Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
From
Gamle Bybro
(Old Town Bridge) there's a superb view of the Bryggen, colourful
18th- and 19th-century riverfront warehouses similar to their better-known counterparts in
Bergen. To the east, the one-time working-class neighbourhoods of
Møllenberg
and
Bakklandet
are now gentrified latte-land, all cobbles, car-free alleys, trim houses in pastel
shades and gardens scarcely bigger than a towel that burst with flowers. Here, within old
warehouses and renovated workers' housing, are some of the city's most colourful places to
eat and drink.
The cobblestone streets immediately west of the centre are also lined with mid-19th-
century wooden buildings, notably the octagonal 1705 timber church,
Hospitalkirken
(
TROND-WHAT?
Listen to Trondheimers talk about their city, and you may wonder whether they're all re-
ferring to the same place.
Since the late Middle Ages, the city has been called Trondhjem, pronounced 'Trond-
yem' and meaning, roughly, 'home of the good life'. But in the early 20th century the
fledgling national government was bent on making Norwegian city names more historic-
ally Norwegian; just as Christiania reverted to its ancient name of Oslo, on 1 January 1930
Trondhjem was changed back to Nidaros.
Some 20,000 locals took to the streets in protest and by 6 March the government re-
lented - sort of. The compromise was 'Trondheim', the etymologically Danish 'hj'having
been duly exorcised.
Nowadays the official pronunciation is 'Trond-haym', but many locals still say 'Trond-
yem'. Thanks to the vagaries of the local dialect, still others call it 'Trond-yahm'. Typical of
this tolerant city, any of these pronunciations is acceptable, as is the 'Trond-hime' that
most English speakers resort to.
Activities
The free map,
Friluftsliv i Trondheimsregionen
(Outdoor Life in the Trondheim Region;
text in Norwegian), available at the tourist office, shows nearby outdoor recreation areas
and walking trails.
Hiking
