Trondheim, formerly called Nidaros and Trondhjem (Southern Sami:
Tråante), is an urban municipality in Trøndelag, and the third most
populous municipality in Norway (after Oslo
and Bergen) with 205,163 inhabitants as of 1
January 2020, after the merger with Klæbu municipality. The city
center (Midtbyen) is located between Nidelva and Trondheimsfjorden.
The municipality borders in the east towards Malvik, in the south
towards Selbu and Melhus, and towards Indre Fosen in
Trondheimsfjorden. The city is the headquarters for the county
mayor, but not the county municipality or the county governor's
office, as these functions are located in Steinkjer.
According to Olav Tryggvason's saga, the city was established by
Olav Tryggvason in the year 997, and the city celebrated its
millennium anniversary in 1997.
Trondheim is a center for
higher education, and houses the largest campus at the country's
largest university. In 1767, the Science Museum was established. The
Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTH) was established
in 1910. The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
was established in 1996.
St. Olav's hospital was established
on Øya in Trondheim in 1910, under the name Nye Trondhjem hospital.
It is today one of Norway's largest health trusts and is owned by
Helse Midt-Norge. Cultural institutions are also represented in the
cityscape. Trondheim Art Museum was established in 1997 and Rockheim
was opened in 2010.
Trondheim is a hub for the railway in
Norway; here the Dovre line meets from the south with the Meråker
line and the Nordlands line north. Europavei 6 runs through the
municipality. The city's airport is Trondheim Airport, Værnes in
Stjørdal municipality.
It is believed that the city was founded in the year
997 by Olav Tryggvason. Archaeological finds indicate that there
were also settlements around the Nidelva outlet even before that
time beyond farms, probably sea arches for trading activities. Tomb
finds have been made that confirm settlement on Nidarneset in the
center of today's city center around 400 BC.
Nidaros
Cathedral was built between 1070 and 1300, and is Norway's most
central church. The constitution of 1814 stated that it was to be
the coronation church for Norway's regent; this no longer applies,
but since 1958 it has been used for signing by the royals. According
to tradition, Nidaros Cathedral is the tomb of Olav the Holy;
however, later excavations in Trondheim have revealed Clemenskirken,
where the saint's coffin was placed on the altar in the year 1031,
the year after the battle of Stiklestad. The diocese of Nidaros was
established between 1070 and 1080; around 1152 it was elevated to a
Catholic archdiocese that existed until the Reformation in 1537.
Between 1434 and 1537, the archbishops of Nidaros minted their own
coins.
The Ladejarls had their base in Nidaros from the end
of the ninth century until 1029. Several of the medieval kings also
resided here. A city fire in 1681 was one of the triggering reasons
for the construction of Kristiansten fortress; this fortress gained
importance during the great nordic war 1700–1721. The municipality
received its current extent on 1 January 1964 when Trondheim was
merged with the four neighboring municipalities Byneset, Strinda,
Tiller and Leinstrand. As a result of the latest municipal reform,
Klæbu will be incorporated in Trondheim on 1 January 2020.
By
the end of the 11th century, the city grew very rapidly. Among other
things, a stone church was built at St. Olav's cemetery, where
Nidaros Cathedral is located today. A bridge was also built over the
river approximately where the current Elgeseter bridge is located.
In 1219, Trondheim experienced the first known city fire, and a few
years later, in 1295, large parts of the city were reduced to ashes
by another fire.
When the archbishopric of Nidaros was
established in 1152, the city grew further, and from the 13th
century, almost twenty churches are known under the seat. A number
of monasteries were also built in the city, including Elgeseter,
Bakke farm and Munkholmen.
From the 17th century, increased
trade activity benefited the city. The city began to grow to the
west, and the first settlements on Bakklandet emerged. In 1681, the
so-called Hornemans fire left large parts of Trondheim in rubble,
which led to Christian V deciding that a completely new city plan
should be laid for Trondheim to prevent future fires from creating
equal damage. The task was given to the Luxembourg Major General
Johan Caspar de Cicignon, who promoted a city plan with wide and
straight streets with a central square.
Despite this, several
large fires broke out during the 18th and 19th centuries. A law was
passed on the construction of masonry on the city center, but before
this was passed, the city was quickly rebuilt with wooden buildings.
Many of today's wooden buildings in the city center date from the
middle of the 19th century.
After World War II, large parts
of the old buildings had to give way in favor of new business
activities. Cicignon's city plan from the end of the 17th century is
nevertheless quite prominent in today's Trondheim.