Trondheim is Norway's third largest city, with about 210,000 people. It was founded in 997 by the Viking king Olav Tryggvason, whose statue now stands on a column in the main square. The original name was Nidaros, meaning the mouth of the river Nid, and for centuries it was Norway's religious and political centre.
The city was largely destroyed by fire on 18 April 1681. General Johan Caspar von Cicignon redesigned it afterwards with wide, straight streets intended to stop fires from spreading. That grid plan still defines the city centre today.
Trondheim is a university city. NTNU, Norway's largest university, has about 40,000 students, which gives the place a younger and livelier feel than its size would suggest. The city centre is compact and easy to walk. Most of the main sights are within a small area: Nidarosdomen, Bakklandet, the fortress, and the old wooden wharves along the Nidelva river.
The Hurtigruten coastal steamer stops here, and the city is a common starting or ending point for trips further north. The airport, Værnes, is about 35 kilometres east of the centre, connected by the Trønderbanen train.
The city was largely destroyed by fire on 18 April 1681. General Johan Caspar von Cicignon redesigned it afterwards with wide, straight streets intended to stop fires from spreading. That grid plan still defines the city centre today.
Trondheim is a university city. NTNU, Norway's largest university, has about 40,000 students, which gives the place a younger and livelier feel than its size would suggest. The city centre is compact and easy to walk. Most of the main sights are within a small area: Nidarosdomen, Bakklandet, the fortress, and the old wooden wharves along the Nidelva river.
The Hurtigruten coastal steamer stops here, and the city is a common starting or ending point for trips further north. The airport, Værnes, is about 35 kilometres east of the centre, connected by the Trønderbanen train.