Trondheim , or Nidaros, is an old city in the center of Norway. A university dominates the town; its more than 25.000 students add to Trondheims 160.000 inhabitants and the resulting economy fuels many local businesses.
Trondheim is the oldest of Norway's major cities, and its old heritage can still be traced in and around the city centre. The marvellous Nidaros Cathedral, the largest church of Northern Europe, towers over the city centre, which is roughly the area inside the serpentining Nidelva river.
The city boasts a rich, cultural heritage, but is still a major centre. Even if the size is modest, there's a lot going on in Trondheim. Music, arts, culture, alternative politics, nightlife, student life... all combines into making Trondheim one of the most exciting city centres of Northern Europe.
Understand
Trondheim was - contrary to common belief - not so much a center for vikings but the religious center of northern Europe in the Middle Ages and a vital hub for North-Atlantic trade, thus giving the town plentiful of characteristic mansions and harbour houses. The inhabitants like to call their town the historical, the religious and the technology capital of Norway.
The city celebrated its 1000-years anniversary as an official city in 1997. For centuries Trondheim was the northernmost trading city in European civilisation, giving it a special "edge-of-the-world" feeling.
Its status as a mercantile town also resulted in a more open-hearted, international culture than many other Scandinavian cities at the time, which indeed it has protected.
Get in
By plane
Trondheim Airport Værnes serves international and national flights. There are plenty of flights every day to Oslo, and several to places including Bergen, Stavanger, Bodø and Tromsø, as well as the short-field airports of Mosjøen, Sandnessjøen, Brønnøysund, Namsos and Rørvik. International destinations include London (Stansted), Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Alicante (Spain), Murcia (Spain), Malaga (Spain), Riga and Prague.
To get to the city from the airport, grab the Flybussen service, departing every 15 minutes on weekdays (NOK 80, student NOK 70, children NOK 40). You can also take the train to the centre, as well as to the north. Local trains depart every hour for the centre, every hour for the neighbouring cities of Stjørdal, Levanger, Verdal and Steinkjer (passing Hell on the way...), and three times a day for Norway's northern train line towards Fauske and Bodø. Both the Flybussen and the train pass the centre, and end up close to the football stadium at Lerkendal. There are also local buses to Stjørdal and the areas between the airport and Trondheim. The travel time to the centre is approx. 40 mins.
By train
There are four daily trains between Oslo and Trondheim on the Dovre line. These are the quickest ground transport between the cities, and you may find cheap discount tickets on the NSB website.
There are no longer direct trains on the Røros line, but there are two daily connections with Oslo, with changes in Røros and Hamar.
Three daily trains make their way northwards on the Nordlandsbanen towards Mosjøen and Mo i Rana, with two of them continuing to Fauske and Bodø. Fauske is the main hub for buses northwards, for instance to Lofoten. Incidentally, the night service passes Hell station just before midnight...
Local trains between Trondheim and the airport, continuing to Steinkjer, depart every hour. Trains for Oppdal and Røros depart a few times per day.
The Nabotåget service runs twice daily to the Swedish border at Storlien, continuing to the ski resort Åre and the city of Östersund. There are connections to Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmo.
By car
The Norwegian north-south highway E6 passes Trondheim. The coastal highway E39 has its terminus at Klett, 10 kms south of Trondheim. The eastbound E14 enters the E6 just close to the Trondheim airport.
Parking in the city centre is easy, but expensive. Useful parking spots include the central station, the garage under the main square, the garage in Fjordgata, the Central Park garage, the garage in Sandgata (ALWAYS empty spots here) and the garage just across Bakke bro.
By bus
From Oslo, Nor-way Bussekspress run the Østerdalsekspressen via Elverum and Tynset. No prebooking needed. This bus is painfully much more slow than the train, but convenient if you are going to/from some of the destinations the train don't serve.
Also from Oslo, the Lavprisekspressen budget bus line runs along the E6 all the way. Tickets must be booked and prepaid on the internet site. They are infinitely cheaper than Nor-Way, and are the cheapest alternative if you get discount tickets. However, the train is more comfy and quicker, even if the buses are okay.
The Mørelinjen express, operated by Nor-Way, runs down the coast towards Kristiansund, Molde and Ålesund.
Other Nor-Way lines from Trondheim include the Namsos line, the Røros line and the useful Bergen line, passing the fjord areas of western Norway on the way and connecting these with Trondheim. All the way to Bergen, it takes a whopping 14 hrs.
By boat
If you have the time and money, you should definitely take the Coastal Steamer Hurtigruten. It runs from Bergen to Trondheim, and on to Bodø, Tromsø, Hammerfest and finally Kirkenes, just on the Russian border. The trip from Bergen takes 36 hours and costs about 750 NOK if you are a student (be sure to check for updated prices on their home page). This trip takes you through one of the most magnificent parts of coastal Norway, even popping by the famous Geiranger fjord during summer. Travelling north, Bodø is reached in 24 hrs, while Tromsø takes 50 hrs. All the way to Kirkenes takes another two days from Tromsø...
Get around
Trondheim has a well developed bus network, covering nearly all of the city. There are frequent departures during the day, less frequent during evenings. On weekend nights, a comprehensive night bus system runs from the terminus in Olav Tryggvasons gate, close to the action.
Here is a map of the system.
Here you can find links to the time schedules (in PDF).
A Night service map is here (in PDF). Remember, these only run nights after Friday and Saturday.
Tickets are bought from the driver, and are NOK 22 for single tickets (NOK 11 for under 16's). A day pass is NOK 55, while the night bus costs NOK 50 (day pass not valid).
One tram line operates from St. Olavs gate near the centre to Lian, up in the Bymarka forests. It operates on the same fare schedule, so day passes are valid.
The resort island of Munkholmen, ideal for swimming, sunbathing or a peek at the old monastery, can be reached by boat from Ravnkloa every hour in summer. Make sure you don't miss the last boat home in the evening!
Local trains can also be used within the city boundaries (between stations Rotvoll and Lerkendal/Heimdal), and the day pass is valid on them. However, you can not buy the day pass on the train.
See
Do
Learn
The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim represents academic eminence in technology and the natural sciences as well as in other academic disciplines ranging from the social sciences, the arts, medicine, architecture to fine arts. Cross-disciplinary cooperation results in innovative breakthroughs and creative solutions with far-reaching social and economic impact.
Work
If you're looking for work check out the website of the governmental agency NAV. Tech industry boom; Google has a new office here that focuses on advanced computer engineering, Yahoo's arrived & there's other start-ups. If you are truly impressive in this field they'll pay for your move and process your work visa. But you have to excell in your field; if there's a Norwegian that can do your job, they'll get it not you.
Buy
"Shopping" Streets
Malls
Eat
Trondheim has food spots to suit every taste.
Budget
Mid-range
Splurge
Drink
Trondheim has a rocking nightlife. However, everything closes fairly early, meaning that there's a well developed culture for after-parties in homes. To find one, the area just outside Cherrox/Cafe 3b in Brattørgata is the best bet, or befriend someone working at the Studentersamfundet, that can take you into the private quarters of the house. They are only allowed one guest each...
Sleep
Budget
Campsites include:
Hostels include:
Mid-range
Splurge
Contact
Internet cafes are scarce as most people are connected at home. You will however find a few PCs at some museums and public buildings, reserved for visitors, and more at the public library (may be waiting time).
Stay safe
Generally considered to be the sort of city where little old ladies can walk safely in dark alleys.
It is also not terribly uncommon that regular people will go to great strides to give you back your wallet if you drop it, with cash and credit cards intact.
The only "danger" you might encounter are the occasional youths stumbling around in large groups on Friday/Saturdays. The same goes for Trondheim as anywhere else; leave drunk people alone and it's a good chance they'll leave you alone as well.
There are some beggars and rough people. Norway has an extensive social wellfare system, and everyone is guaranteed a place to live and a minimum hand out from the government (for single person aprox 5000 NOK a month). If they manage to spend it all before the next handout, the salvation army hands out food and food stamps for free. If you give beggars money, you only add to their problem of addiction. It is a limited problem, but stay away from them, if aproached politely say that your don't have any change, or that you are on a limited budget (or that you have spent all your money drinking, they can relate to that).
Get out
Hitching a ride out of Trondheim can be difficult, especially if you're going south. You can ask Truckers in the Bay Area or take a Bus to Heimdal and try to find a good spot to get on the E6. North and East should be easier.
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 around 25,000 students,
and is the country's third-largest city,
with 162,000 inhabitants in the city proper (January 2007). The Trondheim Region has 246,751 inhabitants.
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 at 03:00 and sets at 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 (). 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 second largest in Scandinavia after Uppsala Cathedral. 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 with 1400 of these 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 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-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 for Norway from 1152. Due to the introduction of Lutheran Protestantism in 1537, the last Archbishop Olav Engelbrektsson had to flee from the city to the Netherlands, where he died in present-day Lier, Belgium.
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 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 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, 8 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 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 "Tronn-yam", where "tronn" rhymes with "gone".
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
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
Nidaros Cathedral
Nidaros Cathedral and Archbishop's Palace are located side by side, in the middle of historic Trondheim. The large cathedral, built from 1070 on, is the most important Gothic monument in Norway and 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.
Recently the pilgrimage route to Nidaros Cathedral, the site of Saint Olav's tomb, has been re-instated. Following the Norwegian spelling the route is known as Saint Olav's Way. The main route, which is approximately 640 km long, starts in Oslo and heads North, along Lake Mjosa, up the Gudbransdal Valley, over Dovre Fjell and down the Oppdal Valley to end at Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. There is a Pilgrim's Office in Oslo which gives advice to Pilgrims, and a Pilgrim Centre in Trondheim, under the aegis of the Cathedral, which awards certificates to successful Pilgrims upon the completion of their journey.
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
Air
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.
Rail
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).
Boats
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.
Tram
Trondheim also boasts the northernmost tramway line in the world: the Gråkallbanen, the last remaining bit of the Trondheim Tramway is 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.
Bus
The bus network, operated by Team Trafikk runs throughout most of the city and its suburbs. Bus service starts at about 05:00 and the latest service is around midnight. In addition, the Nattbuss (Night Bus) service ensures cheap and effective transportation for those enjoying nightlife in the city centre during the weekends.
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 best-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 and DATA, was born in Trondheim.
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, the music producers, started out in Trondheim.
Child singer Malin Reitan was born in Trondheim.
Shopping and commercial districts
Most of the downtown area is scattered with small specialty stores and shops, from computer stores to bakeries, hairdressers, fashion outlets and so on. The main downtown shopping area is concentrated around the Nordre Gate (Northern Street - pedestrian street only) and the Olav Tryggvason Gate.
In the mid- to late '90s the area surrounding the old drydock and ship construction buildings of the defunct Trondhjems mekaniske Værksted shipbuilding company at the Nedre Elvehavn (Lower River Docks) were renovated and old industrial buildings were torn down to give place for semi high-rise condominiums. A shopping mall was also built, known as Solsiden (The Sunny Side). This is currently one of the most popular areas to both live and shop in, especially for younger people.
On the south side of Trondheim, the City Syd (City South) shopping mall and adjacent malls and superstores are popular due to the free parking and relatively easy access by car compared to the congested downtown streets.
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 2004. 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. Also, Trondheim battles for the 2018 Winter Olympics under the slogan "Æ e me" (literally meaning "I'm in" on Trøndersk).
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 .
Mountain hiking is also popular, and several mountain ranges are within easy reach - Trollheimen in the southwest, Dovrefjell in the south and Sylane in the east.
Ladestien provides idyllic surroundings for walks along the fjord.
There is also an 18-hole Golf course bordering Bymarka, Trondheim Golfklubb, with a nice view of the city and the fjord and with an opportunity for playing Golf at midnigh.
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:
Trivia
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.
In the science fiction novels of the Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card, Trondheim is a very cold colony planet on which the main character Ender resides for a time.
French comics author Lewis Trondheim adopted his pen name after the city.
There is a Scottish band named after the city.
The flag of Trondheim is one of few Norwegian municipal flags that is not a banner of arms of the municipal coat of arms.
In Christopher Paolini's fantasy trilogy, Inheritance (Eragon, Eldest & Empire), there is a place called Tronjheim - obviously named after Trondheim.
Birdlife
Trondheim is not only one of the major cities in Norway, it is an area of great beauty with rich natural habitats and a rich fauna. Some of Norway’s better wetland habitats can be found within the city limits. One of the more interesting is Gaulosen. Situated on a fjord, this tidal nature reserve is an important stopover for many migrating species.
See also
External links
