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A scenic stretch of highway along Norway's northwest coast has been named the country's "Structure of the Century." The award was presented by Crown Prince Haakon during a building industry conference in Lillestrøm.

The highway, called Atlanterhavsveien, runs south of Kristiansund as the coast curves towards Molde. It runs right along the North Sea, known for its dramatic storms and varying light throughout the year. The highway has become a bit of a tourist attraction since its opening in the 1990s, and it won 29 percent of the 40,000 votes that were sent to the building industry jury.

The new bridge at Svinesund, on the busiest border crossing between southern Norway and Sweden, won second place in the competition, capturing 18 percent of the votes. The bridge opened last summer, in a gala ceremony that was part of Norway's Centennial celebration and attended by the Swedish and Norwegian royal families.

The sports arena built inside a mountain for the 1994 Winter Olympics at Lillehammer placed third, with 12.8 percent of the vote. The Gjøvik Olympiske Fjellhall is still used for ice skating and for concerts and other large public gatherings.

An historic power station at Tyssedal, in the mountains of central Norway, was also nominated and placed a respectable fourth.

Also placing high among the candidates' list was the Arctic Cathedral in the northern city of Tromsø, called Ishavskatedralen.

Another candidate for recognition was the classic Drammen's Theater in the city of Drammen, built in the beginning of the last century.

Among the most modern entries was the new corporate headquarters for Norwegian telecoms firm Telenor. It rose near the site of Oslo's former airport at Fornebu, and was the top choice for Akershus County.

Oslo's entry was its City Hall, where the Nobel Peace Prize is handed out every year. Some critics say the building looks like two large blocks of goat cheese, but the complex took decades to build and is an Oslo landmark.

The popular mountain railroad called Flåmsbane, which teems with tourists every summer, was also nominated. The line runs from high mountains down to the Sognefjord and is a scenic wonder when the weather is clear.

Norway's important oil industry wasn't overlooked in the nomination process, with one of the country's classic offshore oil platforms, Ekofisk, chosen as a candidate for 'Structure of the Century.' It clearly was an engineering wonder in its time, but its remote location indicates it hadn't found its way into the hearts of those voting.