We scrambled to find another way to travel from Kristiansund to Trondheim after gale force winds dissuaded us from catching an express boat. Thanks to Norway’s frequent and ubiquitous bus service, we stepped off a Volvo coach bus just a couple of blocks from our Trondheim hotel around 16:00.

We splurged on accommodations here. Honestly, I felt like a country bumpkin in my Simms guide pants, Icebreaker t-shirt and hiking shoes. The Britannia deserves it’s 5-star rating. I particularly noticed the rooftop beehives and amazing breakfast space.

Laundry

Up in our room, my first task was to empty my backpack and then stuff it with laundry from our first twelve days of travel. We’d been doing some hand-washing in hotel showers along the way, but based on my pre-trip research, Trondheim was the only place we’d be staying with a public laundromat within walking distance of our hotel.

Lucky us! There were two people in the small laundromat who willingly helped me navigate the Norwegian menu on the Electrolux front load washer. One was a local, the other a fellow from Seattle who was happy to have found a laundromat on his travels. Interestingly, the washers are sized by the weight of your load. Once I tapped to pay and pressed start, I set a timer on my phone for 34 minutes. The wash cycle was going to run for 36 minutes and the pizza place we wanted to eat at was just a couple minutes away.

Grano

Grano was FULL when we arrived. But we talked our way into sitting at a reserved table, on the condition we’d be in and out in an hour. We ordered quickly and then waited…and waited. Given how packed it was, that wasn’t too surprising. When our server brought our drinks, we commented on how busy it was. As at Dr. Weisner in Bergen, she told us that Norwegians eat supper early, often just after 4 o’clock. Plus it was a sunny Friday afternoon/evening in June and Norwegians know to get out and enjoy the sunshine and warmth whenever possible. It’s interesting to me to experience these kinds of cultural variations around the world.

Our pizzas still hadn’t arrived when my phone timer went off. So I volunteered to go retrieve our wet clothes. Mr GeoK likes his food piping hot and I’m okay with ambient. Of course our server delivered two delicious wood-fired pizzas about the time I reached the laundromat.

While I waited one minute for the spin cycle to end, I noticed the hot water on demand wall units and the electrical cord spaghetti. Then I pulled our damp clothes from the machine and stuffed them back into my pack.

After eating all but a few crusts, we patiently waited to pay the bill. I’m not sure we made it out of there in the agreed upon one-hour window, but that wasn’t on us. Back at the hotel, we hung everything to dry. Housekeeping was quick to deliver extra hangers and there were ample towel bars, as well.

Evening Flâneur

After sitting on a bus most of the day, we took advantage of the fact the sun doesn’t set in Norway in June and headed out to explore. We walked with no particular destination in mind, with a keen eye for anything interesting.

Kunsthall Trondheim

Kunsthall Trondheim’s website describes the repurposed fireball as a Trondheim’s “largest international arena for contemporary art.” It’s open later on Friday’s, so on impulse we stopped in. We soon departed. Our overall impression of the main exhibition, Umbilical Fire by Norwegian artist Liv Bugge? A rage against oil and gas. We prefer art with a little more pragmatism relative to the global energy mix.

Bryggene i Trondheim

A couple of blocks later we walked down a unique set of wooden stairs to view a long row of colorful warehouse/wharf buildings lining each bank of River Nidelva. Participants in the Holzbau Workshop, a project initiated and run by architecture students, created the staircase. Known as “Staircase as Artwork” and sometimes referred to as the “Holzbau Workshop Stairs,” the striking, undulating design is made from wooden slats. They are a functional piece of public art.

Photographically speaking, Trondheim’s riverside wharf district is head and shoulders above the UNESCO site in Bergen. Even in daylight, we got some nice reflection shots without any distracting outdoor patios and dining areas. However, the essential historic role of Bergen as a Hanseatic trade center is missing in Trondheim, which makes all the difference when it comes to qualifying as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Portal of Happiness Old Town Bridge

Gamle Bybro (aka the Old Town Bridge) was first built in 1681, when the Kristiansten Fortress was constructed. It connects Trondheim’s city center with the Bakklandet neighbourhood. A guardhouse and customs house stood at each end of the bridge. The customs house on the west side still stands, and is currently a kindergarten.

The bridge also became known as the Portal of Happiness thanks to the lyrics of a popular romantic waltz written by Oskar Hoddø in 1940. Between the song and the iconic portals, the bridge has apparently witnessed many marriage proposals over the years. Again, this is a site I would have liked to photograph at night.

Bakklandet

Just across the Nidelva river from Trondheim’s city center, Bakklandet is one of the city’s most desirable neighbourhoods. That’s a stark contrast to its early days as a working class neighbourhood populated by craftsmen, small traders and labourers.

In the 1960s, plans to build a four-lane highway threatened the district. In 1971, the road-building project was abandoned after a series of protests and due to the fact that champions of the neighbourhood refreshed the paint and moved into previously empty houses.

Bakklandet is also the home to the Trampe bicycle lift, invented and installed in 1993 by Jarle Wanwik. It operates while sitting astride your bike, left foot on the pedal, right foot on a footplate that emerges to push you up the hill. The bicycle lift was out of order when we visited in June 2025. The advent of e-bikes has significantly reduced its use.

Kristiansten Festning

We walked uphill to Kristiansten Fortress, one of Trondheim’s most popular attractions. The fort was built after the great city fire in 1681. The flag, which can be seen from most of the city, is raised when the dungeon and museum, the main attractions inside the fortress, are open. They were closed during our visit.

A large recreational area surrounds the fortress. This is open to the public every day of the year. These grounds offer a spectacular view over Trondheim and its surroundings, the fjord and the mountains. Tyholt Tower (Tyholttarnet), with its revolving restaurant, is also visible from the Fortress grounds.

Although decommissioned by King Charles XIV John of Sweden and Norway in 1816, the fortress was used by the Nazi forces during World War II. Today it’s a National Fortifications Heritage site.

Street Photography

We took a meandering route back to our hotel, with stops that included:

Peter Egges Plass

This quiet pedestrian square incorporates a water feature, an outdoor seating area, Huskestua (a covered playground with various hanging ropes, climbing sticks and hammocks) and a beautiful mural “Alt er musikk. Musikk er alt.” by Skurktur, 2020.

The mural (English title “Everything is music. Music is everything.”) was a gift from Trondheim Kammermusikk to the city, on the occasion of the festival’s 25th anniversary.

Hanging Sculpture

A distinctive sculpture created by artist Michael Ayrton in 1950 depicts Talos, a mythical automaton from Greek mythology who protected the island of Crete. It hangs off the façade of Kjøpmannsgata Ung Kunst (KUK).

Also outside Kjøpmannsgata Ung Kunst (KUK), we spotted a red metal sculpture, which I enjoyed turning into an abstract photo. Despite trying every tool I can think of, I haven’t been able to learn anything about it. I regret not looking for an information plaque when we were there.

Umbrella Canopy

We also enjoyed photographing the colourful umbrellas strung over Thomas Angells Gate, a pedestrian shopping street in central Trondheim.

Outland

We spent quite a bit of time in Outland, a store catering to board gamers, AFOLs, RPG fans, Japanophiles and other nerds. There was an entire room full of manga. Mr GeoK browsed some of the Star Wars themed merchandise. I spotted an eclectic collection of cookbooks. Apparently Outland also has stores in Oslo, Stavanger, Bergen (we walked into it one day when we were in Bergen, to ask directions, but didn’t look around – I didn’t even realize it was the same store brand until writing this post) and Kristiansand.

First Impressions

Back at our hotel for the night, we agreed that Trondheim seems like a Norwegian miniature Seattle. The vibe is similar, they both have steep hills, with lush/green park spaces, tech companies and lots of e-bikes and e-scooters out and about.

Early Morning Walk

As usual, Mr GeoK woke up way before I did. He’d organized his drone and photography gear the night before, so after he dressed he quietly left the hotel to go exploring. He told me his primary goal was to return to Kristiansten Fortress, to fly his drone.

But he started out walking the wrong way, so ended up taking in a couple of other sites, including:

King Olav Tryggvason Monument

King Olav Tryggvason (968-1000) founded the city of Trondheim in 997 and is credited with Christianizing Norway. Sculpted by Wilhelm Rasmussen, the statue depicts King Olav holding a communion vessel in his left hand with an unsheathed sword in his right, with a head at his feet. Some sources say it’s the head of the Norse god Thor, sybolizing his victory over paganism. Others, including our walking tour guide, say it’s the head of Tormod Kark, a slave who slew is master Hakkon Jarl, so that Olav Tryggvason could become king.

The King Olav Tryggvason statue is atop a tall obelisk in Torvet, the central square of Trondheim. The obelisk also functions as a sundial. But since the square was set up for a festival, we couldn’t see that aspect on any of our transits through the square.

Drone Videography

Having checked various sites online, Mr GeoK was confident he’d be okay to fly his drone from the Kristiansten Fortress grounds. I’ll link to his processed footage here, once available. He reported that security walked past several times while his DJI Mini 4 PRO was in the air, but they didn’t give him any hassle.

Breakfast

Our hotel breakfast (included in the room rate) was excellent. Served in the fully-restored 1908 dining hall, Palmehaven, the buffet included açai berry bowls, fresh fruit, freshly pressed smoothies, an abundant selection of bread, pastries available with jam or honey from the rooftop hives, locally cured meats, a range of cheeses, and a range of eggs made to order. It was by far the best breakfast of our trip.

And on our second morning, when we asked about making up a couple of sandwiches for our train trip to Oslo, they brought out folding cardboard containers and told us to help ourselves, no extra charge!

Guided Walking Tour

After breakfast, our walking tour guide, Adrian, met us in the hotel lobby. We booked him through Get Your Guide, on the recommendation of a friend who traveled through Norway in 2024. With a masters degree in cinematography, Adrian has lived in Trondheim for about 5 years, and we were his first clients after an extended paternity leave from guiding.

Capsule History of Trondheim

As we walked, Adrian shared that the mouth of the Nidelva River was originally called “Trading place.” Olav Tryggvason founded the city in 997. He called it Nidaros or “mouth of the river Nid.” Olav Tryggvassen took over from Hakkon Jarl, who was beheaded by his slave, Tormod Kark, for a promised reward. That reward turned out to be his own beheading, in turn, and is why statues of the first King Olav include a head near his right foot.

Nidaros is still the nickname for the city. Trondheim was originally the name for the surrounding region, but over time became the name of the city. Trondheim roughly translates as “home of the strong and fertile.” In 1930, despite an overwhelming “no” vote, city officials changed the name back to Nidaros. But the change was reversed within a year, due to massive protests.

From the 16th through the 19th centuries, fires repeatedly ravaged the city. The 1651 fire, as an example, destroyed 90% of all buildings within the city limits. After the 1681 fire, General Johan Caspar von Cicignon, from Luxembourg, oversaw an almost complete reconstruction of the city. Broad avenues were created, without regard for private property rights, to limit the damage from future fires. New regulations limited citizens from storing any flammable goods on the town side of the river. I figure this must have been quite disruptive to the businesses in the wharf/warehouse buildings along the Nidelva.

Stiftsgården

By this time, we reached Stiftsgården. Completed in 1774, it was the private residence of the widow Cecilie Christine Schøller. The building passed to the royal family in 1906. Even today, it’s the Norwegian royal residence in Trondheim. Behind the building, there’s a pretty little park that’s open to the public. This is where we found a statue of King Olav V.

Olavshallen

In the center of Trondheim, Adrian pointed out Olavshallen, a flexible performing arts / conference venue. On his recommendation, we stopped in later that morning to check out the food court, but none of the kitchens were yet open.

Flower Bridge (Blomsterbrua aka Verftsbrua or “Yard Bridge)

Constructed in 2003, this pedestrian and cyclist bridge features flower boxes along its edges and connects to the old shipyard district. The bridge can retract to allow taller boats to pass.

Old Shipyard District

As we approached Solsiden, which translates to “the sunny side” in Norwegian, it was pouring rain! Adrian told us this area used to be home to one of Norway’s largest ship building companies. Now, it’s an up and coming residential and commercial district, with plenty of restaurant and bar options.

Just off the end of the marina, we spotted a mixed use development that I thought dated back quite a while. Nope! It was completed in 2015 and makes creative used of a triangular plot. The mixed use complex includes a ground level public park above underground parking; commercial spaces; and residential units. Of note, approximately 400 square meters of the building’s cladding is a new product made of upcycled trade glass waste (e.g. beer bottles, solar panels) that can be locally recycled at the end of the building’s life. The product is durable, resistant to vandalism, and impervious to staining. I was particularly taken with the triangular pillars around the street perimeter of the public space, some of which had plants growing in them.

Svartlamon

Leaving Solsiden, we crossed under a four lane highway to reach Svartlamon, a tiny “village in a city” oriented towards reduce, re-use and community. There are gardens, community cafes, co-op housing and other grassroots amenities that come from the vision and hard work of the diverse community members. Depending on the website, Svartlamon is described as an alternative district; as being inhabited by squatters and a mix of punks and alternative lifestyle greens; or as a living lab for experimental sustainable architecture.

My attention went to all the street art, including a row of murals on Ivar Matlaus, a unique book cafe staffed by volunteers from the Svartlamon community. According to one local Google reviewer, many of the titles have been donated by professors and other staff of the university. Meetings, community events, activism and entertainment are all commonplace there.

The murals are not included on the Trondheim page on the Street Art Cities website. The Trondheim page is seriously incomplete, listing just 11 street art pieces (in sharp contrast to some 1500 in Bergen). I can’t help but wonder if this is just as much because Trondheim is more off the beaten tourist path as it is because there are simply fewer pieces of street art.

Dora I Submarine Bunker

Just a couple of blocks from Svartlamon, we came to the hulk of Dora I. Following the Nazi occupation of Norway in 1940, German officials realized the country had very limited facilities for ship and submarine repairs. Accordingly, construction of the Dora I submarine base began in 1941. The project was not straightforward. Five Serbian workers from the slave labor force died when a wall fell on them. Timber was the primary building material in Norway, so sourcing the cement, sand and aggregate was a problem. Furthermore, the choice of site did not help. The accumulated mud, sand and clay layers were an unstable base, so the bunker had to be built in parts and stabilized before continuing with the next phase of construction.

Dora I suffered very minor damage from allied bombing runs. After the war ended, Dora I was to be blown up with dynamite. This plan was abandoned due to the sheer size of the bunker. The amount of dynamite required would have caused serious damage to the surrounding buildings.

For a while, the Norwegian submarine force used the facility. Today, the former submarine base houses city and state archives, a bowling alley and other businesses. It’s also the canvas for two large murals. The submarine pens have been converted to a civilian marina.

Islet Munkholmen

Before we turned back inland, Adrian pointed out Munkholmen (Monk’s islet), a small island just offshore the city of Trondheim. The island holds a rich history, being a former monastery, prison, fortress and defence station during World War II. Today the island is a popular summertime hangout site and bathing spot both for locals and tourists. Had we stayed longer in Trondheim, this would have been an interesting outing for a sunny afternoon.

Bakklandet

We returned to Bakklandet, where we’d wandered the night before. En route, we passed Bakke Kirke, an octagonal wooden church built in 1715 by architect Johan Christopher. It’s the oldest building in Bakklandet.

The narrow mixed use streets were quiet on a rainy Saturday morning.

Nidaros Cathedral

We crossed the Old Town Bridge and made our way past Our Lady’s Church (Vår Frue Kirke) on en route to the more impressive Nidaros Cathedral. Our Lady’s Church is lovely and simple from the outside. I particularly noticed the little metal flag atop the spire, with the date 1739. It reminded me of a similar flag on Grip’s Stave Church. I’ve since learned that 1739 was the start of a major renovation.

Nidaros Cathedral was constructed from 1070 to 1300 over the burial site of King Olav II, who reigned from 1015-1028 and became the patron saint of the nation. On completion, it was the largest church in Norway. That original structure was gradually replaced by new building sections in the 13th century and it’s now a blend of Romanesque and Gothic styles. Historically, it’s been an important destination for pilgrims coming from all over northern Europe. Today, the cathedral is also a popular tourist attraction. Even in the pouring rain, crowds of tourists arrived by coach bus. We opted not to enter, it being a Sunday with reduced visiting hours. Instead, we stood in the churchyard for a bit, admiring the architecture. Especially the stone sculptures on the western facade.

This was also the end of our guided walking tour. As always, it was well worth the price. As we said thanks and farewell to Adrian, the rain intensified, so we headed back to our hotel to dry off for a bit.

PoMo

Once we dried off and the rain let up, we headed across the street to PoMo, which we’d noticed the day before. Opened in February 2025, PoMo was financed by Ole Robert Reitan and his former wife Monica Reitan, who collected and enjoyed art for 30 years before founding the private museum. It’s part of a broader vision, which includes the new, neighboring Nye Huorten Teater. And it’s not far from the Kunsthall Trondheim. The Art Nouveau style 1911 post office was reimagined by Iranian-French architect and designer India Mahdavi in collaboration with Norwegian architect Erik Langdalen.

I found everything from the hot pink arched door, to the mango-orange spiral staircase, the Pepto Bismal pink gift shop, and the mint green griffin light fixtures to be a striking contrast to the pure white original Art Nouveau features. Mr GeoK took note of the massive light sculpture, Marquee (2024) by Philippe Parreno hanging just inside the bright pink door from the lobby.

The roof of the repurposed post office is topped with a rainbow-coloured neon sculpture by Ugo Rondinone. It spells out “Our Magic Hour” and is a symbol of the LGBTQIA+ pride movement.

We missed the opening exhibition, “Postcards from the Future,” the name a slight nod to the building’s past. And we were too early for “Picasso: The Code of Painting.” Because we visited between exhibitions, admission was free (as best we can recall).

Sculptures by Austrian artist Franz West and Katharina Fritsch filled most of the main floor exhibition space. But for me, the sweeping spiral steel staircase was the star of the show. We really enjoyed photographing this architectural feature.

Unfortunately, the upper floor Reading Room was closed. And apparently we should have visited the toilets, which have amazing wall mirrors. Online photos of both spaces have me considering a return visit to Trondheim at some point down the road!

Brattøra District

Our next destination was the Brattøra neighbourhood, which is along the shore of the Trondheim Fjord.

Powerhouse Brattørkaia

Designed by Snøhetta, Powerhouse Brattørkaia produces more renewable energy than it consumes, including for its construction, and even supplies surplus energy to the local microgrid, powering electric buses, cars, and boats in the area. It’s recognized as the world’s northernmost energy-positive building. 

This unique building was on our list of places to see in Trondheim because of its internal parklet, with a view to the sky. I really wanted to try fisheye lens photography here. Unfortunately, it was locked off during our visit. 🙁

Rockheim

Rockheim is Norway’s national museum for pop music from the 1950s to present day. Opened in 2010, it’s housed in a 1919 grain warehouse. A cantilevered sixth floor was added, clad in glass decorated with reproductions of album covers and with changeable back-lighting provided by 13,000 individually controllable LEDs. I really would have preferred the opportunity to photograph this building in darkness – or at least dusk or dawn. But since we were visiting within days of the summer solstice, that wasn’t possible. On a longer visit to Trondheim, we would have allocated some time to exploring the six floors.

Clarion Trondheim

The large Clarion hotel and conference centre consists of a 3-dimensional “star” shaped lobby with four distinct bedroom wings. These room blocks are clad in fully-glazed, silk-screen printed white glass panels, which result in a soft, cloud-like effect when viewed from a distance. Inside, rigid panels are arranged to create a 3D geometric effect. The space was pretty crowded, so we took a few photos and departed.

More Public Art

You can climb right inside “What Does the Fjord Say” to listen to sounds from the bottom on the sea. Unfortunately, this sculpture by Ståle Sørensen was in need of a good interior cleaning on the day we visited.

I had a hard time coming up with the name and artist behind the other sculpture we interacted with in Brattørkaia. “The World as Site and Subject” by Jacob Dahlgren consists of 16 traffic poles. On the poles are panels made of highly polished stainless steel, oriented in three different directions. These panels act as mirrors that break up the reflections into different patterns and angles depending on where and how you stand. Thus, content of the work depends on place. Given our increasingly loud grumbling whenever we spotted a large cruise ship tied up to a local wharf, it’s kind of funny that our best photo of this work reflects just such a behemoth!

More Street Photography

Here are a few more shots from our leisurely walk back to the hotel. We stopped for pastries at a highly-rated bakery and wandered through the Martnan festival set up on the main square. Martnan is an historic market tradition dating back to the Middle Ages. In addition to a broad mix of vendors, we spotted basketball, a car display, clowns and magicians.

Jonathan Grill

To wind up our short visit to Trondheim, we opted to dine “in house.” In the basement of the Britannia Hotel, Jonathan Grill serves up an interesting blend of locally sourced food with the option of cooking your own meat at one of the Japanese table grills. The daily specials menu is a list of individual special cuts of meat from the in-house dry-aging cabinet, along with your choice of sauce and choice of potato. Mr GeoK opted for wantons with char siu pork belly and Szechuan chili sauce for a starter, red wine sauce for his meat and mashed potatoes with kimchi butter. I chose no sauce for my meat, baked potatoes with sesame and herb oil and added a side of grilled asparagus with chili crunch to my order. We shared 410 grams of 30-day dry aged beef tenderloin from Trøndelag.

We may very well make a return visit to Trondheim a few years down the road, part of a journey through Sweden, Denmark and on to the Lofoten Islands. If, when we were trip planning, we knew what we now know, we’d have tried to fly into Trondheim instead of Bergen.

Fun Facts:

• Trondheim was founded more than a millennium ago!
• It’s Norway’s third-largest city, with a population just under 220,000.
• Trondheim is considered Norway’s technology capital. It’s home to the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (largest university in the country) and to SINTEF (one of Europe’s leading independt research organizations). Didn’t I write earlier that Trondheim reminded me of Seattle?
• Depending on the source, PoMo stands for either Post Modern or Post Office Museum. Both suit, ‘though in the latter case wouldn’t it be POMo?
• PoMo is determined that at least 60% of new additions to its collection will be from female artists. This is an attempt to counter the gender imbalance found in other Norwegian museums. For example, just 11.45% of the works in the National Museum’s fine art collection are by women, rising to 19% in the modern/contemporary section.
• The restoration of the West Front of the Nidaros cathedral was Norway’s largest ever art project. From 1905 to 1983, sculptors created a series of statues depicting historic and religious figures. The sculptures are based on a mix of historical records, a 17th-century print, and a creative blending of fact and imagination!
• Despite being Trøndelag’s largest city, Trondheim is NOT the administrative capital of the county. Kinda like Calgary and Edmonton here in Alberta. 😉
• Ole Robert Reitan’s family business also owns the Britannia Hotel where we stayed and the Rema 1000 chain of grocery stores where we often stopped to pick up snacks.
• Trondheim has 13 sister cities!!! However, despite all the similarities we noticed, Seattle is NOT one of them.