I only visited Trondheim because it gave me easy access to a destination in western Sweden, so this was more of a stopover than a full trip. I did end up spending New Year’s here though, which gave me a few memorable experiences during the couple of days I was in the city. Since I visited during the shortest days of the year, daylight was limited and the photo above shows about as bright as it ever got. Most of the time I was walking around Trondheim, the city looked more like the photo below.
Because of the holidays, many places were closed during my visit. Above is Trondheim Kunstmuseum, one of the places I would have liked to see inside. The museum focuses on Norwegian and international art, with collections ranging from the 19th century through more modern works.
With most of the museums closed, I spent a lot of my time simply exploring Trondheim on foot. One of the city’s best-known landmarks is Gamle Bybro, or the Old Town Bridge, which dates back to the 17th century. The bridge itself is fairly simple, but its distinctive wooden gateway makes it easy to recognize.
The best part of Gamle Bybro is the view. From the bridge you can look across the Nidelva River toward the colorful wooden buildings lining the waterfront. These old warehouses and houses are some of the most recognizable scenes in Trondheim and give this part of the city a lot of character.
Elsewhere in the city I also spent some time around the harbor. Trondheim has a long maritime history, and even during the dark winter months the waterfront was one of the more interesting areas to walk around.
Nidaros Cathedral
One place I was at least able to explore from the outside was Nidaros Cathedral. The cathedral dates back to the Middle Ages and was built over the burial site of King Olaf II Haraldsson, who later became Norway’s patron saint. It is one of the most important religious and historic buildings in Norway and is also considered the northernmost medieval cathedral of its size in the world.
The western face of the cathedral is especially impressive, covered with statues, arches, and detailed stonework. Even though I wasn’t able to go inside, walking around the exterior still gave me a good sense of how massive and historic the building is.
The cathedral grounds are surrounded by a cemetery containing graves from different periods. Many of the stones I saw appeared to date from the 19th century, while others were much more recent. The setting around the cathedral added to the historic feel of the area, especially during the dark winter weather.
New Year’s Eve in Trondheim
The highlight of my short visit was definitely New Year’s Eve. Fireworks were going off all over the city throughout the night, and a hill near one of the city parks seemed to be one of the main gathering places for the celebration. From there I had a great view of fireworks exploding across different parts of Trondheim.
Even though this was only a short stopover, Trondheim left me with enough interest to return for a more complete visit. I’d like to see the museums that were closed, spend more time exploring the historic center during daylight, visit the interior of Nidaros Cathedral, and explore more of the surrounding fjords and countryside.
