Trondheim

Trondheim

Trondheim is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The settlement was founded in 997 as a trading post. It served as the capital of Norway during the Viking Age until 1217. Some scholars believe that the famous chess pieces carved in the 12th century from walrus ivory may have been made in Trondhjem.

About Trondheim in brief

Summary TrondheimTrondheim is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The settlement was founded in 997 as a trading post, and it served as the capital of Norway during the Viking Age until 1217. The city is home to football club Rosenborg, Norway’s most successful team, as well as Granåsen Ski Centre which has hosted the World Championship in Cross-country skiing. It has a very mild climate for its northerly latitude, resulting in moderate summers and winters that often remain above the freezing point in seaside areas. Trondheim was briefly named Drontheim during the Second World War, as a German exonym. Some scholars believe that the famous chess pieces carved in the 12th century from walrus ivory found in the British Museum may have been made in Trondhjem. It was for a long time called Nidaros, or Niðaróss in the Old Norse spelling. In the late Middle Ages people started to call the city just Þróndheimr. The name was restored in order to reaffirm the city’s link with its glorious past, despite the fact that a 1928 referendum on the name of the city had resulted in 17,163 votes in favour of Trond hjem and only 1,508 votes in honour of Nidaros. In ancient times, the Kings of Norway were hailed at Øretinget in Tronjami for the assembly of all the free men by the mouth of the River Nidelva.

The battle of Kalvskinnet took place in 1179: King Sverre Sigbeurdsson and his warriors were victorious against Erling Skakke. Some famous chessmen, including Lewis Hebrides, are believed to have made the chess pieces in the Norwegian Museum. It is the third most populous municipality in Norway, although the fourth largest urban area. It functions as the seat of the County Mayor, but not as the administrative centre, which is Steinkjer. The current municipality dates from 1964, when Trondheimer merged with Byneset, Leinstrand, Strinda and Tiller. The City is dominated by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, the Foundation for Scientific and Industrial Research, St. Olavs University Hospital and other technology-oriented institutions. It also has a number of universities, including the University of Oslo and the Norwegian Institute of Technology, which has a campus in the heart of the university town of Stavanger. The town was named Kaupangen by Viking King Olav Tryggvason in 9 97 CE. Shortly thereafter it came to be called Kaupangr or, more specifically, kaupangsr í í Þrôndheimi. It was frequently used as a military retainer of KingOlav I. It was also used as the Seat of the king, and was the capital of Norway until 1217, when Olav I died.