With historic battlegrounds and southern Sami cultural areas, Nord-Trøndelag is a fascinating destination in the centre of Norway.
Steinkjer, Nord-Trøndelag’s administrative centre, has been an important centre ever since Norse times, and the 800-year-old stone church in Mære can attest to this. The municipality of Steinkjer can actually call itself Norway's focal point, something that is certainly felt when June comes around and the Steinkjer Festival takes off with a number of Norwegian and foreign music artists. The Bauta Stone (Bautasteinen), which marks the geographic midpoint, is located along a marked loop in Skjækervatnet.
Historically, perhaps Verdal is best known because it is here that the decisive battle at Stiklestad took place almost a thousand years ago. The area and the battle are at the Stiklestad National Culture Centre (Stiklestad nasjonale kultursenter), where a Middle Age farm has been reconstructed and a folk museum has been set up with around 30 buildings dating back to the 1700 and 1800s. At the end of July, the perfect time for a weekend trip to Nord-Trøndelag, the Olsokdagene festival is held in Stiklestad, a festival where the highlight is the outdoor theatre performance of The Saint Olav Drama.
Around Namsos, there are several exciting museums to visit, such as Norsk Sagbruksmuseum, which is a preserved steam sawmill from the 1800s, the Namdals Museum and the Nord-Trøndelag Art Museum. If you like fishing, there are fabulous opportunities both along the coastline and in Namsskogan. Why not stop by the Kystmuseet Norveg in Rørvik?
Stop by Levanger during your trip in Nord-Trøndeland, where the Levanger museum has a large number of historical photographs in different collections available to the public. Close by, you will also find the ruins from Munkeby Cloister, most likely erected in the 1100s, and if the weather is nice, taking a bike ride to Ytterøy is highly recommended, it isn’t called the pearl of Trondheim Fjord for nothing.
The Southern Sami people have a long history in this part of the country and the Southern Sami Museum and Cultural Centre Saemien Sijte in Snåsa provides a better insight into how their traditions are preserved and kept alive today. Here you will find a Southern Sami yard with traditional buildings and the centre offers guided tours, especially in the summer.
You will find Værnes Airport in the municipality of Stjørdal, which can tempt you with stories of Værnes Church from the 1100s and the Hegra Fortress, which is intact with both cannons, trenches and tunnels. The area has both an inland border with Sweden and a coastal border with the Norwegian Sea, and has good road and train connections.
