is a
town is a
municipality|Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...
in
Nord-Trøndelagis a county in the central Norwegian region called Trøndelag.-The name:The name Nord-Trøndelag was created in 1919. It means " northern Trøndelag"....
county||-|Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 431 municipalities...
,
NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
. It is part of the
InnheradInnherred is a traditional district in the central part of Norway, consisting of the municipalities of Levanger, Frosta, Steinkjer, Snåsa, Verdal, Inderøy, Mosvik and Verran. The district is only geographical; not administrative nor juridical...
regionNorway is divided into a number of districts. Many districts have deep historical roots, and only partially coincide with today's administrative units of counties and municipalities. The districts are defined by geographical features, often valleys, mountain ranges, fjords, plains, or coastlines,...
. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Steinkjer.
The town of Steinkjer was separated from
StodStod is a former municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway.It was created in 1837 as Stod formannskapsdistrikt. On 23 January 1858 the city of Steinkjer was separated from Stod to constitute a separate administrative unit...
as a municipality of its own on 23 October 1858. The municipalities of
BeitstadBeitstad is a village and former municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It was created in 1837 as Beitstad formannskapsdistrikt.The municipality of Namdalseid was merged with Beitstad in 1846. On January 1 1904 the district of Namdalseid was separated from Beitstad to create a municipality...
,
EggeEgge is a former municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. Originally it was a part of Stod formannskapsdistrikt, but Egge became a municipality of its own on January 1 1869...
,
KvamKvam is a former municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. Originally it was a part of Stod formannskapsdistrikt, but Kvam was separated from Stod and became a municipality of its own on January 1 1909...
,
OgndalOgndal is a former municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway.It was created by a split from Sparbu on January 1, 1885. The municipality, which was known as Skei at that time, had a population of 1.441. On 13 December 1900 the name was changed from Skei to Ogndal.Small territories of Ogndal were...
,
SparbuSparbu is a former municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway.Sparbu was established as a municipality January 1, 1838...
, and Stod were merged together with Steinkjer on 1 January 1964. The geographical
centre of NorwayThe geographical centre of Norway has been identified as a spot in Ogndalsfjella in Steinkjer municipality, Nord-Trøndelag county at . The method used is that of finding the balancing point of mainland Norway with its islands, not including sea area, the overseas areas of Svalbard and Jan Mayen, or...
has been calculated to be in Steinkjer municipality.
History
The Steinkjer area has been populated since the
Stone AgeThe Stone Age is a broad prehistoric time period during which humans widely used stone for toolmaking.Stone tools were made from a variety of different sorts of stone. For example, flint and chert were shaped for use as cutting tools and weapons, while basalt and sandstone were used for ground...
, as shown by the Bølareinen
rock carvingPetroglyphs are images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, pecking, carving, and abrading. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions of the technique to refer to such images...
, which depicts an almost life-sized
reindeerThe reindeer , also known as the caribou when wild in North America, is an Arctic and Subarctic-dwelling deer, widespread and numerous across the Arctic and Subarctic.- Distribution and habitat :...
and a
bearBears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
. There are other rock carvings in the area as well, as in Bardal, the oldest up to 6,000 years old.
The Steinkjer area was one of the strongest powerbases in early
Viking ageViking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the eighth to eleventh centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
.
MæreMære is a village in the municipality of Steinkjer, Norway. Its population is 469. In the early Viking age, Mære was one of the most important religious seremonial places, with sacrifices for the Norse Gods, according to the Sagas....
was one of the best known Norse religious places with sacrifices and seasonal gatherings before
ChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented by the revelations in the New Testament....
came to Norway.
Steinkjer has survived two major disasters in modern history. The first was a town-wide fire in the year 1900, which burned down much of the southern parts of the town. The second disaster happened on 21 April 1940, when the town was struck by
Heinkel He 111The Heinkel He 111 was a German aircraft designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter in the early 1930s in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Often described as a "Wolf in sheep's clothing", it masqueraded as a transport aircraft, but its purpose was to provide the Luftwaffe with a fast medium...
bombers during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, being bombed by the
LuftwaffeLuftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1933 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956.Schweizer Luftwaffe is also the name of the Swiss Air...
.
This attack destroyed a large part of Steinkjer, and many priceless historical buildings were lost, such as Steinkjer Cross-church. A large part of Steinkjer's history was ruined by this attack.
The town was however quickly rebuilt after 1945 with much aid from the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Much of the
architectureFor a topical guide to this subject, see Outline of architecture. Architecture is the art and science of designing and constructing buildings and other physical structures for human shelter or use....
of modern Steinkjer originates from the 1950s and 1960s with
functionalismFunctionalism, in architecture, is the principle that architects should design a building based on the purpose of that building. This statement is less self-evident than it first appears, and is a matter of confusion and controversy within the profession, particularly in regard to modern...
architecture inspired style, not as esthetically as the previous
Art NouveauArt Nouveau is an international movement and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that peaked in popularity at the turn of the 20th century . The name 'Art nouveau' is French for 'new art'...
style found in cities like
Trondheimis a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. The city of Trondheim was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
and
Ålesundis a city and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre region. It is a sea port, and is noted for its unique concentration of Jugendstil architecture....
. Some historical buildings of Steinkjer survived the bombing, like the train station and town college. These buildings are based upon a neo-classic architectural style, known as Jugendstil. A good example is the railroad station (Jernbanestasjonen) and the administration building for HiNT,
Nord-Trøndelag University CollegeNord-Trøndelag University College or HiNT is a Norwegian university college located throughout the county of Nord-Trøndelag...
.
Toponymy
The town is named after the old
Steinkjer farm (
Old NorseOld Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
:
Steinker), since it is built on its ground. The first element is
steinn (
mIn linguistics, grammatical genders, sometimes also called noun classes, are classes of nouns reflected in the behavior of associated words; every noun must belong to one of the classes and there should be very few which belong to several classes at once....
) which means "
stoneIn geology, rock is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
" or "rock". The last element is
ker (
nIn linguistics, grammatical genders, sometimes also called noun classes, are classes of nouns reflected in the behavior of associated words; every noun must belong to one of the classes and there should be very few which belong to several classes at once....
) which means a "barrier made for catching fish".
Coat-of-arms
The
coat-of-armsA coat of arms, more properly called an armorial achievement, armorial bearings or often just arms for short, in European tradition, is a design belonging to a particular person and used by them in a wide variety of ways. Historically, they were used by knights to identify them apart from enemy...
is from modern times. They were granted on 8 March 1957. The arms show a
starA star is a massive, luminous ball of plasma that is held together by gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth. Other stars are visible in the night sky, when they are not outshone by the Sun...
with six points. The original meaning of the star was that six main roads crossed in Steinkjer. After the municipal reorganization, the arms were re-granted, but the meaning has slightly changed. Steinkjer now formed the centre of the municipality and the points are directed to the six other villages in the municipality:
BeitstadBeitstad is a village and former municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It was created in 1837 as Beitstad formannskapsdistrikt.The municipality of Namdalseid was merged with Beitstad in 1846. On January 1 1904 the district of Namdalseid was separated from Beitstad to create a municipality...
,
EggeEgge is a former municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. Originally it was a part of Stod formannskapsdistrikt, but Egge became a municipality of its own on January 1 1869...
,
KvamKvam is a former municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. Originally it was a part of Stod formannskapsdistrikt, but Kvam was separated from Stod and became a municipality of its own on January 1 1909...
,
OgndalOgndal is a former municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway.It was created by a split from Sparbu on January 1, 1885. The municipality, which was known as Skei at that time, had a population of 1.441. On 13 December 1900 the name was changed from Skei to Ogndal.Small territories of Ogndal were...
,
SparbuSparbu is a former municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway.Sparbu was established as a municipality January 1, 1838...
, and
StodStod is a former municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway.It was created in 1837 as Stod formannskapsdistrikt. On 23 January 1858 the city of Steinkjer was separated from Stod to constitute a separate administrative unit...
.
Geography
Steinkjer is the urban centre of the municipality,
Steinkjer kommune, and the administrative centre of the county of Nord-Trøndelag. Steinkjer is located at the head of Beitstadfjorden, the northern branch of the
TrondheimsfjordThe Trondheimsfjord , an inlet of the Norwegian Sea, is Norway's third longest fjord, 130 km long, in the west central part of the country. It stretches from Ørland in west to Steinkjer in north, passing the city of Trondheim on its way. Its maximum depth is 617 meters, just inside of...
system. To the west, the muncipiality borders the more mountainous
VerranVerran is a municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Innherad region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Malm. Verran borders the municipalities of Rissa, Steinkjer, Leksvik, Mosvik, Namdalseid, and Inderøy.The municipality of Mosvik og Verran...
muncipiality. To the east is
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
, 60 km from Steinkjer. To the north are the
SnåsaSnåsa is a municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Innherad region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Snåsa. Snåsa was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
and
NamdalseidNamdalseid is a municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Namdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Namdalseid...
municipalities, and to the south are the
InderøyInderøy is a municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Innherad region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Straumen. Inderøy is located at a peninsula in the inner sections of Trondheimsfjorden, bordering to Levanger, Mosvik, Steinkjer, Verdal...
and
VerdalVerdal is a municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Innherad region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Verdalsøra ....
muncipialities.
Situated 60 km inland from the coast, Steinkjer is actually still connected to the ocean (Atlantic) through the narrow
straitA strait or straits is a narrow, navigable channel of water that connects two larger navigable bodies of water. It most commonly refers to a channel of water that lies between two land masses, but it may also refer to a navigable channel through a body of water that is otherwise not navigable, for...
of Skarnsundet, some 25 km south of Steinkjer. The longest
cable-stayed bridgeA cable-stayed bridge is a bridge that consists of one or more columns , with cables supporting the bridge deck....
in Norway, Skarnsundsbrua, crosses Skarsundet (total length of 1,010 metres). Large ships pass through Skarnsundet and this allows tourists to visit this town by ship. Each year ferries from
HurtigrutenHurtigruten or Hurtigruta is a Norwegian passenger and freight line with daily sailings along Norway's spectacular western and northern coast. Ships sail almost the entire length of the country, completing the roundtrip journey in 11 days...
make trips to the cruise port of Steinkjer, more than 130 km of travel through the fjord system. The landscape is dotted with wavy hills and dense
spruceA spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from 20–60 m tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and...
forests, as well as agricultural fields in the lowland areas.
Steinkjer lies by road 120 km north of Trondheim following
European route E6E 6 is the designation for the main north-south road in Norway, and the west coast of Sweden, running from the southern tip of Sweden, at Trelleborg, into Norway and through almost all of the country north to Finnmark. The route ends close to the Norwegian border with Russia...
. The area south and east of Trondheimsfjorden between (and including) Trondheim and Steinkjer has a population of about 270,000.
The town is situated on the
NordlandsbanenThe Nordland Line is a railway line between Trondheim and Bodø in Norway. Running for approximately 729 km, it is the Norwegian railway system's longest line, and the only one in Norway to cross the Arctic Circle. It is owned by the Norwegian National Rail Administration...
railway line from Trondheim, and is served by
Steinkjer StationSteinkjer Station is a railway station located in the town of Steinkjer, Norway and is located on the railway line Nordlandsbanen. The station serves both local and express trains northbound through Innherred and to Nordland, and southbound to Trondheim....
.
Birdlife
Steinkjer, with its varied
habitatThe term habitat has a number of meanings:* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows** Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
s, provides the local birdlife with some of the best localities within the region. One of these is Lake Lømsen with its breeding population of
Slavonian GrebeThe Horned Grebe or Slavonian Grebe, Podiceps auritus, is a member of the grebe family of water birds.It is a small grebe at 31–38 cm long with a 46–55 cm wingspan. Unmistakable in summer, the male's plumage includes a black head with brown puffy earlike tufts along the sides of its face...
. The surrounding woodlands and farmlands hold a host of the commoner Scandinavian species, some, like
FieldfareThe Fieldfare is a member of the thrush family Turdidae. This species was first described by Linnaeus in his Systema naturae in 1758 under its current scientific name...
and
RedwingThe Redwing is a bird in the thrush family Turdidae, native to Europe and Asia, slightly smaller than the related Song Thrush.-Taxonomy:...
, can be found in good numbers.
Natural resources
Steinkjer is one of Norway’s larger urban municipalities measured by total area. Approximately half the population live near the town center, while the rest live in
ruralRural areas are large and isolated areas of a country, often with low population density.About 91 percent of the rural population now earn salaried incomes, often in urban areas...
areas. However, much of the town is today in the process of
urbanizationUrbanization is the physical growth of urban areas from rural areas as a result of population immigration to an existing urban area. Effects include change in density and administration services. While the exact definition and population size of urbanized areas varies amongdifferent countries,...
, with the building of several apartment blocks in or within the immediate vicinity of the town. Currently, about 500 apartments are being finished.
Steinkjer is one of the northernmost areas with rich
agricultureAgriculture is the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of human civilization, with the husbandry of domesticated animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated and...
, allowing large production of grain. It is obvious from the landscape that Steinkjer is a typical agricultural municipality. In addition, there are large forest resources in the immediate area. The tallest buildings in Steinkjer are two 40-metre tall
grain silosA silo is a structure for storing bulk materials.Silo may also refer to:* Silo , a 3D modeling software* Silo , a defunct chain of retail electronics stores* SILO , used in Linux...
, visible several kilometres south of Steinkjer and today mark the
skylineA skyline is best described as the overall or partial view of a city's tall buildings and structures consisting of many skyscrapers in front of the sky in the background. It can also be described as the artificial horizon that a city's overall structure creates. Skylines serve as a kind of...
, especially when viewed from the south.
Kirknesvaag Sag & Høvleri is a large wood mill and industry park producing wood planks and treehouse module components. Almost half of the inner town area consists of the large industrial park for wood products. Most of the ship traffic is related to transportation of the vast forest resources present in Nord-Trøndelag such as
timberTimber may refer to:*Lumber, i.e. wood materials* Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S. state of Oregon* Timber , a 1984 arcade game by Bally Midway* An alternative spelling for Timbre...
and
celluloseCellulose is an organic compound with the formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to over ten thousand β linked D-glucose units....
. An important tree species is
Norway SpruceNorway Spruce is a species of spruce native to Europe. It is a large evergreen coniferous tree growing to 35-55 m tall and with a trunk diameter of up to 1-1.5 m. The shoots are orange-brown and glabrous...
.
Forests and other habitats
The municipality of Steinkjer includes lowland forests, alpine forests as well as areas above the treeline. A part of Blåfjella-Skjækerfjella National Park is located in the municipality. Byahalla, the most northerly deciduous temperate forest (
hemiborealHemiboreal means halfway between the temperate and subarctic zones. The term is most frequently used in the context of ecosystems....
) location in the world, with species such as
Wych ElmThe Wych Elm Ulmus glabra
Huds., or Scots Elm, is a large deciduous tree native to Europe, Asia Minor, and the Caucasus. Essentially a montane species, the tree occurs as far north as latitude 67°N at Beiarn in Norway and has also been successfully introduced to Narsarsuaq, near the...
,
HazelThe Common Hazel is a species of hazel native to Europe and western Asia, from the British Isles south to Iberia, Greece, Turkey and Cyprus, north to central Scandinavia, and east to the central Ural Mountains, the Caucasus, and northwestern Iran. It is an important component of the hedgerows that...
,
HepaticaHepatica is a genus of herbaceous perennial plants belonging to the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae. A native of central and northern Europe, Asia and northeastern North America, Hepatica is sometimes called liverleaf or "liverwort". It should not be confused with liverworts, which may also be...
,
Hedge WoundwortStachys is a genus of about 300 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants and shrubs in the family Lamiaceae. The distribution of the genus covers Europe, Asia, Africa, Australasia and North America. Common names include heal-all, self-heal, woundwort, betony, lamb's ears, and hedgenettle...
and
Garlic MustardGarlic mustard is a biennial flowering plant in the Mustard family, Brassicaceae. It is native to Europe, western and central Asia, and northwestern Africa, from Morocco, Iberia and the British Isles, north to northern Scandinavia, and east to northern India and western China...
, is located in Steinkjer, probably due to the sheltered south facing location and the good soil resulting from marine deposits. Some moist locations with spruce forests are classified as boreal rainforests and are part of the
Scandinavian coastal conifer forestsThis northern European ecoregion is classified as a temperate coniferous forests, and within it is a number of small areas with botanical features and local climate consistent with a temperate rainforest.
- Location :...
. The shallow river estuaries in the inner part of Trondheimsfjord have some of the richest bird life in Norway; thousands of migratory birds feed here. Part of
SnåsavatnetSnåsavatnet is Norway's 6th largest lake, with an area of approximately 120 km². The surface is only 24 m above sea level. Snåsavatnet is located in Steinkjer and Snåsa municipalities in Nord-Trøndelag county. The lake is approximately 40 km long and on average 3 km wide. The lake is created by...
, the 6th largest lake in Norway, is located in the municipality, and the river from the lake meets the fjord in Steinkjer town.
Climate
Further north from Steinkjer, geographical distances between cities grow. The climate of Steinkjer marks a border with the more harsh conditions typical of inland areas further north. The January average in Steinkjer is -5°C, and the July 24-hr average is 14°C. Steinkjer has a sheltered location and is the most northern town with a summer season long enough to allow reliable cultivation of
wheatWheat is a worldwide cultivated grass from the Fertile Crescent region of the Near East. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
. Steinkjer is therefore recognized as a "border town" between the more densely populated southern parts of Norway and the less populated northern part. Steinkjer has observed temperatures above 32°C but also winter temperatures below -25°C.
Culture
Steinkjer also has a rich
cultureCulture is a term that has different meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
and hosts one of the most prominent music cultures in central Norway. Steinkjer is also labeled "Steinkjer Punkrock town" by some of its citizens. The music festival Steinkjerfestivalen was established in 2006. Steinkjermartnan, held each year in August, is a happening where trading booths are staged in the town centre's streets and a traditional trade festival with concerts are held.
Steinkjer has the standard cultural facilities like a
cinemaA movie theater, movie theatre, picture theatre, film theater or cinema is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
, town
libraryA library is a collection of sources, resources, and services, and the structure in which it is housed; it is organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution, or a private individual. In the more traditional sense, a library is a collection of books. It can mean the collection,...
, culture house (in which many cultural events and concerts are held) and a modern
swimming poolA swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is an artificially enclosed body of water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest and deepest is the Olympic size...
, Dampsaga Bad. The swimming pool has a 25 metres training pool plus heating pools,
saunaA sauna is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary facilities. These facilities derive from the Finnish sauna...
, two learning pools for kids, and a large swim tube.
Education
Steinkjer houses the administration and
Faculty of Society, Commerce and Nature of
Nord-Trøndelag University CollegeNord-Trøndelag University College or HiNT is a Norwegian university college located throughout the county of Nord-Trøndelag...
. Important studies include the School of Forestry . Historically, Steinkjer has produced a higher than average amount of university students. Only 25% of the students return to Steinkjer. Steinkjer is therefore a muncipiality that produces many people with higher education students. In Norwegian, municipalities such as Steinkjer that produce many people with higher education who leave the municipality are known as
oppvekstkommuner .
Notable residents
- Anders Bardal
Anders Bardal is a Norwegian ski jumper who has competed since 2001. He won two silver medals in the team large hill event at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships ....
, Ski jumperSki jumping is a sport in which skiers go down an "inrun" with a take-off ramp , attempting to fly as far as possible. In addition to the length that skiers jump, judges give points for style. The skis used for ski jumping are wide and long...
- Asbjørn Følling, first scientific description of Phenylketonuria
Phenylketonuria is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder characterized by a deficiency in the hepatic enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase . This enzyme is necessary to metabolize the amino acid phenylalanine to the amino acid tyrosine...
(Følling's disease)
- Silje Nergård, musician
- Otto Sverdrup
Otto Neumann Sverdrup was a native of Bindal, Nordland county, Norway, known for his achievements within the areas of Arctic science and exploration.-Early life:...
, explorer
- Andreas Engberg, poet
- Kristoffer Uppdal, poet/writer
- Jakob Weidemann
Jakob Weidemann was a Norwegian artist. Weidemann is considered one of the most influential artists within Norwegian modernism in the 1950s, and pioneered abstract painting in Norway in the decades following the Second world war...
, artist
- Arthur Tessem, artist
External links