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TRONDHEIM NORWAY

Trondheim is Norway's Silicon Valley (or, perhaps Fjord). But this present day high-tech center is also a very old city and celebrated its 1000th anniversary in 1997. St. Olav (King Olav Haraldsson) was buried here after falling in the battle of Stiklestad on July 29th, 1030 AD. The Gothic cathedral Nidarosdomen was built over his grave, making Trondheim the fourth most important pilgrim city in the entire Catholic Church. For four centuries pilgrims came to seek comfort, help and miraculous cures. Norway's monarchs have also been crowned in this national shrine, right up to King Olav who chose a simpler ceremony in 1957.

From 1153 to 1537, Trondheim was the seat of the country's archbishop and the spiritual centre of an area including Greenland, the Faroe Islands, the Orkney Islands and the Isle of Man. A great deal of Norwegian history has taken place in Trondheim and the surrounding areas. The city also lies in one of the country's most important agricultural districts.

After the city burnt down in 1682, General Caspar Cicignon of Luxembourg was made responsible for the rebuilding. His Renaissance city plan laid the foundation for modern Trondheim. It is now a green city with a mixture of wide streets and modern buildings as well as picturesque wooden houses and narrow alleyways. In the middle of town you will find the lovely Stiftsg�rden, which is one of the king's royal residences and the third largest wooden building in a Nordic country. The calm and beautiful river Nidelva winds through the heart of the city. Since the river has been cleaned up, salmon is again a frequent guest.

The heritage of St. Olav is celebrated at the annual Olav Days around Olsok (July 28) with concerts, lectures, and exhibits, walking tours and religious services. At the old Ringve farm, summer concerts are held at the National Museum for Music and Musical Instruments, a fascinating place with a fine collection of old instruments. From Ravnkloa down by the harbour, you can go by motorboat out to the old Munkholmen cloister ruins. Directly beside Nidaros Cathedral lies Erkebispeg�rden, the oldest Nordic non-secular building, which also houses a military museum.

Sights

Nestling side-by-side in the middle of the historic city of Trondheim you will find Nidaros Cathedral and the Archbishop's Palace. The Sagas and history have given the Cathedral and the Archbishop's Palace an honoured position among the tourist attractions in Norway. Always a bustling meeting-place, whether for religious or more prosaic pursuits, you will now find a house of God still very much alive, a popular arena for recitals and a highly praised museum.

When restoration of the West Front started about 100 years ago only a handful of the original sculptures had survived. Most of today's sculptures have therefore been modelled and cut during the 1900s.

In 1983 two large storage buildings which stood in the precinct burned to the ground. After five years of archaeological excavations a new museum building was constructed on the site of the fire.

Ringve houses Norway's National museum of music and musical instruments with collections from the whole world. The interiors from the 1880s in the Great House provides a backdrop for guided tours with musical demonstrations during the summer season, while the exhibition "The Museum in the Barn" is available throughout the year.

Ringve is situated only 10 minutes from Trondheim by car, and is one of the old country seats on the historical Lade peninsula with buildings from the 1700s, 1800s and the 1900s.

The Ringve Estate was the childhood home of "Tordenskiold", a famous Norwegian naval hero. Today the Ringve Botanical Gardens, NTNU surrounds the Estate and the old English garden from the 1800s is included here.

The caf� "Tordenskiold Kro" and the popular Museumshop at Ringve are only two of the many attractions which make Ringve one of Trondheim's most important recreation areas.

Sverresborg Tr�ndelag Folk Museum is one of the largest cultural history museums in Norway. It shows the building traditions in Tr�ndelag, from town and country, from mountain to coast and from Sami huts to city mansions.

This is an open air museum with more than 60 buildings from Trondheim and the Tr�ndelag area.

Beautiful surroundings, and from the ruins of King Sverre's Castle, you have a wonderful view over the city and the fjord.

The impressive main exhibition "Livsbilder" - "Images of Life" in the new public building reflects childhood, youth, adulthood and age in a the region during the past century. In the auditorium you can see an impressive multimedia presentation with magnificent aerial pictures depicting the culture, landscape and industry of Tr�ndelag.

The Ski museum tells the story of skiing as a competitive sport and a practical means of transport. The rural section shows the development in Tr�ndelag buidling styles from the fjord to the mountains, and how people lived in the 18th and 19th centuries in the different country areas. Haltdalen stave church from 1170 is one of the museum's main attractions, in addition to Vikastua, the beautifully ornamented banquet house from Oppdal.

The Armoury, or Rustkammeret, is one of Norway's oldest museums. The idea of the armoury originates from medieval forts and castles. It was the room in which edged weapons, armour, and later small firearms were stored. So the name "Rustkammeret" has a long tradition, even though the current museum does not match the original definition. Today, it is an army museum as well as a resistance museum, emphasizing Tr�ndelag's military history. Norway's finest collection of edged weapons is on display at the museum. The museum shows military history from Viking times, through the Middle Ages and the union with Denmark and later Sweden. The resistance section of the museum takes us back into Norway's recent history, from the start of the German occupation on 9 April 1940 until peace was restored on 8 May 1945.

Trondheim is the first city in the world with a lift specifically designed for cyclists. The bicycle lift, developed in Trondheim, goes up the steep hill at Brubakken near Gamle Bybro, and it takes you from the bridge and almost all the way up to the Kristiansten Fort.

For test-runs, you need a lift card and a bike. The lift card is available at the Tourist Information Office at the market square, or Sykkelbua and Dromedar Kaffebar at the starting point of the lift.

The fort was built after the great city fire in 1681 and now stands guard over the city. It saved the city from conquest by Sweden in 1718. From the fort, there is a spectacular view over Trondheim and its surroundings, the fjord and the mountains. Under German Occuoation from 1940 to 1945, the fort was used as a place of execution for Norwegian members of resistance. A plaque has been erected in their memory.

During excavation work on the site of the new public library , archaeologists found the ruins of a church which was built in the mid-12th century. Parts of the ruins and a group of well-preserved skeletons from the graveyard can be seen during opening hours in the courtyard between the old and the new library buildings.

Ruins of a church dating back to the middle ages are found in the basement of SpareBank 1 Midt-Norge . They were discovered during archaeological excavations prior to erecting a new building for the bank.

Museum of Natural History and Achaeology, a part of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology..

Permanent exhibitions in three different buildings:

* Norwegian nature and environment

* Geology

* Cultural history

* Southern Sami culture

* Church history

* Medieval exhibition

The church history section is only open during weekends.

Ringve botanical garden has free admittance, and is open all year around. Vi also recommend the Lade walking trail, where the Rotvoll landscape is particularly valuable form a bilogical and ecological perspective.