Trondheim - ‘Gateway to the North’
Trondheim set against a spectacular Trondheimfjord
in south-west Norway is also known as the ‘Gateway to the North.’ Until 1217 it
was the capital of Norway. The area has been populated for thousands of years
with cultures of Nostvet and Lihult dating back to 6200 BC-3200 BC and Corded
Ware dating back to 2900 BC-2350 BC. Some scholars believe that the famous
Lewis chessmen, 12th century chess pieces carved from walrus ivory
found in the Hebrides, now at the British Museum, may have been made in
Trondheim.
The Old Town with the Old Town Bridge is a colorful
site of houses set on piles over the Nidelva River.
The Nidaros Cathedral and the Archbishop’s Palace
are located side by side in the middle of the city center. The cathedral, built
from 1070 on, is the most important Gothic monument in Norway and was Northern
Europe’s most important Christian pilgrimage site during the Middle Ages.
Today, it is the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world, and the second largest
in Scandinavia.
During the World War II, the city was a hideout of
the German battleship Tirpitz. It was occupied by Nazi Germany from 9 April
1940 until 8 May 1945.
