|
|
TRONDHEIM - NORWAY
The city Trondheim in the county of Sør-Trøndelag,
Norway, has 154,351 inhabitants as of January 1, 2004, and an area of 341
km². A large number of registered students, 29203 (as of 2003), also reside
in the city; students are typically registered in their home towns/municipalities.
Trondheim is the third largest city in Norway, located in the geographical
centre of the country. The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
is located here. The local newspaper is Adresseavisen, the oldest active
newspaper in Norway (established 1767).
History
Trondheim was founded as Nidaros by Viking King Olav Tryggvason in 997 A.D.
In the beginning it was the seat of the King, and therefore, for a time, the
capital of Norway. Leif Ericson lived in Trondheim around 1000 A.D. as a
member of the Praetorian guard around King Olaf Tryggvason. 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 the favorable
harbour and sheltered condition. The river used to be deep enough for most
boats in the middle ages. An avalanche of mud and stones partly ruined these
favorable harbour-conditions in the mid 17th century.
The city has experienced several fires. Since its old parts are mainly build
out of wood, this had led to severe damage. Infamous 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 are 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
boulevards 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.
Nidaros Cathedral
Two of Norway's greatest tourist attractions are the Nidaros Cathedral and
Archbishop's Palace. They are located side by side, in the middle of
historic Trondheim. The large gothic cathedral, built from 1070 on, was
Northern Europe's most important Christian pilgrimage site during the middle
ages, with pilgrimage roads via Oslo in southern Norway, and via the
Jämtland and Värmland regions of neighbouring Sweden.
Traditionally, the Nidaros Cathedral has hosted the country's coronation
ceremonies, where the heir to the throne is officially announced as the
nation's new king following the death of the previous monarch. Starting with
King Olav V in 1957, however, coronation was replaced by anointing. In 1991,
present King Harald V and Queen Sonja were anointed in the cathedral.
Sports
Trondheim is the home town of the football team Rosenborg B.K. (colloquially
known as RBK), a successful team nationally as well as internationally,
playing in the Champions League for the 9th time in 2004. The team got its
name, and initially most of its players, from an east end borough. Trondheim
is also known for its active winter sports scene, with cross-country skiing
and ski jumping arenas (Granåsen), as well as some nearby alpine skiing
facilities (Vassfjellet). The city hosted the 1997 Nordic skiing World
Championships, and held World Cup ski sprint races in the city centre ("Midtbyen")
in February 2004.
|
|
