Trondheim (redirected from Trondheim, Norway)

Trondheim (trôn`hām), city (1995 pop. 142,792), capital of Sør-Trøndelag co., central Norway, a port on the Trondheimsfjord (an arm of the Atlantic Ocean). It is also known by its original name, Nidaros. The third largest city of Norway, it is a commercial, industrial, and shipping center. Manufactures include metal goods, construction materials, textiles, processed food, and forest products. Founded in 997 by Olaf I, the king who introduced Christianity to Norway, the city was the political and religious capital of medieval Norway. In 1152, Nicholas Breakspear (later Pope Adrian IV) made it a archiepiscopal see. The city was also an important trade center until the Hanseatic period, when its trade was largely diverted (14th cent.) to Bergen. Olaf Engelbrektsson, archbishop of Nidaros, strongly resisted (early 16th cent.) the attempt of King Christian III to force the Reformation on Norway and defended the rights of Norway as a separate kingdom. However, in 1537, Engelbrektsson was obliged to flee, and in the same year the Reformation was introduced and Roman Catholic bishoprics were abolished. Renamed Trondheim (or Trondhjem), the city declined considerably after this blow to its religious ascendancy. In 1681 it was severely damaged by a fire. Only in the mid-19th cent. did Trondheim reemerge as an important economic center. Its position was enhanced when Haakon VII was crowned (1906) in Nidaros Cathedral as the first king of modern, independent Norway; subsequent rulers of Norway have also been crowned there. In World War II, Trondheim was occupied by the Germans on the first day (Apr. 9, 1940) of their invasion of Norway. It became a major German naval base and as such was frequently bombed by the Allies. Today Trondheim is a well-planned city. Its celebrated cathedral, originally a church erected over the tomb of Olaf II (St. Olaf) in the 11th cent., was built in the 12th and 13th cent., but it was later ravaged by several fires. Reconstruction was begun in 1869, and the completed structure, built of Norwegian blue soapstone and white marble, is considered by many to be the finest Gothic-style cathedral in Scandinavia. Also of note in the city is the Stiftsgaard, a large wooden building (18th cent.) that serves as a royal residence.

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Trondheim

City (pop., 2000: 148,859), central Norway. It is located on Trondheim Fjord, an inlet of the Norwegian Sea that extends 80 mi (130 km) inland. Trondheim was founded by King Olaf I Tryggvason in 997, and it prospered as a trade centre until the Hanseatic League made Bergen its chief port. The city declined until the late 19th century, when it was linked by rail to Oslo. Norway's third largest city, it is a major Norwegian land and sea transport link and a manufacturing centre.

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Trondheim

a port in central Norway, on Trondheim Fjord (an inlet of the Norwegian Sea): national capital until 1380; seat of the Technical University of Norway. Pop.: 154 351 (2004 est.)

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Trondheim 

a city and port in west-central Norway, on the Trondheimsfjorden. Capital of the fylke (county) of Sør-Trøndelag. Population, 133,000 (1974). Industry is represented by machine building, including ship repair; food processing, mainly fish and dairy products; and the manufacture of wood products and textiles. The port handles about a million tons of freight annually. The city has a university.

Founded as Kaupangr in 997 by Olav Tryggvesson, the city was the old capital of the Kingdom of Norway. Its name was changed to Nidaros in 1016. Nidaros was made the capital of an ecclesiastical province in 1152 and became the seat of the archbishopric of Nidaros. Until 1380 and after 1814 the kings of Norway were crowned in the city. Renamed Trondhjem in the 16th century, the city was again called Nidaros from Jan. 1,1930, until the following year, when its name was changed to Trondheim. During the fascist German occupation of Norway (1940–45), Trondheim was one of the centers of the Resistance Movement. In May 1945 the city was liberated from the fascist German occupiers by the Resistance forces.

The old quarter of Trondheim is situated on a peninsula formed by the Nid River. In the 1680’s the streets of the city were reorganized in a rectangular pattern. Trondheim’s architectural monuments include a Romanesque-Gothic cathedral (c. 1140–1320), the archbishop’s residence (12th–13th centuries), and the royal residence called the Stiftsgárden (classical, wood, 1774–78).