Editing Lillehammer (section)

==History==
The town of Lillehammer is located at the northern end of Norway's largest lake, [[Mjøsa]]. There have likely been settlements here since the [[Iron Age]] and the market here was mentioned in [[Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar|Håkon Håkonson's saga]] in 1390. It is also mentioned as a site for [[Thing (assembly)|Thing assembly]] in 1390. Tradition states that it was here in Lillehammer where the [[birkebeiner]]s Torstein Skjevla and Skjervald Skrukka joined up with the King's son (and future King), Haakon, in 1205 before they traveled to [[Østerdalen]] (an event which is commemorated in March every year to this day). Since medieval times, the [[Lillehammer Church]] has been located here.<ref name="LH">{{Cite web |last=Herberg |first=Kari B. |title=Lillehammers historie |url=https://www.lillehammer.kommune.no/lillehammers-historie.189880.no.html |access-date=2022-07-06 |website=Lillehammer kommune |language=no}}</ref>

The town was granted [[List of towns and cities in Norway|market town rights]] on 7 August 1827. At that time, 50 people lived within the boundaries of the newly established town. This site was chosen because there were no other towns in all of [[Oppland|Christians amt]] (county) and this site was located along the [[Gudbrandsdalslågen]] river and the whole [[Gudbrandsdal]] valley was a major transportation route from the capital to northern Norway. Within two years of the establishment of the town, the population had risen to 360 people. The merchant Ludvig Wiese has been counted as the founder of the town (a statue of him was erected in the town in connection with the town's 100th anniversary in 1927). The laying of the main railway line from the capital in [[Oslo|Christiania]] to [[Sundet|Eidsvoll]] was completed in 1852. This railway line was connected with steamships along the lake [[Mjøsa]] which travelled to Lillehammer and from there a newly laid road made connections further up into the [[Gudbrandsdalen]] valley. This transport system made the transit of timber and agricultural goods from all over the county to the capital possible, and it contributed to the growth of the town of Lillehammer.<ref name="LH" />

In 1973, [[Mossad]] killed a [[Moroccan people|Moroccan]] waiter, having mistaken him for Palestinian terrorist [[Ali Hassan Salameh]], which became known as the ''[[Lillehammer affair]]''.

Lillehammer is known as a typical venue for winter sporting events; it was host city of the [[1994 Winter Olympics]], and the [[2016 Winter Youth Olympics]], and was part of a joint bid with applicant host city [[Oslo]] to host events part of the [[2022 Winter Olympics]] until Oslo withdrew its bid on 1 October 2014.

Lillehammer is home to the largest literature festival in the Nordic countries and, in 2017, was designated as a UNESCO [[City of Literature]].