Although the region had been inhabited for thousands of years, the city of Trondheim was founded in 997. It was frequently used as the seat of the king, and was capital of Norway until 1217. In the Middle Ages, Trondheim was the site of several battles, including the battle between King Sverre and Erling Skakke, in 1179. The city has experienced several major fires - the most devastating in 1651 and 1681. The 1651 fire destroyed 90% of the buildings in Trondheim, and the 1681 fire led to a total reconstruction of the city.
Trondheim is a Norwegian center of education, technical and medical research with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and SINTEF are located in the city. NTNU has about 25,000 students. With 161,730 inhabitants (as of 2006), Trondheim is Norway's third largest municipality, as well as the centre of the fourth largest urban area, with a population of approximately 152,800. As of 2006, the Trondheim Region, a statistical metropolitan area, has a population of 246,751.
Trondheim is a Norwegian center of education, technical and medical research with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and SINTEF are located in the city. NTNU has about 25,000 students. With 161,730 inhabitants (as of 2006), Trondheim is Norway's third largest municipality, as well as the centre of the fourth largest urban area, with a population of approximately 152,800. As of 2006, the Trondheim Region, a statistical metropolitan area, has a population of 246,751.
People have been living in the region for thousands of years as evidenced by the rock carvings in central Norway, the Nøstvet and Lihult cultures and the Corded Ware culture. In ancient times, the Kings of Norway were hailed at Øretinget in Trondheim, the place for the assembly of all free men by the mouth of the river Nidelva. Harald Fairhair (865 - 933) was hailed as the king here, as was his son, Haakon I - called 'the Good'.
Trondheim was named Kaupangen (English: the market place or trading place) by Viking King Olav Tryggvason in 997. Fairly soon, it came to be called Nidaros. In the beginning it was frequently used as the seat of the King, and was the capital of Norway until 1217.
People have been living in the region for thousands of years as evidenced by the rock carvings in central Norway, the Nøstvet and Lihult cultures and the Corded Ware culture. In ancient times, the Kings of Norway were hailed at Øretinget in Trondheim, the place for the assembly of all free men by the mouth of the river Nidelva. Harald Fairhair (865 - 933) was hailed as the king here, as was his son, Haakon I - called 'the Good'.
Trondheim was named Kaupangen (English: the market place or trading place) by Viking King Olav Tryggvason in 997. Fairly soon, it came to be called Nidaros. In the beginning it was frequently used as the seat of the King, and was the capital of Norway until 1217.
1152. Due to the introduction of Lutheran Protestantism in 1537, the last Archbishop, Olav Engelbrektsson, had to flee fro
Leif Ericson lived in Trondheim around 1000 as a military retainer (Old Norse: "hird"-man) of King Olav. 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 its excellent harbour and sheltered condition. The river used to be deep enough for most boats in the Middle Ages. An avalanche of mud and stones made it less navigable and partly ruined the harbour in the mid-17th century. The battle of Kalvskinnet took place in Trondheim in 1179: King Sverre Sigurdsson and his Birkebeiner warriors were victorious against Erling Skakke (a rival to the throne).
The city has experienced several major fires. Since it was a city of log buildings, out of wood, most fires caused severe damage. Great 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 were 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 avenues like
Munkegaten were created, with no regard for property rights, in order to stop the next fire. At the time, the city had a population of roughly 8000 inhabitants. After the
Treaty of Roskilde 26 February 1658, Trondheim, and the rest of
Trøndelag, became Swedish territory for a brief period, but the area was reconquered after 10 months. The conflict was finally settled by the
Treaty of Copenhagen,
27 May 1660.
During World War II, Trondheim was occupied by Nazi Germany from April 9, 1940, the first day of the invasion of Norway, until the end of the war in Europe, May 8, 1945.
Most of the downtown area is scattered with small specialty stores and shops, however the main downtown shopping area is concentrated around the pedastrian street Nordre gate (English: Northern street) and the Olav Tryggvason gate.
In the mid- to late '90s the area surrounding the old drydock and ship construction buildings of the defunct Trondhjems mekaniske Værksted shipbuilding company at the Nedre Elvehavn (Lower River Docks) were renovated and old industrial buildings were torn down to give place for semi high-rise condominiums. A shopping mall was also built, known as Solsiden (The Sunny Side). This is a popular residential and shopping area, especially for young people.
DORA is a German submarine base that housed the 13th Flotilla during the World War II occupation of Norway. Today the bunker houses various archives, among them the city archives, the university and state archives. More recently, DORA has been used as a concert venue.
Kristiansten Fortress, built 1681–84, is located on a hill east in Trondheim. It repelled the invading Swedes in 1718, but was decommissioned in 1816 by King Charles John.
A statue of Olav Tryggvason, the founder of Trondheim, is located in the city's central plaza, mounted on top of an obelisk. The statue base is also a sun dial, but it is calibrated to UTC+1 so that the reading is inaccurate by one hour in the summer.
The islet Munkholmen is a popular tourist attraction and recreation site. The islet has served as a place of execution, a monastery, a fortress, prison, and a World War II anti-aircraft gun station.
Stiftsgården is the royal residence in Trondheim, originally constructed in 1774 by Cecilie Christine Schøller. At 140 rooms constituting 4000 m² (43000 ft²), it is possibly the largest wooden building in Northern Europe, and has been used by royals and their guests since 1800. Singsaker studenterhjem is the largest inhabited wooden building in Scandinavia as it houses 110 students throughout the school year. In the summer the student home is turned into a summer hotel, Singsaker Sommerhotell.
Nidaros Cathedral
The Nidaros Cathedral and the Archbishop's Palace are located side by side in the middle of the city centre. The cathedral, built from 1070 on, is the most important Gothic monument in Norway and was Northern Europe's most important Christian pilgrimage site during the Middle Ages, with pilgrimage routes from Oslo in southern Norway and from the Jämtland and Värmland regions of Sweden. Today, it is the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world, and the second largest in Scandinavia.
During the Middle Ages, and again after independence was restored in 1814, the Nidaros Cathedral was the coronation church of the Norwegian kings. King Haakon VII was the last monarch to be crowned there, in 1906. Starting with King Olav V in 1957, coronation was replaced by consecration. In 1991, the present King Harald V and Queen Sonja were consecrated in the cathedral. On May 24, 2002, their daughter Princess Märtha Louise married writer Ari Behn in the cathedral.
The pilgrimage route to Nidaros Cathedral, the site of Saint Olav's tomb, has recently been re-instated. In Norwegian, the route is known as Sankt Olavs vei (St. Olav's Way in English). The main route, which is approximately 640 km long, starts in Oslo and heads North, along the lake Mjøsa, up the valley Gudbrandsdalen, over the mountain range Dovrefjell and down the valley Oppdal to end at Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. There is a Pilgrim's Office in Oslo which gives advice to pilgrims, and a Pilgrim Centre in Trondheim, under the aegis of the cathedral, which awards certificates to successful pilgrims upon the completion of their journey.
Museums
Trondheim Museum of Arts has Norway's third largest public art collection, mainly Norwegian art from the last 150 years. Sverresborg, also named Zion after King David's castle in Jerusalem, was a fortification built by Sverre Sigurdsson. It is now an open air museum, consisting of more than 60 buildings. The castle was originally built in 1182-1183, but did not last for long as it was burned down in 1188. However, the Sverresaga indicates it had been restored by 1197.
Trondheim Science Museum (Norwegian: Vitensenteret i Trondheim) is a scientific hands-on experience center. The Museum of Natural History and Archaeology is part of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology[10]. There are also a variety of small history, science and natural history museums, such as the Trondheim Maritime Museum, the Armoury, adjacent to the Archbishops's Palace, the music and musical instrument museum Ringve National Museum, Ringve Botanical Garden, the National Museum of Justice, the Trondheim Tramway Museum, the National Museum of Decorative Arts, and the Jewish Museum (Trondheim), co-located with the city's synagogue, which is among the northernmost in the world.
Kokino (Macedonian: Кокино) is an important megalithic observatory site discovered in 2001 by archeologist Jovica Stankovski in the northeastern Republic of Macedonia, approximately 30 km from the town of Kumanovo, near the village of Staro Nagorichane Latitude: 42.260000N Longitude: 21.850000E. It is situated 1013 m above sea level and covers an area within a 100-meter radius. It is believed that represents an astronomical observatory and a ceremonial place. The site is approximately 3800 years old. 
Kokino consists of two parts. It includes special stone markers used to track the movement of Sun and Moon on the eastern horizon. The observatory used a method of stationary observation, marking positions of the Sun at the winter and summer solstice, as well as the equinox.
