Trondheim

Trondheim is a city and municipality in the county of Sør-Trøndelag, Norway. With its more than 150,000 inhabitants, Trondheim is the third largest city of the country. The highest elevation is in Storheia, 565 metres (≈1850 ft) above sea level. The city is situated next to a large fjord–Trondheimsfjorden (130 km long).

Concise history

Trondheim was founded as Kaupangen by Viking King Olav Tryggvason in 997 A.D, and getting the name Nidaros a short time after that. In the beginning it was the seat of the King, and therefore, for a time, the capital of Norway (until 1217).

Related Topics:
Viking - Olav Tryggvason - 997 - A.D - Nidaros - Capital

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Leif Ericson lived in Trondheim around 1000 A.D. as a Praetorian guardsman (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.

Related Topics:
Leif Ericson - 1000 - Old Norse - Seattle

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Trondheim is located at the mouth of the river Nidelva, due to the favorable harbour and sheltered condition. The river used to be deep enough for most boats in the middle ages. An avalanche of mud and stones partly ruined these favorable harbour conditions in the mid-17th century.

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A major battle, Slaget på Kalvskinnet, took place here in 1179; king Sverre Sigurdsson and the Birkebeiner warriors were victorious against Erling Skakke (a rival to the throne).

Related Topics:
Sverre Sigurdsson - Erling Skakke

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Trondheim was the seat of the (Catholic) Archbishopric from 1152. Due to the introduction of Lutheran Protestantism in 1537, the last Archbishop, Olav Engelbrektsson, had to flee from the city.

Related Topics:
Archbishopric - Protestantism

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The city has experienced several major fires. Since its old parts are mainly build out of wood, this has led to severe damage every time. Infamous 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 are 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 boulevards like Munkegaten were made, with no regard for property rights, in order to stop the next fire. This gave the sleepy provincial town of roughly 8000 inhabitants a certain flair.

Related Topics:
Johan Caspar von Cicignon - Luxembourg

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After the Peace Treaty of Roskilde 26 February 1658, Trondheim (together with the rest of Trøndelag) became Swedish territory for a brief period; the area was reconquered after 10 months; the conflict was finally settled by the Peace Treaty of Copenhagen, 27 May 1660.

Related Topics:
Roskilde - 26 February - 1658 - Trøndelag - Copenhagen - 27 May - 1660

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During World War II, Trondheim was occupied by German forces from April, 1940 (on the first day of the invasion of Norway, Operation Weserübung) until the war's end in Europe, in May, 1945.

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The city's names

Originally given the name Kaupangen ("Marketplace") by Olav Tryggvason, Trondheim held for a long time the name Nidaros ("Mouth of the river Nid"), or in the Norse (Old Norwegian) spelling Niðaróss. In late Middle Age the name was changed to Trondheim (Norse spelling Þróndheimr). In the Dano-Norwegian period, during the years as a provincial town in the united kingdoms of Denmark-Norway, the city name was spelled Trondhjem.

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In 1930 the name Nidaros was restored in order to reaffirm the city's link with its glorious past. The 1928 referendum on the name of the city gave this result : 17,163 votes in favour of Trondhjem and 1,508 votes in favour of Nidaros.

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Nevertheless, Nidaros was again the official name of the city for a brief period 1 January 1930–6 March 1931. However, public outrage, even taking the form of riots, later in the same year forced the Storting to settle for the compromise Trondheim, a name that sounded slighly less Danish.

Related Topics:
1 January - 1930 - 6 March - 1931 - Riot - Storting

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Trondheimen historically indicates the area around the Trondheimsfjord. The spelling Trondhjem was officially rejected, but many still prefer the now unofficial spelling of the city name; Trondhjem.

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Today, most inhabitants still refer to their city in their local dialect as Trondhjæm ("æ" is pronounced somewhat like the "a" in "hat").

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During the Nazi German occupation, 1940–45, the city's official name was amended to the more "Germanic-sounding" Drontheim. The Nazis also contemplated a scheme to build a new 250,000 people city, Neu-Drontheim, centered 15 km (10 mi) southeast of Trondheim, near the village of Øysand in the outskirts of Melhus municipality. The new city—northern capital of a germanized Scandinavia—was meant to house the future German main naval base of the North Atlantic region, and would be the largest of all German naval bases. For those with a particular interest in the history of the Second World War, a short trip towards Øysand by car will allow you to see the only remains of this grand plan, in the form of a few rusty steel sticks in the sea just by the main road.

Related Topics:
Nazi German - Melhus - Scandinavia

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