The oldest of the wharves along the River Nidelva date back to the 18th century; nevertheless, they still give the impression of the waterfront as it was long before then. The wharves remind us of the importance of Trondheim as a merchant city.
Once again their neighbours to the east, the Swedes, were here on one of their "friendly" visits, back in 1658, and many of the wharves were damaged.
But the people of Trondheim have always seen the special quality of the wharves, so they are still proudly standing today, having not only survived the Swedes, but also plans in the 1930s to tear them down and replace them with modern blocks in the functionalist style. Saner heads prevailed so that these special buildings still grace Trondheim along the Nid river (Bakklandet and Kjøpmannsgata) and along Fjodgata and Sandgata.
On the seafront, towards the canal, many of the wharves were built more recently, in the 19th and 20th centuries. Housing shops, offices, restaurants and cafes, they still hold a special charm. |  | 
For the most part Norwegians are a healthy people, but sometimes it's hard going when they bike up some of thier steep hills. That's why Trondheim was the first city in the world with a lift specially designed for cyclists. The bicycle lift helps cyclists up the steep Brubakken hill near Gamle Bybro, almost all the way up to Kristiansten Fort.
Don't be shy, give it a try.
You can borrow a bicycle and a key card to operate the lift from the Tourism Office at the town square (Torvet).
To use the lift you insert your key card, put your right foot on the foot rest and sit back on your bicycle seat while you glide up the 130 metre hill at a comfortable speed of 2 metres a second.
While it's worth trying just for the experience, at the top of the hill you'll also find yourself in a lovely, idyllic part of Trondheim, and you're just a stone's throw from Kristiansten Fort. |
Samfundet...the center of ISFiT's official events and more... 
I took this picture during ISFiT, at NTNU, near the main building. Nature and its colours are one of the best part of Norway... | 
Trondheim is one of the most distinctive towns built of wood in Scandinavia. Today such wooden towns are preserved as part of a valuable cultural heritage. Many of the wooden buildings in Trondheim date from the 19th century, but these retain something of a tradition going back to the 18th and 17th centuries. It could be said that the origin of these streets and alleys with their wooden houses goes as far back as the Middle Ages.
Trondheim has been ravaged by fire several times. The houses in Holstveita (see picture) were rebuilt after the fire of 1842. Roofs were given expensive tiling instead of turf and planks that were usual before. However, much of the old style was retained, and several of the old alleys, such as Holstveita, were allowed to follow the same route as they had done since the 17th century.
The main street grid, planned after the great fire of 1681, is much wider, but the alleys that remain show us what city life was like centuries ago.
In the city centre you will find areas where buildings from the 18th century are well preserved and in use today. In the area around Hospitalsløkkan some of the buildings date from the early 19th century and even earlier.
Due to the many major fires in the city, in 1845 a new Building Act laid down that buildings in the centre had to be made of brick. This law was not enforced in areas further out from the centre until 1899 so in the areas called Møllenberg and Rosenborg you will find many wooden houses, in fact this area is one of the largest in Norway with rows of wooden houses. 
That's Trondheim! |
