Trondheim

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 resides in the city; students are typically registered in their home towns/municipalities.

Trondheim is the third largest city in Norway, located in the geographical center 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 (since 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 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 had several fires. As its old parts are mainly build out of wood, this had led to severe damages. 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 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 of 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 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 been the center for 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 was 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 an 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 center ("Midtbyen") in February 2004.