Steinkjer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone or spelling. You can assist by editing it now. A how-to guide is available. (March 2007) |
| Steinkjer kommune | |||
| — Municipality — | |||
|
|||
 |
|||
| Coordinates: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Norway | ||
| County | Nord-Trøndelag | ||
| District | Innherred | ||
| Municipality ID | NO-1702 | ||
| Administrative centre | Steinkjer | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor (2005) | Per Sverre Rannem (Ap) | ||
| Area (Nr. 45 in Norway) | |||
| - Total | 1,564 km² (603.9 sq mi) | ||
| - Land | 1,423 km² (549.4 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2008) | |||
| - Total | 20,672 | ||
| - Density | 14/km² (36.3/sq mi) | ||
| - Change (10 years) | -1.3 % | ||
| - Rank in Norway | 43 | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Official language form | Neutral | ||
|
|
|||
| Website: www.steinkjer.kommune.no | |||
Steinkjer is a town and a municipality in the county of Nord-Trøndelag, Norway.
The town of Steinkjer was separated from Stod as a municipality of its own October 23, 1858. The municipalities of Beitstad, Egge, Kvam, Ogndal, Sparbu and Stod were merged with Steinkjer January 1, 1964. The geographical Centre of Norway has been calculated to be in Steinkjer municipality.
Contents |
[edit] History
The Steinkjer area has been populated since the Stone Age, as shown by the Bølareinen rock carving, which depicts an almost life-sized reindeer and a bear. There are other rock carvings in the area as well, as in Bardal, the oldest up to 6,000 years old (1).
The Steinkjer area was one of the strongest powerbases in early Viking age. Mære was one of the best known Norse religious places with sacrifices and seasonal gatherings (No: Hov) before Christianity 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 April 21, 1940, when the town was struck by Heinkel He 111 bombers during World War II, being bombed by the Luftwaffe.
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 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 town 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] Toponymy
The town is named after the old farm Steinkjer (Old Norse: Steinker), since it is built on its ground. The first element is steinn, (m) 'stone, rock'. The last element is ker, (n) 'barrier made for catching fish'.
[edit] Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from 1957. It shows a star with six points (to represent Steinkjer as a meeting point for six roads).
[edit] 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 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 municipalities, 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 town 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 (and including) Trondheim and Steinkjer has a population of about 270,000.
The town is situated on the Nordlandsbanen railway line from Trondheim, and is served by Steinkjer Station.
[edit] Birdlife
Steinkjer, with its varied habitats, 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 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.
[edit] 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 rural areas. However, much of the town is today in the process of urbanization, 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 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 town 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. 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 town" by some of its citizens. The music festival Steinkjer festivalen (or more correctly, SteinkjerFestivalen) was established in 2006.[4] 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 cinema, town 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 houses the administration and Faculty of Society, Commerce and Nature of Nord-Trøndelag University College. Important studies include the School of Forestry (Norwegian: Skogskolen). 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 (oppvekstkommune - students). In Norwegian, municipalities such as Steinkjer that produce many people with higher education who leave the municipality are known as oppvekstkommuner (English: lit. upbringing municipalities).
[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
- Anders Bardal, Ski jumper
- Rune Flaten, artist
- Eldar Hagen, ateist og spellemann
- Silje Nergård, musician
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Dampsaga Culture House - houses public library, concert hall and cinema of Steinkjer
- Steinkjer2007.no
- Steinkjer.net - recent news about commerce and business in Steinkjer
- Webcameras showing Steinkjer
|
|||||
