South Trøndelag County is one out of 19 counties in Norway with a area of 18.832 km2 and a population of approximately 310,047.
Each County is divided into different municipality. For South Trøndelag County those are: Agdenes; Bjugn; Frøya; Hemne; Hitra; Holtålen; Klæbu; Malvik; Meldal; Melhus; Midtre Gauldal; Oppdal; Orkdal; Osen; Rennebu; Rissa; Roan; Røros; Selbu; Skaun; Snillfjord; Trondheim; Tydal; Ørland and Åfjord
Principal industries are Farming and forestry, industry, trade and commerce, public and private service industries. Place to visit: Nidaros Cathedral, Hitra, Frøya, Henfallet, Harbakhula, Røros, Oppdal.
South Trøndelag on a fine summer day would surprise everybody. The fertile and luxuriant fields undulate inland along Trondheimsfjorden, and are framed by forest clad ridges which stretch up towards the border mountain range.
Over 1.000 years ago, the great farm owners governed Central Norway from the court at Frosta. This was before Norway became a kingdom. At Stiklestad, the saint-king Olav Haraldson (Olav the Holy) was defeated by the farmers” army during his crusade to christianise the country. The dethroned king managed to achieve his objective, albeit post mortem. He was canonised and his mortal remains were later placed in the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, the seat of the Primate of All Norway. This status remained until the fall of Catholicism in 1536.
The last archbishop, Olav Engelbrektson, built the fort at Steinvikholm, but fled before the superior forces. People from Trøndelag are conscious of their past. Stiklestad continues to be a cultural centre attended by an Increasing number of visitors. Each July, on St.Olav´s day, the battle is re-enacted. Several thousand spectators relive the dramatic days of 1030 through a magnificent performance involving actors, choir and orchestra.
Today, the large farms dominate the area. The special Trønderlag building style comprising large, long dwelling houses dominates the cultural landscape. Farmland gradually gives way to forest as we approach the mountainous region.
Oppdal with pists for winter sports of every category is a popular destination for tourists, and so is also Røros. Along the coasts the isles of Hitra and Frøya has benefited from the interest in salt water fishing, especially among German tourists. At Røros as well as Løkken there are mining museums and the old underground halls serve as magnificent concert halls. The ancient and rich coastal culture is put on display at old trading centres and fish processing plants. The Rissa Coastal Museum puts on display the ancient tradition of the Lofoten fisheries.
TRONDHEIM
The Nidaros Cathedral is the world´s most northern cathedral, set over the grave of Saint Olav, patron saint and eternal king of Norway. He fell in the battle at Stiklestad on July 29 in the year 1030 AD. The Christ Church raised over his grave was begun in 1070 and was completed in about 1300. The cathedral was the focus for pilgrimages during the middle ages. Recently, more than 900 km of the ancient pilgrim routes have been identified, one starting in Oslo and one in Skalstugan in Sweden. The Olav festival is celebrated annually around the 29th of July with church services, concerts, lectures and a number of cultural activities.
The mining town of Røros was inscribed on UNESCO´s World Heritage List in 1980. In 1644 copper ore was found in the Røros mountains and in the following year the first furnace was built near a waterfall in the Hitterelva river. Workers flooded to Røros from near and far, to work in the copper foundry.
The mines are located outside of the town center, but are planned to be included in the expansion of the area inscribed in the World Heritage List. Both at Nyberget (1650) and Olavsgruva mine (1936) it is possible to be guided downwards and inwards through the mountain. At Olavsgruva mine is the Bergmanns hall, which can be used for concerts and other occasions.
TITRAN
The southern most point on Frøya is an old fishing village with about 130 inhabitants. On October 13, 1899, 150 fishermen lost their lives in a very heavy storm at sea off the coast of Titran. There is a memorial monument at the chapel in Titran that commemorates those who died. Their names are engraved on the monument. Titran is also known for its experimental wind mill energy production. There are 2 windmills. The tallest windmill is 32 meters high and can produce 4000 kW. Stabben Fortress is a coastal fortress built during the second world war, by Russian and Serbian prisoners.
The climatic variations are great within the county. The coast has cool summers and mild winters, while the central part around Røros has a continental climate with great temperature variations through the year and little precipitation.
PLANT LIFE
The largest kelp forests of the Norwegian coast are found along the island chain of Froan. Coastal pastures and cliffs border heather-clad hills. The coastal birch and pine forests gradually give way to fir forests which in Trøndelag have the nearest costal proximity in Europe. Elm and hazel thrive on sheltered slopes opening to the south and west. As a result of a very varied climate and geology there is a greater variety of peatlands than anywhere else in Norway. The mountain flora is also more varied than elsewhere in Norway.
ANIMAL LIFE
The fauna of Sør-Trøndelag is rich and varied and reflects the variations of nature. The outer skerries have colonies of cormorants. There are wintering colonies for sea birds along much of the coast. The coastal area have healthy populations of otter, white-tailed eagle, geese and either ducks. Further inland there are wetlands of great importance for migrating birds. On the islands of Froan the grey seals have their largest breeding grounds in Norway.
The woods and cultured landscapes of the inland valleys sustain healthy populations of hare, fox, badger, marten and numerous bird species. This is where you can find our four wild species of deer: elk, antler, doe and reindeer. Of the larger carnivores there is a population of Iynx on the Fosen peninsula and wolverine at Dovre.
Stray bears may be seen, but wolves are more unusual guests. The most unique element in the Sør-Trøndelag fauna is the musk ox. The core area is the Dovre mountains, but we also share a flock with the Swedes along the Femundsmarka. The musk ox was intro duced at Dovre mountains by imports frorn Greenland in the 1950s and numbers presently about 80. The Dovre mountains are the only remaining echo system for wild reindeer, wolverine and mountain fox.
GEOLOGY
The basement rocks are found as gneisses along the coast and in the Trollheimen mountains, formed as long ago as 1.850 million years. The overlying nappe metamorphic rocks are originally sedimentary and igneous rocks like phylites and mica schist formed between 800 and 430 million years ago. They have been of economic importance as sources for the mining of several metals and minerals. Important parts of our mining history are linked to the mining of these sources. Old mining communities are Røros, Løkken and Ålen. Along the Trondheim fjord and the coast the soils are marine clays deposited during the deglaciation isostatic low. These soils form the basis for the present agricultural industry.
MUSIC and THEATRE
The new Trøndelag Theatre started production in September 1997. The old stage from 1816 has been preserved within the premises. The town has one of the Europe”s best concert halls, Olavshallen. This is the concert hall of Trondheim Symphony Orchestra which has won international acclaim. Trondheim has a number of independent theatre groups performing at the “Avant Garden”. Every second year the students stage the “UKA” with revues, stage performances, concerts and a number of other events.
The Trondheim Soloists have toured internationally and these young musicians have received standing ovations wherever they performed. Choirs like Cantus and Embla are vital parts of the cultural life. There are museums and galleries for arts and applied arts. The art collection at Trondheim Kunstmuseum is one of the largest in Norway and Ringve Music Museum is the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. On the out skirts of the town, at Sverresborg, is the open air museum of Trøndelag Folk Museum.
SPORTS
82 school bands and a number of amateur theatre groups are active whitin the county. Several historical plays are regularly staged. One of the more spectacular is the Karoliner pageant in memory of the Swedish invasion in 1718/19. It is performed outdoors in the cold and snow of January. The sportsmen and women of Sør-Trøndelag have been among our nation´s sport aces. They can boast a great number of Olympic and world championships in both winter and summer sports. The World Skiing Championships in Trondheim 1997 was a celebration of sports for the competitors as well as the public.
COMMUNICATIONS
The twin hulled express boats provide the quickest connections with the communities of Fosen, Hitra and Frøya. In addition there are three daily departures with express boats between Trondheim and Kristiansund. Two ferry services connect the Fosen peninsula with the rest of the county. The ferry service to Hitra came to an end in 1994 when a sub sea tunnel 5.610 m long was opened. A similar tunnel is under construction in order to link the island of Frøya with the mainland. Trondheim airport Værnes is located 30 km from the city centre and serve two million travellers annually. Røros airport is also connected to the national network of scheduled flights. There are airports for smaller planes at Frøya and Oppdal.
The “Trønderbanen” railway service connects population centres in central Norway There are railway services towards Oslo to the south, towards Sweden to the east and towards Bodø to the north. There are excellent harbour facilities in Trondheim and Orkdal. Trondheim Harbour Authority have docking facilities for cruise ships and the coastal express. There are cargo line services for Norwegian and European destinations. Bus services are well developed and carry 20 million passengers annually. A tramline in Trondheim brings passengers to the surrounding woods and hills along a senic route.
EDUCATION
The Norwegian University of Technology and Science, NTNU, is the second largest university in Norway. Other institutions of tertiary education are the Sør-Trøndelag College (HiST), the Norwegian School of Management, Trondheim (Bl) and Dronning Mauds Minne college for nursery school teacher training. A total of 24.000 students attend the institutions of tertiary education in Trondheim.
There are 28 upper secondary schools in the county, located in 15 municipalities, providing education for 9.700 students with a choice of 13 branches of studies including general studies with economic and administrative subjects, music/dance/drama, sports and 10 vocational branches. In addition to these, there are six private schools for upper secondary education.