We spent much of our day wandering around the lovely city of Trondheim, following routes recommended on the local tourist map.
We passed the Royal Palace on our way to the cathedral. Stiftsgården is the King’s official residence in Trondheim. It is centrally situated on the city’s most important thoroughfare, and near the main square. The palace was built in the 18th century and is one of the largest wooden buildings in Scandinavia.
Nidaros Cathedral, named for the original name of Trondheim, was built to be the burial site of King Olaf II, who is also the patron saint of Norway. He died in 1028 and it took over 230 years to complete. It was Catholic until 1537, when it was swept up in the Protestant Reformation and was taken over by the New Church of Norway. It is the northernmost medieval church in the world and is the coronation site of the kings of Norway.
Like most other old structures, there were fires in 1327 and 1531 and in 1708 the cathedral burned down leaving only the stone walls. In 1719 it was struck by lightning and burned again! Restoration began in 1869 and was completed by 2001, but ongoing maintenance continues.
The historic wharves alongside the Nidelven River’s channel were originally used to store grain, sugar, salt and fish; now they are mostly converted into homes, galleries, coffee shops and restaurants. They were built in the 17th century, but most were lost in a fire in 1681. Original techniques of using interlocking logs, and bare wood interior were used in rebuilding the destroyed wharves to resemble the originals.
The Gamle Bybro (old town bridge) crosses the Nidelva River from Nidaros Cathedral to Bakklandet. After the great fire of 1681, General John Caspar von Cicignon built a wooden bridge to connect also the Kristiansen fortress and provide military access; this reconstruction is from 1861. The bridge is known as “the bridge of happiness”
Bakklandet is often mistakenly referred to as “old Trondheim” when in fact, it was a former center for trade alongside the Nidelva River. It was an open area outside the city, built in the 17th century, it became Trondheim’s first suburb!
