Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Hell

Hell Station





Stiklestad, Verdal



During the 8th century, Norway was controlled by several local strong kings having control over their regions. At the end of the century, King Harald Fairhair (ON Haraldr Hárfagri) managed, in no little part due to the military superiority gained by his alliance with Sigurd Ladejarl of Nidaros, to subjugate these mini–kingdoms, and created the first unified Norwegian state.


This alliance folded after Harald's death, together with the infant state. The jarls of Lade and various descendants of Harald Fairhair would spend the next century interlocked in feuds over power. As well as power politics, religion also played a part in these conflicts, as two of the descendents of Harald Fairhair, Håkon the Good and Olav Tryggvason attempted to convert the then heathen Norwegians to Christianity.

In the year 1000, Svein (ON Sveinn) and Erik (ON Eiríkr) of Lade took control over Norway, being supported by the Danish king Svein.

In the year 1015, Olav Haraldsson, representing the descendants of Harald Fairhair, returned from one of his Viking trips and was immediately elected as King of Norway. In June 1016 he won the battle at Nesjar against the Lades.


The major reason behind Olav Haraldsson's success in becoming King of Norway was the fact that Denmark was busy trying to conquer England. In the year 1028 however, the Danish King Canute the Great made an alliance with the Lades, and Olav had to go into exile in Garðaríki (Russia). In the year of 1029 the last Lade, Håkon Jarl, drowned, and Olav decided to return to Norway with his army to regain his throne and the Kingdom of Norway.

According to saga sources, he traveled with his 3,600 man army through Sweden and crossed the mountains into the valley of Verdal (ON Veradalr), 80 km north of the city of Trondheim. Olav and his men arrived at Stiklestad a farm in the lower part of the valley. This was where the Battle of Stiklestad took place, as described by Snorre (Snorri Sturluson) in his famous book Heimskringla 200 years later.

At Stiklestad, Olav met an army led by Hårek from Tjøtta (ON Hárekr ór Þjóttu), Tore Hund (ON Þórir Hundr) from Bjarkøy and Kalf Arnason (ON Kálfr Árnason), a man who previously served Olav. The peasant army consisted of more than 7,000 men according to Snorre.

The battle took place on July 29, 1030 and at the end of the day, Olav's army had lost. During the battle, Olav received three severe wounds and died leaning against a large stone. His body was carried away and buried in secrecy in Trondheim.

100 years later, Nidaros Cathedral was built in Trondheim, and Olav's coffin was moved to this church. In the 16th Century, during the Protestant Reformation period, Olav's coffin was moved and his remains were reburied somewhere in Nidaros Cathedral — exactly where is still today an unsolved mystery.

















The playground



Mom was still best

Nidarosdommen, Trondhjem

Work on erecting the first stone church at St. Olav's burial site commenced around 1070, and it is assumed that the Cathedral was finished in all its splendour some time around 1300. It was then held to be the most beautiful church in the entire country, which we of course claim it still is! Admittedly, the Cathedral has undergone a great deal of restoration work after centuries of decay, but now, after more than 130 years of restoration and rebuilding, we can really appreciate the impression the church must have made on medieval pilgrims.


King Olav Haraldsson was buried by Nidelven, the river Nid, after he was killed in the battle of Stiklestad in 1030. Tradition has it that the high Altar of the Cathedral now stands on the exact spot of this burial site. One year and five days after he died the King was declared a saint, and pilgrims began to flock to Nidaros and the King's grave.


When restoration of the West Front started about 100 years ago only a handful of the original sculptures had survived. Most of today's sculptures have therefore been modelled and cut during the 1900s.










Sverresborg Trondhjem

Sverresborg museum dates back to 1906 when a group of Trondhjems residents started collecting houses with characteristic houses on the way the houses where build earlier times.






We werw able to go back in time to 1906 and experience life in 1906. The girls were not to happy about having to put on costumes for the show. Sunniva the maid from 1906 had a boyfriend that had moves to America two years ago and spoke a little english so the girls could understand her.


We had to go to the grocer to pick up some items for the rich woman Sunniva worked for. He said that he saw some black legs run out of the store and after counting his candies, he found one was missing. The girls were lucky enough to get one piece of candy from 1906.


After the grocer we headed to the postoffice to see if Sunnivas boyfriend had sent her a letter, bu no letter and the grocer told her to wait another 2 years to receive a letter.



We then headed up to Sunnivas friends house to give her the box that came from America. She was very excited about getting a presesent all the way from America. In the bottom of the box was a letter from Erik, sunnivas boyfriend, where he asked her to marry her.


After the show the actors told fairy tales like they used to do in the old days. They did a great job


They also had animals, and the girls thought the pig smelt very bad





The museum also had a skimuseum.






As well as a several dentist offices througout the last 100 years


Roadtrip

Our first stop on our trip to Trondheim after spending the night at my brothers house was Hanar. We stopped at the Olympic arena; Norlyshallen (Polar Light Hall) used at the 1994 Winter Olympics.


The kids were disapointed that we were unalble to go inside the building, there were some sort of function going on.


The building is beautiful, and it was used for figure skating and short track speed skating.


It is the largest wooden building in northern Europe and was buildt in 1992.


Now we have reached the mountains and an ice cream stop at Dovregubbens Hall on the mountains of Dovre.





A troll is natural to see here