Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
2
Explore the cultural centre and grounds of
Stiklestad
, where St Olav was
martyred.
3
Cross Gamle Bybro into
old Trondheim
, eat at
Baklandet Skydsstasjon
,
then wander down to
Solsiden
waterfront for a drink.
5
Learn about coastal life at multimedia
Norveg
in
Rørvik.
6
Trundle a
trolley
along the no-longer-active Namsos-Skage railway line.
7
Tuck into Norwegian specialities in Trondheim's historic
Vertshuset Tav-
ern.
TRONDHEIM
Pop 182,035
Trondheim, Norway's original capital, is nowadays the country's third-largest city after
Oslo and Bergen. With wide streets and a partly pedestrianised heart, it's a simply lovely
city with a long history. Fuelled by a large student population, it buzzes with life, has some
good cafes and restaurants, and is rich in museums. All the while, boats come and go and
seagulls screech overhead. You
can
absorb it in one busy day, but it merits more if you're
to slip into its lifestyle.
History
In 997, King Olav Tryggvason moored his longboat alongside a broad sandbank at Nidaros
(meaning 'mouth of the River Nid') and established his farm. One plausible theory has it
that Leifur Eiríksson (or Leif Ericson as he's usually transcribed in English) visited the
king there before setting sail for Iceland and Greenland and possibly becoming the first
European to set foot in North America. (If you're from the USA, the Viking staring out to
sea near the Hurtigruten quay may seem familiar. That's because he's an exact replica of
the Ericson statue in Seattle that commemorates the tens of thousands of Norwegian emig-
rants to the New World.)
In 1030 another, subsequently more famous, King Olav (Haraldsson) was martyred in
battle at Stiklestad, about 90km to the northeast, and canonised. Nidaros became a centre
for pilgrims from all over Europe, its bishopric embracing Norway, Orkney, the Isle of
