Trondheim - Norway´s historical capital

By Atle Kjærvik
Photo: Fjellanger Widerøe and NTH Info

For Trondheim patriots, the city is the centre of Norway and the world. Trondheim is as much the technological capital today as it was the Norwegian capital centuries ago. The city around the meandering River Nidelva, the city of timber dwellings, the city of winter, the city surrounded by beautiful hills. Just large enough to be called a city, but compact enough to be on nodding terms with most of its 140 000 inhabitants.

For three generations Norway´s leaders in technology have been educated at the Norwegian Institute of Technology in Trondheim. NTH (now a part of the University of Trondheim) has been an important factor in the growth of the city, which is the third largest in Norway. Trondheim is a centre for technological innovation and led by NTH and the Foundation for Scientific and Industrial Research at NTH (SINTEF), it is Northern Europe´s largest centre for technological research and education. Every year thousands of researchers attend large conferences at NTH. The NorTech and Aqua-Nor fairs have put Trondheim on the map as a centre for technological fairs. A number of high tech companies have established themselves in the Trondheim region. This complements the new petroleum activities offshore midNorway on the Haltenbanken, which further strengthens Trondheim´s position as Norway´s technological capital.

The Trøndelag region was a centre ot power in Norway even before the year 997 when Olav Tryggvason founded a trading post at the mouth of the River Nidelva. He built a royal fortress here, and made it the first capital of the country. The mighty Norwegian empire was ruled from here in its day. This stretched from the White Sea in the east to North America in the west.

Only 33 years later there was a local event which was to have important repercussions for the area: Olav Haraldson fell in the battle of Stiklestad in Verdal and was buried in Trondheim. Succeeding generations knew him as Saint Olav, the Holy King of Norwegian history.

In the Middle Ages Trondheim was both the spiritual and temporal capital of Norway. Since then, the kings of Norway have been crowned in Nidaros Cathedral and King Harald received the blessing here in 1991 .

The line of old wharves along the River Nidelva is proof of Trondheim´s importance in the Middle Ages. This was the bustling harbour at that time.

Old Trondheim consisted of timber houses separated by narrow alleys, and there were numerous devastating town fires. One of the largest was in l681. General Casper de Cicignon was responsible for the rebuilding. Much of what we see in the centre today is his work.

It is still possible to glimpse the historical Trondheim: the grey contours of Munkholmen island in the fjord to the north, the narrow alleys, in the rampalts at Skansen to the west, the wharves along the river to the east and the majestic dignity of the cathedral to the south.

Very soon after the death of Saint Olav pilgrims began to travel to his grave. ln the Middle Ages pilgrimages increased, bringing a stream of impulses from other places. In about the year 1070, work started on what was to become The Nidaros Cathedral.

The Nidaros Cathedral is today one of the largest medieval buildings in Scandinavia and the neighbouring Archbishop´s Palace is the oldest secular building in Scandinavia. The Cathedral employed a large number of priests, an this led to the foundation of Norways`s first seat of learning, the Cathedral School. Since that time a series of Norwegian cultural institutions have been founded in Trondheim. There are also a number of other colleges, an academy of art and a music conservatory.