Steinkjer
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| County | Nord-Trøndelag | |
| District | Innherred | |
| Municipality | NO-1702 | |
| Administrative centre | Steinkjer | |
| Mayor (2005) | Per Sverre Rannem (Ap) | |
| Official language form | Neutral | |
| Area - Total - Land - Percentage |
Ranked 45 1,564 km² 1,423 km² 0.48 % |
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| Population - Total (2004) - Percentage - Change (10 years) - Density |
Ranked 43 20,451 0.45 % -1.3 % 14/km² |
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| Coordinates | ||
| www.steinkjer.kommune.no |
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Contents |
[edit] Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from modern times (1957). It shows a star with six points (to represent Steinkjer as a meeting point for six roads).
[edit] Geography
Steinkjer is the city centre of the municipality Steinkjer Kommune and the administrative city of the county of Nord-Trøndelag, Norway. Steinkjer is located at the head of Beitstadfjorden, the northern branch of the Trondheimsfjord system. To the west, the muncipiality borders the more mountainous Verran muncipiality. To the east is Sweden, 60 km from Steinkjer. To the north are the Snåsa and Namdalseid muncipalities, and to the south are the Inderøy and Verdal muncipialities.
Situated 60 km inland from the coast, Steinkjer is actually still connected to the ocean (Atlantic) through the narrow strait of Skarnsundet, some 25 km south of Steinkjer. The longest cable-stayed bridge in Norway, Skarnsundsbrua, crosses Skarsundet (total length of 1,010 metres). Large ships pass through Skarnsundet and this allows tourists to visit this city by ship. Each year ferries from Hurtigruten 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 spruce forests, as well as agricultural fields in the lowland areas.
Steinkjer lies by road 120 km north of Trondheim following European route E6). The area south and east of Trondheimsfjorden between Trondheim and Steinkjer has a population of about 300,000.
[edit] History
The Steinkjer area has been populated since the Stone Age, as shown by the impressive Bølareinen rock carving, which depicts an almost life-sized reindeer. There are other rock carvings in the area as well, as in Bardal, the oldest up to 6,000 years old (1).
Steinkjer has survived two major disasters in modern history. The first was a city-wide fire in the year 1900, which burned down much of the southern parts of the city. The second disaster happened on April 21, 1940, when the city was struck by Heinkel 111 bombers during World War II, in which it was bombed by the German Nazi forces.
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 city was however quickly rebuilt after 1945 with much aid from the USA. Much of the architecture of modern Steinkjer originates from the 1950s and 1960s with functionalism architecture inspired style, not as esthetically as the previous art nouveau style found in cities like Trondheim and Ålesund. Some historical buildings of Steinkjer survived the bombing, like the train station and city college. These buildings are based upon a neo-classic architectural style (art nouveau), known as Jugendstil. A good example is the railroad station (Jernbanestasjonen) and the college building (administration building for HiNT, the County College of Nord-Trøndelag or Høgskolen i Nord-Trøndelag).
[edit] Natural Resources
Steinkjer is one of Norway’s larger urban municipalities measured by total area. Approximately half of the population live near the town center, while the rest of the population lives in rural areas. However, much of the city is today in the process of urbanization, with the building of several apartment blocks in or within the immediate vicinity of the city. Currently, about 500 apartments are being finished.
Steinkjer is one of the northernmost areas with rich agriculture, 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 silos, visible several kilometres south of Steinkjer and today mark the skyline, 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 city area consists of the large industrial park for wood products.
Most of the ship traffic is related to transportion of the vast forest resources present in Nord-Trøndelag such as timber and cellulose. An important tree species is Norway Spruce.
[edit] Forests and other habitats
The municipality of Steinkjer includes lowland forests, alpine forests as well as areas above the treeline. Byahalla ([1]), the most northerly deciduous temperate forest (hemiboreal) location in the world, with species such as Wych Elm, Hazel, Hepatica, Hedge Woundwort and Garlic Mustard, is located in Steinkjer, probably due to the sheltered south facing location and the good soil resulting from marine deposits. In addition, some moist locations with spruce forests are classified as boreal rainforests and are part of the Scandinavian coastal conifer forests. 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 ([2]). Part of Snåsavatnet, the 6th largest lake in Norway, is located in the municipality, and the river from the lake meets the fjord in Steinkjer.
[edit] Climate
Further north from Steinkjer, geographical distances between cities grow. The temperate climate of Steinkjer also marks a border with the more harsh conditions typical of inland areas further north. Although the January average in Steinkjer is -5°C ([3]), which is colder than coastal areas further north, Steinkjer is more sheltered and is the most northern town with a summer season warm and long enough to allow reliable cultivation of a range of vegetables and grain such as wheat. Steinkjer is therefore recognized as a "border town" between the more densely populated, warmer southern parts of Norway and the less populated, cooler northern parts. Steinkjer has observed temperatures above 32°C but also winter temperatures below -25°C.
[edit] Culture
Steinkjer also has a rich culture and hosts one of the most prominent music cultures in central Norway. Steinkjer is also labeled "Steinkjer Punkrock City" by its most lively citizens. In 2006 a fairly large music festival was established called Steinkjer festivalen (more correctly, SteinkjerFestivalen). The official festival webpage is SteinkjerFestivalen. Steinkjer is rich in history and culture, and each year Steinkjermartnan is a great happening where trading booths are staged in the town centre's streets and a traditional trade festival with concerts are held each year. This large events happens each year in the beginning of August.
In addition, Steinkjer has modern cultural facilities, like a cinema, city library, culture house (in which many cultural events and concerts are held) and a modern swimming pool, Dampsaga Bad. The swimming pool has a 25 metres training pool plus heating pools, sauna, two learning pools for kids, and a large swim tube.
[edit] Education
Steinkjer also houses the administration of HiNT, the College of the county of Nord-Trøndelag. Important studies includes the School of Forestry (Skogskolen). Steinkjer has historically shown that it is an important muncipiality producing many students at Norwegian universities. Only 25% of these young people return to Steinkjer (effectively known as brain-drain). Steinkjer is therefore a muncipiality that produces many people with higher education (oppvekstkommune - students). Students can also go to the SUS (Steinkjer Ungdomsskole/high school).
[edit] Current events
- The city will mark its 150th anniversary in 2007.Have a look at the website for an updated calender of events: http://www.steinkjer2007.no/
- Currently, the European route E6 is heavily improved with the building of a four-lane highway extending 10 km south of Steinkjer and a new tunnel.
- The tunnel is now finished (Eggetunnelen).
- The city centre is growing currently very fast with the building of many apartment buildings.
- The supermarkets Zebra and Globus are merging into one large supermarket, Amfi Steinkjer, 45000 square metres, bigger than City Syd in Trondheim in square metres.
[edit] Famous residents
- Asbjørn Følling, first scientific description of Phenylketonuria (Følling's disease)
- Otto Sverdrup, explorer
- Jacob Weidemann, artist
- Kristoffer Uppdal, poet / writer
- Frederikke Marie Qvam, feminist
[edit] Birdlife
The municipality of Steinkjer with its varied habitats provides the local birdlife with some of the better localities within the region. One of these is Lake Lømsen with its breeding population of Slavonian Grebe. The surrounding woodlands and farmlands hold a host of the commoner Scandinavian species, some like [Fieldfare] and Redwing can be found in good numbers. For more information check: Bird Watching In Norway - Steinkjer
[edit] External links
Dampsaga Culture House - houses public library, concert hall and cinema of Steinkjer [4]
Steinkjer.net - Discusses recent news about commerce and business in Steinkjer [5]
Webcameras showing Steinkjer - see what happens! [6]
| Municipalities of Nord-Trøndelag |  |
|---|---|
|
Flatanger | Fosnes | Frosta | Grong | Høylandet | Inderøy | Leka | Leksvik | Levanger | Lierne | Meråker | Mosvik | Namdalseid | Namsos | Namsskogan | Nærøy | Overhalla | Røyrvik | Snåsa | Steinkjer | Stjørdal | Verdal | Verran | Vikna |
|
