The Wanderer

The Town Walker, in Ålesund

The Town Walker is a statue of Ålesund representing Harald Grytten, a passionate historian and guardian of the memory of the town. The Ålesund audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this tribute to the man who devoted his life to making people love his town and its Art Nouveau architecture.

The tribute to the guardian of the memory of Ålesund

This large statue represents Harald Grytten, nicknamed the Town Walker. Inaugurated in 2013, it is the reflection of a man who devoted his life to making people discover and love his town, in particular its unique Art Nouveau architecture. Harald Grytten, born in 1938, was much more than a historian and a philologist: he was the guardian of the memory of Ålesund, a passionate storyteller who made history alive and accessible to all. For decades, he walked the streets of the town, guiding inhabitants and visitors, telling the anecdotes, the secrets and the history of the Jugendstil buildings, transmitting his love of the local heritage. This statue, which represents him in full walk, pays tribute to him at the very place where he liked to tell his town, and celebrates the role of those who make the collective memory live. A testimony of the gratitude of the people of Ålesund towards their storyteller, the Town Walker is a touching stop of the discovery of Ålesund.

What to see

You admire the statue inaugurated in 2013 representing Harald Grytten, nicknamed the Town Walker, a historian and philologist born in 1938, guardian of the memory of Ålesund and passionate storyteller who devoted his life to making people love his town and its Art Nouveau architecture, represented in full walk. The Town Walker honours the storyteller of Ålesund. It is a touching stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Town Walker lies in the heart of Ålesund, reachable on foot. It is an open-air statue, freely visible. You discover it during a walk in the centre, among the Art Nouveau façades that Harald Grytten loved so much.

Who was Harald Grytten, the Town Walker of Ålesund?

A historian and philologist born in 1938, guardian of the memory of Ålesund and a passionate storyteller who devoted his life to making people discover and love his town and its Art Nouveau architecture; the statue, inaugurated in 2013, pays tribute to him.

Where is the Town Walker of Ålesund?

In the heart of Ålesund, in Norway.