All About Trondheim

A general and incomplete overview of where I am...

First, where is Trondheim? It's in the kingdom of Norway, which is in Scandinavia, which is part of northern Europe. Hopefully you knew at least one of those things.

Trondheim is at the heart of a region called Trøndelag, just before Norway gets really skinny.

Though I'm in central Norway, we're still pretty far north. Trondheim is about 300 miles south of the Arctic Circle, which seems a little close for comfort, now that I think about it. The climate here is sometimes considered “subarctic” but the Gulf Stream is supposed to help tone that down a bit. I guess we'll see about that.

Next, a little history.

People have lived here for thousands of years but Trondheim was founded in 997 by the Viking king, Olav Tryggvason. That means the city celebrated it’s 1000^th birthday 14 years ago. Geez, wasn't Burien just incorporated, like, 14 years ago? So, Trondheim is pretty old. It was Norway’s first capital and a trading hub during Viking times, helped by its location at the mouth of a river within a protective fjord. I don't know a lot about its history between the Viking Age and now, except that there were a few fires that caused destruction and reconstruction of the city, and it was occupied by the Nazis during WWII. Since its official beginning and even before, I think Trondheim has always been pretty important to Norway. 

Statue of the town founder, with the mall in the background.

The Nidelva river winds around the city and frames the downtown area. I miss the Puget Sound, so it's nice to have the river nearby and easy access to the harbor along the fjord.

Gamle bybro - the famous old bridge across the river

 Deserted pedestrian street - most shops are closed on Sunday.

Trondheim the home of Nidaros Cathedral, which was built on top of the grave of legendary St. Olav. It is the northernmost cathedral in the world, and one of few in Scandinavia. Nidaros is a focal point in the city, as its in the center and bigger than just about everything else. I really like being able to walk freely through its yard, or sit an enjoy the view of the cathedral from across the river.

Today, Trondheim is Norway’s 3^rd most populated city, with around 170,000 people. Being one of the bigger cities in Norway means a lot of stuff is happening here, like research, education, and festivals. But, it still has a small-town feel to it, at least to me. There are no skyscrapers or clogged freeways. That's not to say that the one or two lane roads don't come to a standstill at rush hour, but it still feels small for being a big Norwegian city. The downtown area is quaint and walkable. I can take the bus and be there or at school in 10 or 15 minutes. As you spread out from downtown there are several residential neighborhoods with parks and schools and beautiful views of the fjord. One of my favorite things is the lack of commercial chain stores you see when you walk down the street. There is one McDonald’s that I know of, in the mall at the center of town. 

One of the reasons I chose to come to Trondheim is its reputation as a good student city. They say at least 1 in 6 residents is a student, so there are about 30,000 students in a city of 170,000. That's a lot. Because of all the young people, there's many musical and cultural events, and big names come here that probably wouldn't otherwise. Snoop Dogg, for example, is performing in Trondheim this week. When I first heard that I thought, "Wow, Snoop Dogg in Norway, how weird, I should go." Then I realized that's a terrible reason to go to a Snoop Dogg concert, as if I really needed a reason not to go to a Snoop Dogg concert. Anyways...


Trondheim is also the technological center of Norway. The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, where I go to school, is officially responsible for engineer education in Norway. This school and several smaller ones, along with St. Olav's hospital, the SINTEF organization, and many private companies centered here make for a lot of research. I get to take classes at a modern research hospital, just a stone's throw away from a medieval cathedral. That's pretty cool.

So, what have we learned about Trondheim? It's big, but small. Modern, yet ancient. And, I really like it so far.