Trondheim - Norway - page 364

novel (Den Siste Viking) by Johan
Bøjer, a former resident of Trondheim
who honored the brave and tough
fishermen of Norway for their bravery
and fortitude.
From here, walk east along the Fjordgata,
then right (south) onto the all-pedestrian
Nordre Gate, whose edges are lined with
Trondheim's densest collection of shops.
Within a few blocks, rising from the center
of the street, you'll see an exuberant testi-
monial to young love, the:
4 Statue to Student Life
This is a life-size, male-female depic-
tion of young people swept away in a
frenzy of love, dancing ecstatically on
a pile of granite books.
Continue walking south on Nordre Gate to
the smaller of the town's two medieval
churches:
5 Vår Frue Kirke (Our Lady's
Church)
Built in 1150 and enlarged in 1686
and again in 1739, this bulky, boxy,
and dignified church (and its bell
tower, tacked onto the existing struc-
ture in 1739) is almost as wide as the
nave of the church itself. Regrettably,
there were once 17 medieval churches
in Trondheim. Now only two (this
church and the cathedral, visited later
as part of this walking tour) remain.
Consider yourself lucky if you happen
to arrive during its rare, regularly
scheduled opening hours (Wed only,
11am-2pm).
From here, turn left onto Kongens Gate and
walk east for about a block to Kongens Gate
1. Here, at the corner of the Kjøpmannsgata,
behind an impressive-looking 19th-century
redbrick facade, is the:
6 Vitensenteret (Children's Tech-
nological Museum)
Originally designed in 1833 as the
Trondheim branch of the Bank of
Norway, it was rebuilt in 1900 into
the late-Victorian design you see
today. Most visitors come here as part
of school groups from the surround-
ing region, and unless you have small
children in tow, we recommend you
move on to other venues.

Directly across Kongens Gate, behind a
Hanseatic-inspired facade that's adorned
with an eight-pointed star-shaped window
and the city's seal, is the:
7 Gamle Rådhus (Old Town Hall)
Originally built in the 1700s, this is
now mostly a decorative monument,
since most of Trondheim's day-to-day
administrative duties are handled by a
contemporary-looking new Town
Hall positioned close to the cathedral
and noted later as part of this walking
tour.
Now, turn right onto Kjøpmannsgata. In a
short distance, on your left-hand side, you'll
see a row of the oldest warehouses in town,
each individual building painted in a cheer-
ful palette of colors. A short distance later,
on your left, you'll arrive at the wood planks
and iron girders of the:
8 Old Town Bridge
(Gamle Bybro)
Originally built of wood in 1861 as a
replacement for an all-wood predeces-
sor in 1685, this is the most evocative,
beloved, and frequently photographed
bridge in Trondheim. Locals refer to it
as the “Bridge of Happiness” and
claim that your dreams will come true
if you wish for them fervently as you
walk across it. As you're articulating
your dreams, note the neo-Gothic
mass, atop the ridge on the distant
horizon to your right, of the head-
quarters of Trondheim's University.
Also look to your left from the bridge,
noticing the dozens of carefully pre-
served 18th- and 19th-century ware-
houses rising on pilings above the
river—proof of how extensive the
maritime economy of Trondheim
once was.
Continue walking straight across the cobble-
covered intersection (Øvre Bakklandet on
one side and Nedre Bakklandet on the
other) after you cross the bridge, and walk
uphill along the street identified as Sykkel-
heis. Within 27m (90 ft.), on the right-hand
side, you'll see the civic government's contri-
bution to fresh air and exercise, the: