In April 1940, days after the German invasion of Norway, a small British expeditionary force was landed at Åndalsnes with orders to advance south and help defend Trondheim. The Luftwaffe arrived almost immediately. Over a fortnight of bombing, the town was reduced to rubble — almost every building was destroyed — and the British were eventually evacuated by sea. It is one reason Åndalsnes today looks so modern; almost nothing predates the war.
A memorial stone in the town centre marks the campaign, and the Norsk Tindesenter has a small exhibit on what happened. The wartime story is a useful frame for the place — the cluster of post-war wooden houses, the wide quays, and the open layout of the harbour are all consequences of starting over from nothing in 1945.