New book celebrates National Tourist Routes

See the breathtaking new addition to Norway’s National Tourist Routes

New book presents the most important attractions along the Norwegian road stretches called National Tourist Routes. And tomorrow, we’ll see the opening of yet another great project.

The National Tourist Routes initiative has come a long way since its beginning in the mid-90s.

Along the 18 selected roads, the National Tourist Routes has set out to combine Norwegian nature, architecture and design into something greater than the sum of its parts.

Now, a new book has been published, presenting several new lay-bys and viewpoints, in addition to the most important attractions along the road stretches.

Many of the images are breathtaking, and both architects, curators and academics have contributed with texts that celebrate the project.

Janike Kampevold Larsen, associate professor at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, elaborates on why the National Tourist Routes are more than an architectural project:

“It brings mountain landscapes, coastlines and valleys together in a large natural exhibition where roads, architecture and nature reinforce each other, and are part of the same experience”, Larsen writes.

One of the projects mentioned in the book is Allmannajuvet (along National Tourist Route Ryfylke), which is opening tomorrow.

The Allmannajuvet zinc mines is an old and vacated mining operation in Sauda, west in Norway. The mines were in operation from 1881 to 1899, and during these years a total of 12.000 tons of zinc ore were extracted from the mines. Today, the mining area is a museum.

The plain buildings in the gorge are designed in an industrial construction style to embody the story of the mines. The concepts were designed by the renowned Swiss architect Peter Zumthor.

Here are a few more images from the book, which is published in three languages (Norwegian, English and German) in order to appeal to an international audience. The book can be bought in book stores in Norway, as well as online.