Trondheim
Trondheim is a city and
municipality in the
county of
Sør-Trøndelag,
Norway. Founded in
997, Trondheim is today a centre of education, technical and medical research, with 30,000 students, and is the country's third largest city, with 158,613 inhabitants in the city proper (January 2006). The
Trondheim Region contains
246,751 inhabitants.
 |
View of Nidelva, seen downstream from the Old Town Bridge. Some storehouses shown to the left had cranes, for hoisting goods from boats below. |
Trondheim is situated where the river
Nidelva meets a large
fjord;
Trondheimsfjorden, and is the centre of the Trondheim Region. At
summer solstice, the sun rises 03:00 and sets 23:40, but stays just below the horizon - there is no darkness from May 20 to July 20. At
winter solstice, the sun rises at 10:00, stays very low above the horizon, and sets at 14:30. Trondheim has a predominantly
maritime climate, but mostly sheltered from the more windy conditions on the coast. The warmest temperature ever recorded is 35°C on
July 22 1901, and the coldest is -26.1°C in February
1899 (
[1]). The municipality's top elevation is the Storheia hill, 565 metres (≈1850 ft) above sea level.
The
cathedral of Trondheim,
Nidaros Cathedral, is the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world, and the largest in
Scandinavia. The
synagogue is among the most northern in the world. The main regional
theatre,
Trøndelag Teater, is situated in Trondheim (which is also the oldest theater in Northern Europe still in use). The
NTNU university is located in Trondheim, as is the regional hospital, (St Olavs Hospital). A new hospital is currently being built (
), with projected costs of 12 billion NOK.
SINTEF, the largest independent research organisation in
Scandinavia, has 2000 employees; 1400 of these are located in Trondheim (
). The local newspaper is
Adresseavisen, the oldest active newspaper in Norway (established
1767) which also owns the regional television channel TVAdressa and the radio channel RadioAdressa.
For the ecclesiastical history, see Archiepiscopate of Nidaros People have been living in this region of the country for thousands of years (see
Rock carvings in Central Norway,
Nøstvet and Lihult cultures and
Corded Ware culture). In ancient times the Kings of Norway were hailed at Øretinget in Trondheim, the place for the assembly of all free men by the mouth of the river
Nidelva. Harald Fairhair (865 - 933) was hailed as the king here, as was his son, Haakon I - called 'the Good'.Trondheim was named
Kaupangen (
the market place or trading place) by
Viking King
Olav Tryggvason in
997 AD. Fairly soon, it came to be called
Nidaros. In the beginning it was frequently used as the seat of the King, and therefore, for a time, the
capital of Norway (until 1217).
Leif Ericson lived in Trondheim around
1000 AD as a military retainer (
Old Norse: "hird"-man) of King Olav. A statue of Leif, donated by the "Leif Ericsson Society" in
Seattle, is located at the seaside, close to the old Customs Building, the cruise ship facilities and the new swimming Hall. The statue is a replica, the original being located at a Seattle marina.
Trondheim is located at the mouth of the river
Nidelva, due to its excellent harbour and sheltered condition. The river used to be deep enough for most boats in the Middle Ages. An avalanche of mud and stones made it less navigable and partly ruined the harbour in the mid-17
th century.
The major battle of
Kalvskinnet took place here in
1179; king
Sverre Sigurdsson and his
Birkebeiner warriors were victorious against
Erling Skakke (a rival to the throne).
Trondheim was the seat of the (Catholic)
Archbishopric from 1152. Due to the introduction of Lutheran
Protestantism in
1537, the last Archbishop, Olav Engelbrektsson, had to flee from the city.
The city has experienced several major fires. Since it was a city of log buildings, out of wood, most fires caused severe damage. Great fires ravaged the city in 1598, 1651, 1681, 1708, 1717 (two fires that year), 1742, 1788, 1841, and 1842. It must be noted that these were only the worst cases. The 1651 fire destroyed 90% of all buildings within the city limits. The fire in 1681 (the "Horneman Fire") led to an almost total reconstruction of the city, overseen by General
Johan Caspar von Cicignon (originally from
Luxembourg). Broad avenues like
Munkegaten were made, with no regard for property rights, in order to stop the next fire. This gave the sleepy provincial town of roughly 8000 inhabitants a certain flair.
After the Peace Treaty of
Roskilde 26 February 1658, Trondheim (together with the rest of
Trøndelag) became Swedish territory for a brief period; the area was reconquered after 10 months; the conflict was finally settled by the Peace Treaty of
Copenhagen,
27 May 1660.
During World War II, Trondheim was occupied by German forces from April, 1940 (on the first day of the invasion of Norway,
Operation Weserübung) until the war's end in Europe, in May, 1945.
The city's names
|
Panoramic view of Trondheim in the winter. |
Originally given the name
Kaupangen ("Marketplace") by Olav Tryggvason, Trondheim was for a long time called
Nidaros ("Mouth of the river Nid"), or in the
Old Norse spelling
Niðaróss. In the late Middle Ages the
name was changed to
Trondheim (Old Norse spelling
Þróndheimr). In the Dano-Norwegian period, during the years as a provincial town in the united kingdoms of
Denmark-Norway, the city name was spelled
Trondhjem. The words
heimr,
heim and
hjem all mean home, the word Trond is a tribal name, i.e.
Home of the Trønders.
Following the example set by the
renaming of the nation's capital,
Nidaros was reintroduced as the official name of the city for a brief period
1 January 1930–
6 March 1931. The name was restored in order to reaffirm the city's link with its glorious past, despite the fact that a 1928 referendum on the name of the city had given this result: 17,163 votes in favour of
Trondhjem and 1,508 votes in favour of
Nidaros. However, public outrage, even taking the form of
riots, later in the same year forced the
Storting to settle for the compromise
Trondheim, a name that sounded slightly less Danish.
Trondheimen historically indicates the area around the
Trondheimsfjord. The spelling
Trondhjem was officially rejected, but many still prefer the now unofficial spelling of the city name;
Trondhjem. Today, most inhabitants still refer to their city in their local
dialect (Trøndersk) as "Trawn-yam", where "trawn" rhymes with "prawn".
The traditional German version of the city's name was
Drontheim. During the
Nazi German occupation, 1940–45, the Germans made it into a major base for submarines (
DORA 1) and also contemplated a scheme to build a new city of 250,000 inhabitants,
Neu-Drontheim, centered 15 km (10 mi) southeast of Trondheim, near the wetlands of Øysand in the outskirts of
Melhus municipality. The new city — northern capital of a germanized
Scandinavia — was meant to be the future German main naval base of the North Atlantic region, and would be the largest of all German naval bases. For those with a particular interest in the history of the Second World War, a short trip towards Øysand by car will allow a glimpse of the only remains of this grand plan, in the form of a few rusty steel sticks in the sea just by the main road..
|
Overlooking the harbor in Trondheim. |
On
January 1, 2005, the city was reorganized from 5 boroughs into 4, with each of these having separate social services offices. Population statistics are as of
January 1, 2005.
*
Midtbyen (42,467)*
Østbyen (39,171)*
Lerkendal (44,273)*
Heimdal (30,099)*
Byåsen (33,856)Until 2005, these were the boroughs (after the municipality mergers in the 1960s):
*
Sentrum** Midtbyen
** Øya-Singsaker
** Rosenborg-Møllenberg
** Lademoen
** Lade
** Strindheim
*
Strinda** Charlottenlund-Jakobsli
** Ranheim
** Berg-Tyholt
** Åsvang-Stokkan
** Jonsvatnet
*
Nardo** Nardo
** Nidarvoll-Leira
** Risvollan-Othilienborg
** Bratsberg
*
Byåsen** Ila-Trolla
** Sverresborg
** Byåsen
** Hallset
*
Heimdal** Flatåsen-Saupstad
** Heimdal
** Sjetne-Okstad
** Tiller/Tillerbyen
** Heimdal
** Byneset-Leinstrand
|
The Nidaros Cathedral, seen from the southern bank of the Nidelven river. |
 |
Central Trondheim as seen northwards towards Trondheimsfjord from the cathedral tower. Munkholmen prison island is seen in the background. |
|
Trondheim seen from Gløshaugen hill, one of the NTNU campuses. |
Nidaros Cathedral
Two of Norway's greatest tourist attractions are the
Nidaros Cathedral and
Archbishop's Palace. They are located side by side, in the middle of historic Trondheim. The large gothic cathedral, built from
1070 on, was Northern Europe's most important Christian
pilgrimage site during the Middle Ages, with pilgrimage routes from
Oslo in southern Norway, and from the
Jämtland and
Värmland regions of neighbouring
Sweden.
During the Middle Ages, and again after independence was restored in
1814, the Nidaros Cathedral has been the
coronation church of Norwegian kings.
King Haakon VII was the last monarch to be crowned in
1906. Starting with
King Olav V in 1957, coronation was replaced by
anointing. In 1991, the present
King Harald V and
Queen Sonja were anointed in the cathedral. On
May 24,
2002, their daughter
Princess Märtha Louise married writer
Ari Behn in the same cathedral.
Other landmarks
*
Kristiansten Fortress, built
1681–
84; repelled invading
Swedes in
1718*
Munkholmen; a vacation island with a history as a prison, a fort, and a monastery
*
Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) main building, at Gløshaugen hill
*
Stiftsgården, the royal residence in Trondheim
*
Sverresborg,
King Sverre's medieval castle (now an open-air museum)
*
Tyholttårnet TV/radio tower, with a revolving restaurant (1 rev./hr)
*
Studentersamfundet i Trondhjem, the Student Union House
*
Statue of Olav Tryggvason, in the city's central plaza, mounted on top of an obelisk. This is also a sun clock, but the use of summer time in Norway has made it one hour wrong all through the summer. Olav Trygvasson founded Trondheim 1000 years ago.
Major museums
* Trondhjems Kunstmuseum – Museum of Arts
*
Sverresborg Trøndelag Folkemuseum – Museum of Cultural History
* Telemuseet – Norwegian Telecom Museum in Trondheim
* Trondhjems Sjøfartsmuseum – The Trondheim Maritime Museum
* Vitenskapsmuseet – Museum of Natural History and Archaeology
*
Vitensenteret – Trondheim´s Science Centre
* Rustkammeret – The Armoury; adjacent to the Archbishops's Palace
* Ringve Museum – Ringve National Museum (Museum of music and musical instruments), and
Ringve botanical garden* Norsk Rettsmuseum – The national museum of justice, Norway (includes a section about the German occupation 1940-45)
* Sporveismuseet – Trondheim Railway Museum
* Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustrimuseum – National Museum of Decorative Arts
* Det jødiske museum – The Jewish Museum (including a holocaust section); co-located with the city's synagogue
See also the list of primary schools in Trondheim.
There are 11 high schools.
Trondheim katedralskole ("Trondheim Cathedral School") was founded in
1152 and is the oldest
gymnasium-level school of Norway, while
Brundalen VGS ("Brundalen secondary") is the largest in Sør-Trøndelag with its 1100 students and 275 employees.
Although the official population count, as of
2004, is slightly above 150,000, the large number of resident college and university students, roughly 30,000, makes the actual population close to 180,000 (in Norway, students are typically registered in their home towns/municipalities, and not in their place of study). Trondheim is home to the
Norwegian University of Science and Technology (
Norges Teknisk-Naturvitenskapelige Universitet, NTNU) with its 20,000 students, as well as
Sør-Trøndelag University College (
Høgskolen i Sør-Trøndelag, HiST) with 6,000 registered students.
The Air Force Academy of the
Royal Norwegian Air Force is located at Kuhaugen in Trondheim.
Trondheim is a centre for maritime, technical and medical technology research.
One of the largest airports of the country is
Trondheim Airport, Værnes; situated in
Stjørdal. The
highway E6, passing through Trondheim, is Norway's most important route to the continent.Major railway connections are the northbound
Nordlandsbanen (to
Mo i Rana 1942,
Fauske 1958,
Bodø 1962), the eastbound
Meråkerbanen (opened 1882) to
Sweden via Storlien, and two southbound connections to Oslo,
Rørosbanen (opened 1877) and
Dovrebanen (opened 1921). The Coastal Express ships (
Hurtigruten; covering the
Bergen–
Kirkenes stretch of the coast) call at Trondheim, as do many
cruise ships during the summer season. Since 1994 there is also a fast commuter boat service to
Kristiansund, the nearest coastal city to the south.
Trondheim also boasts the northernmost
tramway line in the world: the
Gråkallbanen, an 8.8 km (5.5 mi) single-track route which runs from the city centre, through the
Byåsen district, and up to Lian, in the large recreation area
Bymarka. Trondheim also boasts the world's only bicycle lift,
Trampe. The
bus network is also well developed.
Trondheim has a broad music scene, and is known for its strong communities committed to
rock,
jazz and
classical music, the two latter spearheaded by the
music conservatory (now part of NTNU) and the municipal music school (Trondheim Kommunale Musikk- og Kulturskole), with the
Trondheim Symphonic Orchestra and the Trondheim Soloists being the most well known arenas. Classical artists hailing from Trondheim include violinist
Arve Tellefsen, Elise Båtnes and Marianne Thorsen.
Some selected pop/rock artists/bands hailing from and associated with Trondheim include
Åge Aleksandersen,
Margaret Berger, Desperado,
DumDum Boys,
Gåte, Johndoe,
Keep Of Kalessin,
Lumsk,
Motorpsycho,
Kari Rueslåtten,
The 3rd and the Mortal,
TNT,
Vømmøl Spellmannslag.
Georg Kajanus, creator of the bands
Eclection,
Sailor (band) and Data, was born in Trondheim. Sailor had considerable success across Europe and Australia in the Seventies with such hits as 'Girls, Girls, Girls' and 'A Glass Of Champagne'.
The city is said to have one of the better
punk rock and alternative scenes in Norway. The most popular punk scene is called
UFFA.There's also a
band named after the city itself, who hail from Scotland.
StarGate Studios is situated in Trondheim.
Trondheim is the home town of
football team
Rosenborg Ballklub (colloquially known as
RBK), a successful team nationally as well as internationally, playing in the
UEFA Champions League for the 11th time in
2006. The team's name, and initially most of its players, came from an east-end borough.
The city is also known for its active winter sports scene, with
cross-country skiing tracks in
Bymarka and a
ski jumping arena in
Granåsen, as well as nearby
alpine skiing facilities at
Vassfjellet. The city hosted the 1997
Nordic skiing World Championships, held
World Cup ski sprint races in the city centre in February 2004, and hosted the 2006 National
Biathlon Championships.
Trekking and cross-country skiing are popular among Norwegians. In Trondheim, people often go to the hills surrounding the city -
Bymarka in the west and
Estenstadmarka in the east - to engage in these activities. Many kilometers of prepared skiing tracks are available during the winter, as are a few establishments serving food and beverages in the middle of the forested skiing areas [
1].
Ladestien provides idyllic surroundings for walks along the fjord.
There is also an 18 hole Golf course bordering Bymarka, with a nice view of the city and the fjord.
Salmon fishing is very popular, and the record in Nidelva is 31.8 kg (
).
Gaula, one of the best salmon rivers in Europe (
), empties into
Gaulosen at
Leinstrand in Trondheim municipality, south of the city center.
Sister cities (
twin cities) of Trondheim are:
*
Darmstadt,
Germany*
Dunfermline,
Scotland*
Graz,
Austria*
Kópavogur,
Iceland*
Norrköping,
Sweden*
Odense,
Denmark*
Petah Tikva,
Israel*
Ramallah,
Palestinian territories*
Split,
Croatia*
Tampere/Tammerfors,
Finland*
Tiraspol,
Moldova*
Vallejo, California,
USA*
Keren,
Eritrea (twinned with the Trondheim borough of
Heimdal)
Although Trondheim is one of Norway's larger cities, wild animals can still be seen.
Otters thrive in Nidelva, and on bright summer nights you might meet a
badger or a
fox looking for something to eat.
Moose and
deer are common in the hills surrounding the city, and might wander into the city, especially in May when the bewildered one year old is chased away by the mother, or in late winter when food grows scarce in the snow-covered higher regions.
Twice
Oscar-nominated actress,
film director and
honorary doctor at
NTNU Liv Ullmann was born in
Tokyo (1938), but grew up in Trondheim.
French comics author
Lewis Trondheim adopted his
pen name after the city.
*
Trondheim's Official Website, with City Guide*
Kosmorama - Trondheim International Film Festival *
St.Olav Festival in late July / early August*
Satellite picture by Google Maps*
Downtown Trondheim with Nidelva river*
One photograph from Trondheim every day*
The Trampe Bicycle lift*
Trondheimsbilder - Historical photographs of sights and people in Trondheim
