The Sildekona and Fiskergutten statues

After taking a moment to enjoy the view, I suggest we take a closer look at the two statues standing here on Apotekertorget Square. These sculptures pay tribute to the city’s maritime identity and to the people who worked along the waterfront, especially in the herring industry. Let’s start on the left with Sildekona, the Herring Woman, unveiled in 1991. This bronze statue, created by the artist Bjørn Tore Skjølsvik, shows a working woman standing upright in her apron, focused on her task. She represents the sildekonene, the women who played a crucial role in Ålesund’s herring industry. In the 19th century, herring fishing expanded rapidly, and Ålesund became known as Storsildbyen, the “City of the Great Herring.” These women were responsible for receiving the fish from the boats, salting them, and preparing them for export. Their work was demanding and often overlooked, yet it was essential to the city’s prosperity. The statue of Sildekona honors their contribution to the local economy. Beside her stands Fiskergutten, the Fisher Boy, a statue created in 1967 by the artist Knut Skinnarland. The sculpture shows a young boy dressed in sailor’s clothes, representing a beginner heading out on his first fishing trip, something that was once a real rite of passage for many boys growing up in Ålesund. On board the boats, they were usually given the least pleasant tasks, but they also carried the excitement of heading out to sea for the first time. There’s also an interesting detail about this statue: the title originally chosen by the artist was not Fiskergutten but Skårungen, a word from the Sunnmøre dialect with two closely connected meanings. It can describe both a novice fisherman and a young seabird leaving the nest for its first flight. The seagulls sculpted on the base are therefore not just decorative. And as a small bonus, the real seagulls from the harbor often enjoy perching right on the boy’s head.