Avisgutten statue

Located on your left as you walk up the street, the statue called Avisgutten was created from bronze by the sculptor Arne Martin Hansen and installed here in 1998. But what does Avisgutten actually mean? As you may have guessed, it simply means “the Newspaper Boy.” Dressed in the style of the 50s, the statue pays tribute to the young newspaper sellers who once worked in the streets of Ålesund. And no, this tradition wasn’t limited to big cities like New York. These newsboys were a familiar part of everyday life here until the 60s. They helped spread the day’s news across the city, mainly selling the two local newspapers, Sunnmørsposten and Sunnmøre Arbeideravis. This small job gradually disappeared when newspapers began to be delivered directly to people’s mailboxes. Interestingly, the statue was not commissioned by the city council or by a private sponsor. It was actually donated to the city by the newspaper Sunnmørsposten itself, as a symbolic gesture of gratitude to the generations of young residents who once sold the paper in the streets, often shouting out the day’s headlines. Now take a moment to turn around and look at the surroundings of the newspaper boy. You’ll notice a statue of a deer, as well as a staircase known as the Thousand Steps. The name may sound impressive, but in reality it has only 53 steps. It marks the beginning of the path that eventually leads up to Mount Aksla, which rises about 190 meters above the city.