A Weekend in Trondheim

Trondheim is a beautiful university city in the central part of Norway. We know it mainly as a winter sports centre, where Kamil Stoch won a ski-jumping competition in Trondheim. In summer it is a wonderful place for long walks along the fjords.

On arrival, the city greets you with traditional Scandinavian architecture — colourful wooden houses. They have a large number of windows, to light the homes as much as possible when it's grey and dark outside. In winter, the sun rises here around 9–10 a.m.

Just as in Sweden and Bergen, hardly anyone here locks their doors. Many of the houses I came across have no fences, and people don't cover the windows of their homes.

Through the city centre flows the river Nidelva. Walking along it, you'll come to a bridge built in 1861 called the Gamle Bybro. Here too there are lovely wooden buildings, propped up on beams. They were built along the Bakklandet riverside.

Nearby there is also the enormous and majestic Nidaros Cathedral (Nidarosdomen), next to which you'll find a small pyramid. It was built in 1152 and is the largest church in all of Scandinavia.

The cathedral is the burial place of King Olaf II of Norway, who introduced Christianity to his country. Around the building there are many gravestones.

On the cathedral's front wall there are 57 sculptures of apostles and saints. It has to be said that they are impressive.

Walking around the city, you can also stroll up one of the surrounding hills. There stands the Kristiansten fortress, from which a beautiful view over the whole of Trondheim opens up. Entry to the fortress grounds is free.

A nicer panorama of the city, however, is offered by the more than 100-metre-tall Tyholt television tower. Strolling around the area, it's worth heading along the fjord. The views are gorgeous, and along the way you can meet quite a few Norwegians out walking or running.

Walking along the Trondheimsfjord you can also come across quite a few animals. I managed to see an otter hunting. Unfortunately, when I wanted to photograph it, it quickly fled from the frame.

Right by the water it was very cold. The path down to the fjord was iced over and very slippery. Salty ice? Yes, why not.

In the evening or at night it's worth heading up one of the several hills in Trondheim. From it you can watch the city's nighttime panorama. It is very brightly lit.

The hotel on the riverbank also looked very pretty at night.

One place I didn't manage to get to is Munkholmen — a small island lying less than 1.5 km from the city. Initially the island served as a place of execution. Only with the building of a Benedictine monastery did this practice cease. Later the island was turned into a prison, before ultimately becoming a fortress defending the city.