Trondheim
The city Trondheim in the county of Sør-Trøndelag, Norway, has 151,408 inhabitants as of January 1, 2002. However, a large number of unregistered students, probably 15,000–20,000, also resides in the city; students are typically registered in their hometowns/muncipalities.
Trondheim is the third largest city in Norway, located in the geographical center of the country. The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) is located here.
Trondheim was founded by Viking King Olav Tryggvason in 997 A.D. In the beginning it was the seat of the King, and therefore, for a time, the capital of Norway. Leiv Eiriksson lived in Trondheim around A.D 1000 as a member of the Pretorian guard around King Tryggvason. A Statue of Eirikson, donated by the "Leif Ericsson Society" in Seattle, is located at the seaside, close to the Customs Building, The Cruise Ship facilities and the new Swimming Hall. The statue is a replica, the original being located in Seattle (close to a marina).
Trondheim is located at the mouth of the river "Nidelven", due to the favorable harbour and sheltered condition. The river used to be deep enough for most boats in the middle ages. An avalance of mud and stones partly ruined these favorable harbour-conditions in the mid 17th century.
The city has had several fires. As its old parts is mainly build out of wood, this had led to severe damages. 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 one in 1651 destroyed 90% of all buildings within city limits. The fire in 1681 (the "Hornemanns Fire") led to an almost total reconstruction of the city. This was overseen by General Johan Caspar von Cicignon (originally from Luxembourg). Broad boulevards were made,with no regard of property rights, in order to stop the next fire. Munkegaten street is one of these boulevards. This gave the at the time sleepy provincial town a certain flair. At the time aprox. 8000 people lived in the town.
View from the Nidelva river.
Two of Norway's greatest tourist attractions are Nidaros Cathedral and Archbishop's Palace. They are located side by side, in the middle of historic Trondheim.
Traditionally, the Nidaros Cathedral has been the center for the country's coronation ceremonies, where the heir to the throne are officially announced as the nation's new king, following the death of the previous monarch. Starting with King Olav V in 1957, however, coronation was replaced by anointing.
Trondheim is the home of the football team Rosenborg B.K (colloquially known as RBK), a successful team nationally as well as internationally (Champions League).
Many early Internet users first heard of Trondheim from the tagline "This server is located in Trondheim, Norway" on the famous FTP search site ftpsearch.ntnu.no.
The local newspaper is Adresseavisen, the oldest newspaper in Norway (since 1767).
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