality on 1 January 1838 (seeformannskapsdistrikt law). It was surrounded by the ruralBolsøy Municipality. On 1 July 1915, a part of Bolsøy Municipality (population: 183) was transferred into the city of Molde. On 1 January 1952, another part of Bolsøy Municipality (population: 1,913) was transferred into the city of Molde.^[6]

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of theSchei Committee. On 1 January 1964, theMolde (town) (population: 8,289) merged with theSekken,Veøya, andNesjestranda parts ofVeøy Municipality (population: 756), all ofBolsøy Municipality (population: 7,996), and the Mordal area ofNord-Aukra Municipality (population: 77) to form a new, larger Molde Municipality.^[6]

On 1 January 2020, the neighbouringMidsund Municipality andNesset Municipality merged with Molde to form a much larger Molde Municipality.^[7]

The municipality (originally the town andparish) is named after the oldMolde farmstead (Old Norse:Moldar) since this was where the town was built. The name's origin is somewhat uncertain. It could be the plural form ismold which means "fertile soil" or "earth". The other possibility is that it comes from the wordmoldr which means "skull" or "mold" (referring to the rounded peaks inMoldemarka).^[8] Pronunciation varies between the standardMolde and the ruralMolle (pronounced with thick "l"). A person from Molde will refer to themself as aMoldenser.

Molde Municipality includes part of theRomsdal peninsula as well as many islands including the islands ofOtrøya andMidøya. To the southeast, Molde Municipality stretches about 75 kilometres (47 mi) inland. Thetown of Molde consists of a 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) long and 1 to 2 kilometres (0.62 to 1.24 mi) wide strip of urban land running east–west along the north shore of theMoldefjord, an arm of theRomsdalsfjord, on theRomsdal peninsula. The city is sheltered byBolsøya and theMolde archipelago, a chain of low-lying islands and islets, to the south, and the wood-clad hills ofMoldemarka to the north. The city centre is located just west of the riverMoldeelva, which runs into the city from the north, originating in theMoldevatnet lake, through the valley Moldedalen. Despite the river being minor and seasonal, it supported severalsawmills in the 16th and 17th centuries. This gave rise to the original town itself through a combination of a good harbour, proximity to the sea routes, vast timber resources, and a river capable of supporting mills. In 1909, the river housed the firsthydro electricpower plant capable of providing sufficient electricity for the city, and the upper reaches of the river still provide drinking water for most of the city.

The highest point in the municipality is the 1,964.92-metre (6,446.6 ft) tall mountainKleneggen.^[9] Its panoramic view of some 222 partly snow-clad peaks, usually referred to as theMolde panorama, is one of Molde's main attractions, and has drawn tourists to the city since the 19th century. Molde is nicknamed theTown of Roses, a name which originated during Molde's era as a tourist destination of international fame in the late 19th century.

Neighbouring municipalities areAukra,Gjemnes, andHustadvika (to the north);Ålesund (to the southwest);Vestnes andRauma (to the south); andTingvoll andSunndal (to the east).

Panoramic view of Molde

Some points of interest in and near Molde Municipality:

• Salmon,sea trout andsea char are found in the rivers throughout the area, especially theRauma,Driva, andEira, already legendary among the Britishgentry in the mid-19th century.^{[citation needed]}Trout is abundant in most lakes.Cod,pollock,saithe,mackerel and other species of saltwaterfish are commonly caught in the Romsdalsfjord, both from land and from boat.Skiing is a common activity among the inhabitants of Molde in the winter, on groomed tracks, in resorts or by own trail. There are severalrock climbing,ice climbing,bouldering,glacier andbasejumping areas in the immediate vicinity of Molde.

• TheAtlantic road was voted the Norwegian Construction of the Century in 2005. It is built on bridges and landfills across small islands and skerries, and spans from the small communities of Vikan and Vevang toAverøya, an island with several historic landmarks, such as the Bremsnes cave withMesolithic findings from theFosna culture, themediaevalKvernes stave church, and Langøysund, now a remote fishing community, but once a bustling port along the main coastal route. Langøysund was the site of the compromise between KingMagnus I and the farmers along the coast in 1040. The compromise is regarded as Norway'sMagna Carta, and is commemorated though thePilespisser (English:Arrowheads) monument.

• Trollkirka (lit. 'Troll Church') is a marble grotto leading up to an underground waterfall. The grotto is situated 30 minutes outside Molde, followed by a 1-hour hike up a steep trail.Trollveggen is Europe's tallest vertical, overhanging mountain face,^[10] with several very difficult climbing routes.Trollstigen is the most visited tourist road in Norway. The road twists and turns its way up an almost vertical mountainside through 11 hairpin bends to an altitude of 858 m (2,814.96 ft).Mardalsfossen is the highestwaterfall inNorthern Europe and the fourth highest waterfall in the world, cascading 297 metres down into the valley. The total height of the waterfall is 655 m (2,148.95 ft).

• Bud is a fishing village on the very tip of theRomsdal peninsula. It gained importance during theMiddle Ages as a trading post, and hosted the last freePrivy Council of Norway in 1533, a desperate attempt to save the country's independence and stave off theProtestant Reformation, led byOlav Engelbrektsson,archbishop of Nidaros (todayTrondheim). The massive Ergan coastal defences, a restored German coastal fort fromWorld War II, and a part of theAtlantic Wall, is situated in Bud. The fishing communities of Ona, Bjørnsund and Håholmen are located on remote islands off the coast, only accessible by boat or ferry.

Moldemarka, the hilly woodland area north of the city, ispublic land. The area has an extensive network of paths, walking trails and skiing tracks. Forest roads enter the area from several directions. Bulletin boards and maps provide information regarding local plants and wildlife, as well as signposts along the trails. Marked trails lead to a number of peaks, sites and fishing lakes and rivers. A national fishing licence is required to fish in the lakes and streams.

Varden, 407 metres (1,335 ft)above sea level is a viewpoint directly above Molde, with a good view of the city, thefjord with theMolde archipelago and theMolde panorama.

Molde has a temperateoceanic climate (Cfb) also known as marine west coast climate. Molde holds the national high for the month of October, with 25.6 °C or 78.1 °F recorded on 11 October 2005. Due to its geographic location, Molde experiences frequentsnowfalls in winter, but this snow is usually wet as the winters tend to be mild. The record high 32.2 °C or 90.0 °F was recorded 13 July 2025. The record low −17 °C or 1 °F was recorded in both January and February 2010.

Anatural phenomenon occurring in Molde and the adjacent district, are frequent winter days with temperatures above 10 °C (50 °F), sometimes even above 14 °C (57 °F). This is due to thefoehn wind from south and south-east. The sheltered location of the city, facing south with hills to the north, mountains to the east and mountainous islands to the west, contributes to Molde's climate and rich plant life, especially among species naturally growing on far lower latitudes, likechestnut,oak,tilia (lime orlinden),beech,yew, and others.

Molde Municipality is responsible forprimary education (through 10th grade), outpatienthealth services,senior citizen services,welfare and othersocial services,zoning,economic development, and municipalroads and utilities. The municipality is governed by amunicipal council ofdirectly elected representatives. Themayor isindirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.^[13] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of theMøre og Romsdal District Court and theFrostating Court of Appeal.

Three of thefour great Norwegian authors are connected to Molde.Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson spent his childhood years atNesset Municipality outside Molde, and attended school in the city.Henrik Ibsen frequently spent his vacations at the mansionMoldegård visiting the family Møller; andAlexander Kielland resided in the city as the governor ofRomsdals amt. Ibsen's playRosmersholm is generally thought to be inspired by life at the mansion Moldegård, andThe Lady from the Sea is also believed to be set in the city of Molde, although never actually mentioned. Other authors from or with ties to Molde includeEdvard Hoem,Jo Nesbø,Knut Ødegård, andNini Roll Anker, a friend ofSigrid Undset.

TheRomsdal Museum, one of Norway's largest folkmuseums, was established in 1912. Buildings originating from all over the region have been moved here to form a typical cluster of farm buildings including "openhearth" houses, sheds, outhouses, smokehouses and a small chapel. The "town street" with Mali's Café shows typical Molde town houses from the pre-World War I period. TheMuseum of the Fisheries is an open-air museum located on the island of Hjertøya, 10 minutes from the centre of Molde. A small fishing village with authentic buildings, boats and fishing equipment, the museum shows local coastal culture from 1850 onwards.

The local newspaper isRomsdals Budstikke.^[14]

TheChurch of Norway has ten parishes (sokn) within Molde Municipality. It is part of theMolde domprosti (arch-deanery) in theDiocese of Møre.

TheMoldejazzjazz festival is held in Molde every July. Moldejazz is one of the largest and oldest jazz festivals in Europe, and one of the most important. An estimated 40,000 tickets are sold for the more than a hundred events during the festival. Between 80,000 and 100,000 visitors visit the city during the one-week-long festival.

Every August, Molde Municipality hosts to theBjørnson Festival, an international literature festival (Prior to 2020, it was hosted by both Molde andNesset Municipality - Nesset has since become part of Molde). Established by the poet Knut Ødegård in connection with the 250-year anniversary of Molde, the festival is named in honour of theNobel Prize in Literature laureateBjørnstjerne Bjørnson (1832–1910). It is the oldest and the most internationally acclaimed literature festival in Norway.

In addition to the two major events, a number of minor festivals are held annually. Byfest, the city's celebration of incorporation, is an arrangement by local artists, coinciding with the anniversary of the royal charter of 29 June 1742.

Molde University College offers a wide range of academic opportunities, from nursing and health-related studies, to economics and administrative courses. The school is Norway's leading college in logistics,^[15] and well established as a centre for research and academic programmes in information technology, with degrees up to and including PhD.

Hurtigruta calls on Molde every day, on its journey betweenBergen andKirkenes. The nearest railway station isÅndalsnes, the terminus for theRauma Line.

The local airport isMolde Airport which has several daily flights to Oslo, Bergen, and Trondheim, as well as weekly flights to other domestic and international destinations.

TheEuropean route E39 andNorwegian County Road 64 both pass through the municipality. The city of Molde is connected to Fræna Municipality (to the north) by theTussen Tunnel. The city is connected to theRøvika andNesjestranda part of the municipality by theFannefjord Tunnel andBolsøy Bridge, significantly shortening the drive by avoiding driving all the way around theFannefjorden. The proposedLangfjord Tunnel would connect Molde Municipality to Rauma Municipality via a tunnel under theLangfjorden.

Molde hosts a variety of sports teams, most notably thefootball team,Molde FK, which plays in theEliteserien, the top division in theNorwegian football league system. Their home matches are played atAker stadion, inaugurated in 1998, which holds a record attendance of 13,308. The team is five-time league champions (2011,2012,2014,2019 and2022), five-time Norwegian Cup winners (1994,2005,2013,2014 and2021-22), and has made numerous appearances in European tournaments, including theUEFA Champions League. The club was founded in 1911, during Molde's period of great British and Continental influx, and was first named "International", since it predominantly played teams made up from crews of foreign vessels visiting the city.

In addition to a number of international players, the city has also produced severalski jumpers,cross-country skiers andalpine skiers of international merit.

Other sports include the accomplishedteam handball clubs (Molde Elite,SK Træff,SK Rival), athletics teams (IL Molde-Olymp), skiing clubs, basketball and volleyball teams.

Molde has threesister cities. They are:^[16]

• Borås,Sweden
• Mikkeli,Finland
• Vejle,Denmark

• 
  Ferry in Molde in 2024
• 
  Molde Fjordhotell
• 
  A neighborhood in molde
• 
  Hjertøya, an island just outside Molde
• 
  The sixteen-storey Scandic Seilet Hotel in 2017

• Nicholas Lawson (1790-1851) Vice governor ofGalápagos forEcuador, born on Sekken^[17]
• Ole Anton Qvam (1834–1904) lawyer, politician andPrime Minister of Norway 1902/03
• Dorothea Christensen (1847–1908) adomestic science proponent and politician
• Jacob Tanner, (1865–1964) Norwegian American Lutheran educator and religious author
• Johan Scharffenberg (1869–1965) a psychiatrist, politician, speaker and writer
• Olav Kavli (1872–1958) a businessman who founded theKavli company
• Jens Arup Seip (1905–1992) medieval historian and interpreter of 1800s political history
• Eystein Fjærli (1917–1987) lieutenant colonel, defence strategist, author and politician
• Arne Solli (1938–2017)Norwegian Army general &Chief of Defence of Norway
• Kjell Magne Bondevik (born 1947) politician,Prime Minister of Norway, 2001-2005
• Bjørn T. Grydeland (born 1949) President ofEFTASA &EU Ambassador
• Torgeir Dahl (born 1953) politician and Mayor of Molde since 2011
• Kjell Inge Røkke (born 1958) a Norwegian billionaire

• Karen Splid Møller (1800–1880) a Norwegian handwritten cookbook writer
• Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson (1832–1910) writer ofnoble, magnificent and versatile poetry, won the 1903Nobel Prize in Literature, brought up in Nesset
• Maurycy Gottlieb (1856–1879) a Polish realist painter of theRomantic period, lived in Molde
• Hanna Hoffmann (1858–1917), Danish sculptor and silversmith
• Rasmus Rasmussen (1862–1932) a Norwegian actor, folk singer and theatre director^[18]
• Nini Roll Anker (1873–1942) novelist and playwright about women within different social classes
• Kurt Schwitters, (1887–1948) German artist usingdadaism,constructivism andsurrealism, had a hut on Hjertøya pre-WWII
• Terje Fjærn (1942-2016) musician, orchestra leader and musical conductor
• Knut Ødegård (born 1945) poet, also lives in Reykjavík, Iceland
• Terje Venaas (born 1947) a Norwegian jazz musician (upright bass)
• Edvard Hoem (born 1949) a Norwegian novelist, dramatist, lyricist and psalmist
• Jo Nesbø (born 1960) a Norwegian writer, musician and economist; grew up in Molde
• Arne Nøst (born 1962) a Norwegian graphic artist and theatre director
• John Arne Sæterøy (born 1965) pen nameJason, cartoonist of silent animal characters
• Ann-Helen Moen (born 1969) a Norwegian lyric soprano^[19]
• Paal Nilssen-Love (born 1974) a Norwegian drummer and composer in jazz and free improvisation
• Ane Brun (born 1976) a Norwegian songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist of Sami origin
• Ola Kvernberg (born 1981) a jazz violinist
• Daniel Herskedal (born 1982) a Norwegian jazz tuba player
• Hayden Powell (born 1983) a jazz trumpeter and composer, grew up in Molde
• Mari Kvien Brunvoll (born 1984) a Norwegian folk and jazz singer
• Linnéa Myhre (born 1990) a Norwegian author and blogger
• Tuva Halse (born 1999) a Norwegian violinist, keyboard player, vocalist and composer

• Otto Berg (1906–1991) a long jumper, competed at the1936 Summer Olympics
• Arne Legernes (born 1931) a retired Norwegian footballer with 41 caps forNorway
• Einar Halle (born 1943) a Norwegian former UEFA football referee and referee observer
• Harry Hestad (born 1944) a former footballer and coach with 412 club caps and 31 forNorway
• Jan Fuglset (born 1945) a former footballer with over 288 club caps and 20 forNorway
• Ingolf Mork (1947–2012) ski jumper, winner ofFour Hills Tournament 1971/72
• Arild Monsen (born 1962)cross-country skier, World Champion 1985
• Kjetil Rekdal (born 1968) a football manager and a former player with 484 club caps and 83 forNorway
• Trond Strande (born 1970) a former footballer with 275 caps withMolde FK
• Petter Rudi (born 1973) a retired footballer with 350 club caps and 46 forNorway
• Mette Solli (born 1974) a Norwegian kickboxer, World Champion 2001, 2004, 2007
• Andrine Flemmen (born 1974) a retired giant slalom alpine skier, won three World Cup races
• Kurt Asle Arvesen (born 1975) a Norwegian former professional road bicycle racer
• Daniel Berg Hestad (born 1975) a football manager and a former player with 557 club caps
• John Arne Riise^[20] (born 1980) a former footballer with 546 club caps and 110 for Norway
• Christian Gauseth (born 1984) a Norwegian footballer with over 320 club caps
• Johan Remen Evensen (born 1985)ski jumper, formerworld record-holder inski flying
• Magnus Wolff Eikrem (born 1990) footballer with over 220 club caps and 17 forNorway
• Ragnhild Mowinckel (born 1992)alpine skier, twice silver medallist at the2018 Winter Olympics
• Ada Hegerberg (born 1995) a footballer with over 220 club caps and 80 forNorway

• Municipal fact sheet fromStatistics Norway(in Norwegian)
• Tourist information
• Molde University college
• Molde International Jazz Festival
• Romsdals Budstikke
• Molde F.K.
• VS Molde Futsal
• Molde Sports Association
• Molde and the Molde Panorama
• Images from Molde and Romsdal by Armin Burkhart

• Molde Municipality
• Cities and towns in Norway
• Populated places in Møre og Romsdal
• 1742 establishments in Norway
• Populated places established in 1742
• Administrative centres of municipalities of Norway

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