Trondheim, Norway
After spending a day in Bergen, I boarded the Hurtigruten Coastal Express and sailed the round-trip coastal route back to Bergen.
This was a 12-day cruise filled with lots of beautiful scenery and excursions.
Stay tuned for the blog about excursions. It was cold, beautiful, and so much FUN! And check out my Winter gear page. It was COLD but I was warm - thanks to lots of wool and flannel clothing!
One of the first stops on this cruise was to the city of Trondheim.
As we approached this beautiful city, the crew provided background on an interesting island located near the port.
Munkholmen is a small island that has served as a place of execution, a monastery, a fortress, a prison, and a World War II anti-aircraft gun station.
The city of Trondheim was founded by King Olav Tryggvason (not to be confused with St. Olav II Haraldsson – patron saint of Norway).
Olav Tryggvason founded the city of Trondheim in 997. In the early 12th century, Benedictine monks lived on the island. The monastery on the island was founded by King Canut in the early 1100s and dedicated to St. Benedict and St. Lawrence.
A fort was established on the island in 1658 following the Swedish siege of Trondheim during the Dano-Swedish War. This fort also served as a prison until 1893.
In 1940, Nazi Germany captured Trondheim early in the Norwegian campaign. The Germans established a submarine base in Trondheim and equipped the island with anti-aircraft weaponry.
Today, Munkholmen is a popular tourist attraction and recreation site.
Another beautiful attraction in Trondheim is the Nidaros Cathedral.
The Nidaros Cathedral was built over the burial site of King Olav II, patron saint of Norway, and took over 230 years to complete. Construction of this beautiful cathedral began in 1070 with completion in 1300. In 1152, the cathedral was designated as the Catholic Archdiocese of Nidaros. However, in 1537, following the Protestant Reformation, the church became part of the newly established state Church of Norway.
Nidaros Cathedral is the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world.
An interesting side altar in the cathedral is dedicated to the Sami people. The Sami people are the indigenous inhabitants of Northern Norway and other surrounding countries.
Behind the main altar and to its left, is a beautiful chapel where morning prayer is held each Tuesday.
A short three-minute walk from the Nidaros Cathedral is the St. Olav Catholic Cathedral. Again, I can’t help but wonder what St. Olav would think of the division in Christianity.
It was a beautiful walk back to the ship. There are so many great things to see in this beautiful country.
Stay tuned for the next blog about the excursions. It was cold and lots of fun and several things got checked off my bucket list.
What’s on your bucket list? Is Norway on the list? Even in February – when it was quite cold – there was so much beauty to behold.
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