City in Norway
About Trondheim
Trondheim, historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 1 January 2026, it had a population of 218,460. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is the fourth largest urban area. Trondheim lies on the south shore of Trondheim Fjord at the mouth of the Nidelva. Among the significant technology-oriented institutions headquartered in Trondheim are the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), the Foundation for Scientific and Industrial Research (SINTEF), the Geological Survey of Norway (NGU), and St. Olavs University Hospital.
Names and etymology
The city was established in 997 by Olav Tryggvason and it was originally named Nidaros (Old Norse: Niðaróss). The first element of the name was the local river Nid. The last element of the name was óss 'mouth (of a river)'. Thus the name meant 'the outlet of the river Nid'. Although the formal name was Nidaros, the city was commonly known as kaupangr 'city; marketplace', or more specifically kaupangr í Þróndheimi 'the city in Trondheim'. Trondheim (Old Norse: Þróndheimr) was the historic name for the whole district which is now known as Trøndelag. This is the area where the people were known as Trønder (þróndr). This district name Trondheim meant 'the home of the Trønder people' (lit. 'Trønder-home') and Trøndelag (Old Norse: Þrǿndalǫg) originally meant the 'law area of the Trønder people' (lit. 'Trønder-law'). …
History
Trondheim was named Kaupangen (English: market place or trading place) by Viking King Olav Tryggvason in 997 CE. Shortly after that, it came to be called Nidaros. Initially, it was frequently used as a military retainer (Old Norse: "hird"-man) of King Olav I. It was also frequently used as the king's seat and was Norway's capital until 1217. People have lived in the area for thousands of years, as evidenced by the rock carvings in central Norway, the Nøstvet and Lihult cultures, and the Corded Ware culture. In ancient times, the kings of Norway were hailed in Trondheim at Øretinget, the place for the assembly of all free men by the mouth of the River Nidelva. Harald Fairhair (865–933) was hailed as the king here, as was his son, Haakon I, called 'the Good. …
Geography
Trondheim is situated where the River Nidelva meets Trondheim Fjord with an excellent harbour and sheltered condition. In the Middle Ages the river was deep enough to be navigable by most boats. However, in the mid–17th century, an avalanche of mud and stones made it less navigable, and partly ruined the harbour. The municipality's highest elevation is the Storheia hill, 565 metres (1,854 ft) above sea level. At the summer solstice, the sun rises at 03:00 and sets at 23:40, and then stays just below the horizon. Between 23 May and 19 July, when the sky is cloud-free, it remains light enough at night that no artificial lighting is needed outdoors. At the winter solstice, the sun rises at 10:01, stays very low above the horizon (at midday its altitude is slightly more than 3 degrees over the horizon), and sets at 14:31. …
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