Trondhjem

Trondhjem (also Throndhjem; Ger. Drontheim), on the south side of the long and narrow Trondhjem fjord, at the mouth of the little Nid River, and 250 miles N. of Christiania by rail. It is built on undulating slopes, and has regular and broad streets, the houses being mostly of wood, though the building of new wooden houses is now forbidden by law. The (fortified) harbour is capacious, deep, and safe, but is difficult of entry. The most interesting building in the city is the venerable cathedral, a cruciform church dating partly from the 13th century, of English-Norman architecture, and unquestionably the most interesting ecclesiastical edifice in Norway. A great fire in 1530 destroyed most of the church except the richly adorned octagonal choir (late Gothic). The church, since 1818 the place of coronation of Norwegian kings, has been carefully restored since 1880. Portions of an old archiepiscopal palace (Kongsgaard) also survive. The town is the main emporium of a wide district of country, and has a large trade by sea and land; the exports include copper ore, herrings and other fish, train-oil, timber, &c. The ancient capital of Norway, originally called Nidaros, Trondhjem was founded in 996 by Olaf Trygvason, and became in 1152 the seat of an archbishop. Its decline dates from the Reformation. It was taken by the Swedes after a siege of nine weeks, and has often been nearly destroyed by fire. Pop. (1891) 25,051.