Thanx. I really appreciate your posts, but I think you should automatically give the region or country. Many are like me and don't knwow much but the capital cities.
My Grandmothers home town - thanks for posting.
The history of Trondheim began in 997 when Olav Tryggvason founded the city. It already was a significant place of trade at the time, and was called Nidaros. The city has also carried the name Kaupangen, before it was named Trondheim in the Middle Ages.
As mentioned, people lived in the area before 997. Harald Fairhair, whom had the vision to unify Norway, was hailed King here in 872. Under Harald the Hard-ruler, the unification of Norway was completed. This happened in the mid-1000s, and Trondheim became the Capital of Norway. However; around 1300 Trondheim lost its status to Oslo.
The construction of Nidarosdomen began in 1070, and finished for the first time in 1320. This is originally a catholic church, and was the seat of the archbishop in Norway in the Middle Age. This ended in 1537, when the reformation forced the last archbishop, Olav Engelbrektson, to flee the city.
In 1349, the Black Plague came to Trondheim, killing two thirds of the population. The years in the wake of the plague were a hard time for both Trondheim and Norway, but some years later the population started to increase.
Before 1537, Trondheim was the undisputable religious centre for the Catholic Church in Norway. In 1537 this was put to an end by the Reformation.The city now had to find a new way of life, the answer being trade. Extensive use of the sea, the woods and the mountains became the foundation for the development of Trondheim. This strategy was largely influenced by immigrants from Germany. Trade became the most important tool to achieve economic growth, and the city managed to become the most influential trade city in Mid-Norway by the 18th century. Most of the imported goods that were headed to the north of the country were unloaded here.
Trondheim has been through many city fires, especially in the 17th, 18th and 19th century. In 1651, a huge fire destroyed 90% of the buildings. When another fire raged 30 years later, it was decided to build broad avenues, like Munkegata, in order to stop the next fire.
During the period at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century Trondheim experienced a time of substantial growth, and the population was more than doubled. In this period the range of production was extended, with industry, export, shipping and service functions. Norway had at this point one of the biggest sea fleets in the world, to which Trondheim made a big contribution.
The following years, to about the mid-60s were not that good. The economic crisis in the 30s had a huge impact, both socially and economically. Trondheim was also an important city for the Germans during the 2nd world war, which led to a large amount of artillery being placed in the city, as well as several submarine bases in the harbour. However, few were killed during the five years of occupation.
Since the 60s, when Trondheim expanded its city limits, a lot of people settled around the city core, and the population has continued to grow until today. Trondheim is still a centre in Middle-Norway, which creates a lot of jobs. The city is also important when it comes to education and science, especially engineering and natural sciences.