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Trondheim

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Trondheim kommune
90px
Trondheim kart.png
County Sør-Trøndelag
District
Municipality
Administrative centre Trondheim
Mayor (2005) Rita Ottervik (A)
Official language form Neutral
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Percentage 		342 Square kilometre>km²
322 km²
0.11 %
Population
 - Total (as of 2003>2003)
 - Percentage
 - Change (10 years)
 - Density 		Ranked 3
158,613 (as of Jan. 2006) [link]
3.37 %
8.6 %
480/km²
Coordinates
[www.trondheim.kommune.no]
[Data from Statistics Norway]
Coordinates:

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 covers about 250 000 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.
Enlarge
View of Nidelva, seen downstream from the Old Town Bridge. Some storehouses shown to the left had cranes, for hoisting goods from boats below.

Contents

Geography and climate

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.

Institutions

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.

History

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 Praetorian guardsman (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.

The Old Town Bridge, Trondheim.
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The Old Town Bridge, Trondheim.

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-17th 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

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 means 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 slighly 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..

City boroughs

Overlooking the harbor in Trondheim.
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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.

Until 2005, these were the boroughs (after the municipality mergers in the 1960s):

Main sights

The Nidaros Cathedral, seen from the southern bank of the Nidelven river.
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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.
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Central Trondheim as seen northwards towards Trondheimsfjord from the cathedral tower. Munkholmen prison island is seen in the background.

Archbishop's Palace, Elgeseter Bridge and Nidelva. July 2004
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Archbishop's Palace, Elgeseter Bridge and Nidelva. July 2004

Trondheim seen from Gløshaugen hill, one of the NTNU campuses.
Enlarge
Trondheim seen from Gløshaugen hill, one of the NTNU campuses.

Cruise ship at port in Trondheim. Munkholmen and the stern part of Hurtigruten to the right. The body of water closest is Nidelva. June 20 2004.
Enlarge
Cruise ship at port in Trondheim. Munkholmen and the stern part of Hurtigruten to the right. The body of water closest is Nidelva. June 20 2004.

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

Major museums

Education

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.

Transportation

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) are calling at Trondheim, as does 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 northern-most 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.

Music

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 Arve Tellefsen, Elise Båtnes and Marianne Thorsen.

Rock artists/bands hailing from Trondheim include DumDum Boys, Motorpsycho, Johndoe, Desperado, RIFU, and the recently dissolved Gåte.

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.

Sports and recreation

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 [link].

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.

Twin cities

Sister cities (twin cities) of Trondheim are:

Miscellaneous

Although Trondheim is one of Norway's larger cities, wild animals can still be seen. Otters thrives in Nidelva, and at 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 snowcovered higher regions.

External links


Municipalities of Sør-Trøndelag

Agdenes | Bjugn | Frøya | Hemne | Hitra | Holtålen | Klæbu | Malvik | Meldal | Melhus | Midtre Gauldal | Oppdal | Orkdal | Osen | Rennebu | Rissa | Roan | Røros | Selbu | Skaun | Snillfjord | Trondheim | Tydal | Ørland | Åfjord


 

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