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The Canal Harbour in Trondheim is located in the northern part of the city centre and separates the main part of the city from the artificial island of Brattøra. There are lots of small boats in the Canal Harbour. On the city-side coast, there are long rows of wooden buildings on pillars rising directly from the water. Many of Trondheim’s hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions are located near Canal Harbour.
The Trondheim Canal dates back to 1884. It was constructed by raising sand from the Trondheimsfjord (the sea) in the northern part of the city centre and creating an artificial island called Brattøra. This island serves primarily as a transport hub: Trondheim Central Train Station (Sentralstasjon) and Trondheim Port are located here.
Quays for ships were built also in the Canal itself. To allow both the ships to enter the Canal Harbour and the trains to get to the train station on Brattøra, a lifting railway bridge was constructed over the western end of the Canal in Skansen (in 1918). It is the only lifting railroad bridge in use in Norway.
There is another area in Trondheim looking very similar to the Canal Harbour – the Nidelva River. They are connected near the seaport. In fact the whole city centre has this kind of characteristic style, dominated by water and wooden houses.
Thanks to the proximity of the city and water, Trondheim may feel like Scandinavian version of Venice. Nevertheless, the bridges are far less frequent here. There are two bridges over the Canal Harbour in Trondheim. One of them connects the city with Trondheim Port in the eastern part of the Canal, where the Canal meets the Nidelva River. The second one, called Jernbanebrua (Railway Bridge), connects the city centre with the Central Train Station. This bridge is also a perfect place to see the Canal Harbour, the boats, and the wooden houses.
This picture of Trondheim Canal Harbour was also taken from Jernbanebrua.
Approximately in the middle of the Canal Harbour there is a small water passage (another small canal), which serves as another connection between the Canal Harbour and Trondheimsfjord. You can actually get inside this small canal, called Ravnkloa, if you take the sightseeing trip to Munkholmen, a small island in Trondheimsfjord and a popular tourist attraction (in the past it was a monastery, prison, and execution site).
You can see that the two sides of the Canal Harbour are quite different. The city centre side is lined with big wooden houses on pillars rising from the water. These houses are very typical for Trondheim. Besides the wooden houses, there are also several hotels on the city centre side of Canal Harbour.
Wooden houses in Trondheim Canal Harbour.
On the Brattøra side of the Canal there is a more conventionally looking quay and a street with trees (the street’s name is Dyre Halses Gate). In summer, boats are everywhere in the Canal.
The Brattøra side of Canal Harbour and Trondheim Central Train Station.