Norwegian National Tourist Routes

Does architecture and design along the 18 National Tourist Routes affected our perception of nature as a recreational target?

Growing up in the late 60´s and early 70´s one of my family’s favourite summer-weekend activities was taking a Sunday Trip. Often with friends. We packed the trunk of our fire-engine red 1968 Opel Kadett with pick-nick table and chairs, “Kaffi-Lars”, the coffee pot for the the bonfire, backpacks with food and fishing gear. Heading out of the city, driving along the scattered populated fjords and mountains exploring and discovering new territory for us children. We always stopped at the most scenic and often dramatic view point´s on the day´s route. Having a pick-nick and a bonfire if possible and spending time climbing rocks, playing, hiking or fishing.

Except for the passing road and the occasional parking lot with a pick-nick table, the scenic roads we roamed were not very well facilitated for tourist.

Today one of the scenic points were we stopped on our Sunday Trips, Tungeneset on the west side of the island of Senja, has  become part of the National Tourist Routes in Norway. A nation wide program initiated by the Norwegian government and parliament aimed to provide good driving experiences through unique Norwegian nature. Developing scenic roads through innovative and functional architecture and design.

In this essay I plan to examine the National Tourist Rout project in relation to how the implementation of innovative and functional architecture and design in nature have affected our perception of the Norwegian nature as a recreational target.