Stjørdal is the main traffic hub north of Trondheim, where the E6 meets the E14 towards Sweden. It is also home to Trondheim lufthavn Værnes, Norway's fourth busiest airport. About 24,000 people live in the municipality.
The area has far more history than you would guess from the modern shopping centres along the highway. Hegra festning, a small mountain fortress about 25 kilometres inland, saw one of the most remarkable engagements of the 1940 Norwegian campaign. A force of 250 volunteers held the fort against German troops for 25 days, enduring over 2,300 shells and even an 1,800 kilogram bomb dropped from a seaplane. They were among the last Norwegian units to surrender in southern Norway. The fortress is open in summer and worth a detour.
Closer to town, the Leirfall rock carvings are one of the largest collections of petroglyphs in the Nordic region, with around 900 figures dating back several thousand years. And on the Skatval peninsula sits Steinvikholm, a castle ruin on a small island. It was the last residence of Norway's final Catholic archbishop, Olav Engelbrektsson, before he fled the country in 1537 during the Reformation.
Most travellers pass through Stjørdal without stopping. If you have a few hours, Hegra alone justifies the detour.
The area has far more history than you would guess from the modern shopping centres along the highway. Hegra festning, a small mountain fortress about 25 kilometres inland, saw one of the most remarkable engagements of the 1940 Norwegian campaign. A force of 250 volunteers held the fort against German troops for 25 days, enduring over 2,300 shells and even an 1,800 kilogram bomb dropped from a seaplane. They were among the last Norwegian units to surrender in southern Norway. The fortress is open in summer and worth a detour.
Closer to town, the Leirfall rock carvings are one of the largest collections of petroglyphs in the Nordic region, with around 900 figures dating back several thousand years. And on the Skatval peninsula sits Steinvikholm, a castle ruin on a small island. It was the last residence of Norway's final Catholic archbishop, Olav Engelbrektsson, before he fled the country in 1537 during the Reformation.
Most travellers pass through Stjørdal without stopping. If you have a few hours, Hegra alone justifies the detour.