logo
Scandinavia's artiest city now has a fascinating new museum

Scandinavia's artiest city now has a fascinating new museum

Times30-05-2025
In February a rainbow appeared above the streets of Trondheim and it has stayed there ever since, come rain or shine. It's an artwork by the Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone that spells out the words 'our magic hour' and it acts as a rather cheery beacon for the new PoMo museum that sits beneath it.
In the past few years Norway has been busily opening new museums. Oslo unveiled a hulking architectural stack on the harbour front dedicated to the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch in 2021, with the grandstanding National Museum, which includes a room devoted to the first version of Munch's The Scream, following a year later. Last year a private collection of Nordic modern art was given a dramatic home in the form of the tubular Kunstsilo, a former 1930s grain silo in the southern town of Kristiansand.
PoMo, though, feels altogether more personable (£13; pomo.no). In Trondheim's much-loved former main post office — the name comes from Posten Moderne, or modern post office — it's the first museum crafted by the French-Iranian architect and interior designer India Mahdavi, who worked alongside the Norwegian architect Erik Langdalen. Step inside the pistachio-green art nouveau building, built in 1911, and you're met with a luminous white colonnaded space in which giant worm-like sculptures bend and contort, while a cluster of green balloons floating by the skylight resemble plant cells. A gallery shop to one side glows salmon pink, the items on its shelves carefully colour-coordinated; another bright statement is provided by a tangerine spiral staircase that unfurls between the floors.
I pass through rooms of Irving Penn still lifes, Catherine Opie nudes and Andy Warhol's Mao, and another that shows contemporary works alongside Piranesi prints and a golden, Afro-haired sphinx by the Brooklyn-based artist Simone Leigh. It's a little random at times but that's often the nature of a private collection: much of the art here was purchased over many years by the museum's founders, Monica and Ole Robert Reitan.
There is, of course, work by Munch: a series of bright lithographs set against dark blue walls. And the title of the first of its temporary shows (the museum will stage two each year), Postcards from the Future (running until June 22), nods to the building's history. The exhibition gathers personal perspectives from artists including Louise Bourgeois (via the dangling male figure of Arch of Hysteria) and Katharina Fritsch (via a series of pop arty single-colour holiday images). An 'in between' corridor, soundproofed in black fabric, is intended as a contemplative space. Here I sit on a bench and ponder an inflatable artwork bouncing in the breeze outside, created by the Kuwaiti artist Monira Al Qadiri, who was inspired by a petrochemical molecule. One of PoMo's aims is to help to reset the gender balance by devoting a minimum of 60 per cent of its acquisitions budget to female artists.
Right at the top is the cosiest spot in the building. Set amid the eaves, the library is a wood-lined space that resembles a forest cabin or treehouse, its A-frame ceiling covered in a gorgeous patina of wood-blocky prints in pastel pink and green — salmon and squid, seeds and oak leaves. It's a place in which to hole up with an art book and take in the view over the city.
'I was inspired by the folk art I'd seen around Trondheim, which I hadn't been expecting when I first visited,' Mahdavi tells me. 'You tend to think of Scandinavia in terms of its minimal design but there's a lot of craft here.' The architect describes colours as her friends, creating positive vibrations, and says she drew on the palette she saw while walking the streets here: the pinks of salmon and painted doors, the orange of its historical warehouses. 'I was surprised by all the barn reds and mustardy tones,' she says. 'Colour blocks are a real part of the heritage. And the crisp light you get here is just incredible.'
• 11 of Europe's best cities for art lovers
Despite being Norway's third-largest city, Trondheim is a small town in comparison with many British cities. With Mahdavi's words in mind, I walk around and spot a kaleidoscope of higgledy wood-timbered houses. Crossing the Gamle Bybro bridge into the cobblestoned Bakklandet district takes me over the River Nidelva, the water reflecting the sweet-shop colours of the 18th-century wharves, which now contain cafés and independent shops. At the bottom of a steep hill is the world's only bike lift, a funicular-like track invented in the 1990s, and an unusual concrete sculpture of a huge vintage radio with a man peeking out. The radio is a memorial to Otto Nielsen, an intriguing figure whose career took him from cabaret artist to radio presenter and resistance fighter.
Europe's northernmost medieval cathedral, which happens to also be one of its most beautiful, glows soft green from the soapstone it was carved from, its copper steeple etching the sky. Inside are pink granite tiles and a stained-glass rose window that casts an ethereal light over the soaring contours of the vaulted roof. A continuing restoration project, it was built over the tomb of St Olaf, the Viking king (much of 11th-century Trondheim was funded by pillaging forays to England) who converted Norway to Christianity. Latter-day pilgrims can pick up a little wooden effigy of his head for about £35.
PoMo isn't the only show in town. It forms part of Trondheim's art quarter, alongside the artist-led KUK gallery (free; k-u-k.no) and the more traditional Trondheim Kunstmuseum (£12; trondheimkunstmuseum.no). The latter is not to be confused with Kunsthall Trondheim, which opened in 2016 in a former fire station with a mission to show contemporary artists from around the world. During my visit, the Canadian Turner prize nominee Sin Wai Kin was featured with a witty, time-bending multimedia satire (free; kunsthalltrondheim.no). All the galleries are part of the Hannah Ryggen Triennale, named after the radical artist who started weaving anti-fascist tapestries in the 1940s.
While Trondheim has carved out a reputation for its contemporary art, it's not the only reason to come here. There are harbourside saunas, including one in a wartime bunker, and a strong music tradition. You can drop by for a craft ale at Bar Moskus, where the owner spins records and local bands take to the tiny stage (drinks from £7; barmoskus.no), or head to the Rockheim museum, with its section on Norwegian dark metal and a cantilevered roof that changes colour at night (£12; rockheim.no).
• Read our full guide to Norway
And the city's food scene is just as creative as its art one. The renowned local chef Heidi Bjerkan recently closed her Michelin-starred restaurant Credo to concentrate on a new project in Oslo but others are forging ahead. I stop by for a glass of natural wine at Fagn, whose menu includes a beef tartare sandwich and woodruff ice cream (three courses from £45; fagn.no). I also pull up a seat at the chef's table at Speilsalen, a fine-dining restaurant set in the former ballroom at the Britannia Hotel, Trondheim's grandest place to stay, for a champagne lunch of king crab and fennel, and mountain char and gooseberry (from £102). On the other side of PoMo, the Nye Hjorten theatre has just been renovated and has a suitably theatrical bistro, Olga's, serving oysters and lobster rolls (mains from £17; olgas.no).
'Over the years Trondheim has been referred to as the capital of technology and a football city,' says Wil Lee-Wright, who moved here from the UK in 2010 with his Norwegian wife, Ida, and now helps to run Tollbua restaurant. Its chef, Christopher Davidsen, has since won a Bocuse award for dishes such as pollock with verbena and fermented lemon (set menus from £58; tollbua-trondheim.no). 'But I think its art and culinary identity are the most credible.' I make a note to return in August for the Trondersk Food Festival, which showcases the region's incredible seafood and cooking skills.
• 10 of the best places to visit in Norway
On my final day I take the vintage Grakallbanen tram that trundles up to the hills around Lianvatnet Lake, where locals swim in the summer and snowshoe and ice fish in the winter. Looking down at the colours of Trondheim below me it feels like a pretty magic hour — not just for me but for the whole city.Rick Jordan was a guest of the Britannia Hotel, which has B&B doubles from £200 (britannia.no); and PoMo, which has tickets from £13 (pomo.no). Fly to Trondheim
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

A taste of Swedish island life – but on the mainland, near Stockholm
A taste of Swedish island life – but on the mainland, near Stockholm

The Guardian

time2 hours ago

  • The Guardian

A taste of Swedish island life – but on the mainland, near Stockholm

I moved to Stockholm from London for work a decade ago. As a newcomer with a passion for nature, I remember being eager to soak up the region's archipelago of 30,000 islands and rocky outposts. But I was overwhelmed by complex public ferry timetables to dozens of places ending in the letter 'ö' (the Swedish word for island) and uninterested in pricey cruise boats packed with tour groups. Then a former flatmate recommended Nynäshamn, which is on the mainland but embodies much of the nature and spirit of Stockholm's archipelago. It's home to a tasteful waterfront of colourfully painted bars and restaurants and a harbour packed with boats every summer, from simple dinghies to luxury yachts. Beyond, you can look across a clean, calm stretch of Baltic Sea, towards the island of Bedarön, flanked by pine trees and a smattering of dark red detached houses. Mention Nynäshamn to Stockholmers and most will probably describe it as the port you pass through to catch the four-hour ferry to Gotland – Sweden's largest island – or an overnight cruise to Gdańsk in Poland. But for international tourists (or new Swedish residents, as I was), it is an entry-level coastal destination where you can get a taste of the city's island life without the complex logistics. Nynäshamn is on the commuter rail line from central Stockholm, and reachable in an hour. A one-way journey costs 43 kroner (£3.30), or it's free if you have a valid monthly or weekly pass for the capital's public transport system. For a little more adventure, it takes a further 30 minutes to reach Nåttarö, the closest island accessible by a public ferry service (£8 each way). My first destination in Nynäshamn is Trehörningen, an island suburb accessible by bridge, and just a 30-minute stroll from the train station. The route takes in a mishmash of glassy new-build apartments, low-rise 1960s rent-controlled flats and mansions with manicured gardens. Nynäshamn doesn't have the swagger of swankier seaside towns in the region, such as Sandhamn or Saltsjöbaden, but it offers a slice of real-life small town Sweden far removed from the well-trodden tourist itineraries that typically lead to Stockholm's medieval Old Town or isolated rural retreats. 'It's very good for my health,' says Hans 'Hasse' Larsson, a smiley 73-year-old former truck driver who moved to Nynäshamn from Stockholm 16 years ago. He enjoys the clean air and quiet lifestyle, and describes a stronger sense of community compared with the somewhat stiffer Swedish capital. 'Even if you don't know people very well, you'll say 'hej'!' he laughs. Sweden isn't a budget destination, but thanks to a favourable exchange rate, prices aren't extortionate compared with those in popular British seaside destinations I've visited, such as Brighton or St Ives. On Trehörningen island, it costs from just over £100 a night to rent a compact wooden cottage for two from Oskarsgatan 12 B&B. A breakfast buffet and spa entry package at the nearby Nynäs Havsbad hotel works out at around £45. The spa's pavilion is a reconstruction of an art nouveau-inspired resort built in 1906, complete with an outdoor hot tub, a sauna and panoramic views. The hotel complex includes original buildings from the early 20th century, when it was a base for sailors during the 1912 Stockholm Olympic Games. From here, it's a short walk to Strandvägen, a French riviera-inspired waterfront road built for spectators of sailing. As locals will proudly tell you, it is the only place in the Stockholm archipelago region where you can see the horizon from the mainland. The scenic route winds towards Lövhagen, a wooded area offering shady trails and picnic tables. There are rocky swimming coves too – although, with average outdoor temperatures of 18C in July and August, the chilly waters won't be to everyone's taste. For walkers, Nynäshamn is also a gateway to Sörmlandsleden, a system of hiking trails covering around 620 miles in total and clearly marked with orange arrows and painted tree markers. Section 5:1 from Nynäshamn passes through mossy forests and grassy farmland to the village of Osmö, where you can catch a train back to Nynäshamn or continue another nine miles to Hemfosa, snaking past Lake Muskan's glistening waters. Back at Nynäshamn's main harbour, the restaurants are filling up with tourists hungry for lunch. The most famous spot is Nynäs Rökeri, a smokehouse dating back almost 40 years, where a platter of smoked salmon, seafood and potato salad costs less than £20. The adjacent delicatessen stocks fresh fish and classic Swedish treats, from cheesy västerbotten pie to crispbreads and lingonberry jam. A nearby courtyard is shared with customers visiting the ice-cream store Lejonet & Björnen, a small cafe and a gift shop. The sweet smell of cinnamon wafts in the air and I spot the familiar logo of Skeppsbro Bageri, an award-winning Stockholm bakery that has a food truck parked on the waterfront, packed with fresh bread, buns and pastries. 'I like it here,' says Emelie Elison, the 24-year-old student who is working in the van for her third summer in a row. 'There are a lot of people and there's always something happening.' Sweden's cities empty out in July, as locals flock to the coast to spend the summer in wooden holiday cottages. There are more than 600,000 of these holiday homes, known as fritidshus, which are often passed down through generations; almost half of children with at least one Swedish parent have access to one. They also have plenty of time to enjoy them – most Swedish employees are entitled to four consecutive weeks off each summer. After a grey morning, the sun comes out as I join the ferry queue for Nåttarö. Many around me are armed with bags of groceries, backpacks and even suitcases, intending to stay at least a week. But one sporty-looking couple, carrying only tiny running backpacks, tell me they are fellow day-trippers from Stockholm, planning to run a six-mile loop of the Stockholm Archipelago Trail, a newly marked hiking and trail-running route stretching 167 miles across 20 islands. Most tourists visiting Nåttarö take things at a slower pace. It's a small, car-free island with one simple convenience store and two restaurants by the harbour. The main draws are the pine-lined walking trails, rocky clifftops and sandy beaches. There are 50 wooden cabins for hire (sleeping up to six people, £90 a night). The campsite is priced at less than £5 a night, including access to pristine showers, compost toilets and dishwashing facilities. Wild camping is allowed too, thanks to allemansrätten, Sweden's right to roam policy. I take a 1¼-mile trail to Skarsand, a small beach in the north-east of the island. I have fond memories of celebrating a friend's 40th birthday here a couple of years ago, when we camped with friends and their kids, cooking dinner on the beach's public grill. Today, despite being peak holiday season, I have it all to myself, save for some passing hikers. The sunny afternoon passes quickly, and a couple of hours later I'm back on the ferry for Nynäshamn. The Stockholm pair have made it too, having successfully completed their run. They are eagerly awaiting a pizza reward at Maggan's, another popular restaurant in Nynäshamn's harbour, and tell me they've squeezed clean T-shirts into their backpacks to change into. I'm planning a sunny evening drink on the waterfront too. Tomorrow I'll be at my desk, catching up on emails – and researching my next coastal adventure.

12 of the best Baltic cruises
12 of the best Baltic cruises

Times

time4 hours ago

  • Times

12 of the best Baltic cruises

From Copenhagen's cobbled streets and canalside cool to the gothic architecture and imposing squares of Tallinn, Baltic cruises visit some of Europe's most beautiful and historic cities. Itineraries include the countries along the Baltic Sea including Norway, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Poland and Germany, plus the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Some sail straight from British ports for a no-fly option, while others are ideal for adding on a city break before or after you sail. Along the way, you can expect Unesco-listed old towns, sleek Nordic design, lively waterfronts, fantastic museums, fairytale palaces and some of the world's best cafés. These are our favourite Baltic cruises to article contains affiliate links that will earn us revenue You'll take in two Baltic capitals — Latvia's Riga and Estonia's Tallinn — as well as the Lithuanian maritime city of Klaipeda on port-intensive sailings aboard the 692-passenger Azamara Onward. This line has a Destination Immersion programme with a bigger than average choice of shore tours to explore local cultures, often from a different perspective. In Gdansk, Poland's largest and oldest seaport, you can kayak along canals in the old town, or venture into rural Lithuania to visit a third generation family-run bee farm. Back onboard, don't forget to pack something for Azamara's signature white night Cunard designed Queen Anne — its first new vessel in 12 years — the brief was to interpret the line's 184-year-history through fresh and modern eyes. The resulting new 3,000-passenger flagship combines the rich seafaring heritage with contemporary design details. Find out for yourself on nine- to 14-night sailings to Scandinavia and northern Europe, which include convenient round-trip voyages from Southampton. In between days at sea with white-glove service and black tie balls, you'll visit destinations such as Skagen, on Denmark's northernmost tip, where the stark beauty and ever-changing light has inspired generations of artists. This is another line with no-fly cruises from Southampton. The 3,647-passenger Britannia was built with UK guests in mind, from the entertainment through to Brodie's bar with the largest collection of British bottled beers at sea. On the 14-night Scandinavia and Baltic itinerary, there are plenty of beer-inspired excursions. In Tallinn there's a trip to sample craft beers at a small rural brewery. On the way you'll pass the 50m Jagala, Estonia's biggest waterfall. Meanwhile, in Kiel, guests can book an excursion to the red brick city of Lubeck, once capital of Germany's medieval Hanseatic League trading time to spare? Then Oceania's 35-night northern Europe sailing visits 29 ports of call, taking in Baltic highlights and lesser-known destinations in the region. They include the Unesco-listed town of Visby, the capital of Sweden's Gotland, the largest island in the Baltic. Sirena, which is sailing in the Baltic in 2024 and 2025, is a great ship if you prefer to sail with fewer than 700 passengers. The atmosphere is stylish and unpretentious, and Sirena serves excellent cuisine for all tastes from the grand dining room with a chef's tasting menu to the Asian-inspired Red Ginger restaurant and Italian steak and seafood restaurant. Opened in 1895, the Kiel Canal, which connects the North Sea to the Baltic Sea, is the world's busiest artificial waterway. You can get a close-up view of one of the Holtenau locks at the mouth of the canal from a viewing platform overlooking it. It's among the multitude of options offered by luxury small ship line Regent Seven Seas Cruises on Baltic sailings, where all excursions are included. Foodies can opt for a tour of Denmark's Bornholm Island to try wine from Europe's northernmost wine-growing region, artisan sausages and the smoked herring that's a mainstay in Scandinavian and Baltic countries. • Best budget cruises in the Mediterranean• Best Rhine river cruisesWith its Scandinavian heritage — the line's owner Torstein Hagen is Norwegian — Viking knows a thing or two about the region. The longest voyage is a 28-night journey combining the Viking Homelands and Into the Midnight Sun itineraries. With a focus on cultural immersion, you can join the executive chef for a shopping trip around Gdansk food market followed by a cooking lesson back onboard. Or hear Viking tales straight from the horse's mouth on a riding tour against the backdrop of dramatic jagged peaks on Gimsoya island in the Lofoten archipelago. If you enjoy being active, Silversea has plenty of excursions to get your heart pumping. Visits to Nuuksio National Park outside Helsinki include hiking and a cooling dip in the lake, cycling or stand up paddleboarding. If that sounds like hard work, how about a leisurely food and drink tour in the Finnish capital to try delicacies ranging from deer meat to crunchy seasonal currants, beer and even chocolate? You'll continue to eat well back onboard the 596-guest Silver Dawn where the S.A.L.T. (Sea and Land Taste) restaurant serves Baltic might not expect to find a beach resort in Norway, but Kristiansand — the country's southernmost city — is one of many surprises on this itinerary. There's also the 19th-century Ravnedalen Park, home to exotic imported plants and some of Norway's largest native spruce trees. Sailing on to Stavanger, another unlikely attraction is the Petroleum Museum charting the city's lucrative path to becoming the oil capital of Norway and with some fun interactive exhibits. Relax back onboard the 458-passenger Seabourn Quest where room service includes dinner from the restaurant served course by course, rather than all at once. Celebrity's stylish Edge-class ships are among the vessels sailing in this region. Keep an eye out for special dinners held in the Magic Carpet — the glass-sided room suspended on the side of the ship — held once or twice per cruise. They showcase local ingredients and are only announced at the last minute, when the chef knows there's enough to create a mouth-watering menu. In Copenhagen, excursions include walking tours that take in the fairytale heritage of storyteller Hans Christian Andersen, who lived next to the Nyhavn canal; and charming Tivoli Gardens, one of the world's oldest amusement parks. Alternatively, enjoy a bird's eye view of the city on the tour featuring a meal at the restaurant in the tower of the Danish parliament building. French line Ponant is known for its gourmet cuisine. In Gdansk, shore tours include the opportunity to sip Goldwasser, the strong herbal liquor that's been produced in the city since 1598 and contains real flakes of gold. Foodies can book a Latvian cookery class in Riga with a visit to Europe's largest indoor market to get ingredients. You'll get a real taste for the Baltics in every sense as in addition to Riga this seven-night cruise visits four other capitals; Stockholm, Tallinn, Helsinki and on Holland America Line's 2,668-passenger Rotterdam, which sets out from its namesake port on a two-week voyage to Baltic and Scandinavian capitals. One of the first stops is Oslo, with time to visit the Maritime Museum with its 9th-century Viking boat. And there's a visit to Stockholm too, where you can stroll around the city's dozens of islands linked by bridges and join locals for a traditional snack of meatballs or herring with a cold Zeebrugge, Copenhagen and Latvia's captial Riga — with its Unesco-listed historic centre — are just some of the ports of call on Norwegian Cruise Line's 12-night Baltic itinerary. Discover more history by adding an overnight stay to your final stop in Stockholm, where the Vasa, which sank on its maiden voyage, is the world's only preserved 17th-century ship. You'll be sailing on the Norwegian Dawn, with a capacity of 2,290 guests — a happy medium if you want a ship that's not too big but with plenty of entertainment. • Best small-ship Mediterranean cruise lines• Best Danube cruises for your next European sailing Additional reporting by Siobhan Grogan

Ulrika Jonsson, 57, poses in sexy sheer underwear and insists it's for ‘all ages' as she shows off incredible figure
Ulrika Jonsson, 57, poses in sexy sheer underwear and insists it's for ‘all ages' as she shows off incredible figure

The Sun

timea day ago

  • The Sun

Ulrika Jonsson, 57, poses in sexy sheer underwear and insists it's for ‘all ages' as she shows off incredible figure

ULRIKA Jonsson has proudly posed in sexy sheer underwear declaring to fans it's for "all ages". The 57-year-old Sun columnist showed off her incredible figure in selfies snapped in her bedroom. 5 5 She wore an apple set featuring a mesh and lace bralet and matching hipster knickers. The TV legend also showcased her intricate tattoos after getting four in one day during lockdown when shops finally opened - including a bulldog on her arm and "let's play" on her stomach. Ulrika, born in Sweden, revealed she was supporting a Swedish brand. She said: "Completely in love with my gift from Understatement Underwear. "Beautiful comfortable Swedish underwear. "Modelled by women of all shapes and sizes, on and all ages." The telly star used to strip for lads mags and she loved it. She wrote in The Sun: "As a feminist, had I felt wronged because the pictures would undoubtedly bring on a hot flush in some filthy minded men? "The answer has always been, 'No. I definitely had not'. "Like many other women who were asked to appear in these magazines, I felt a sense of pride and fun and, moreover, control." Proud Moments in Lads' Mag History She went on: "For me, featuring in these magazines was a job, like most other photoshoots many of us undertook at the time. "Except no money changed hands. "They gave you coverage and we posed sexily (or otherwise) for them. It was a win win." As well as Ulrika's stomach tattoo, she has a symbol on her finger and a line of writing on her wrist, and the star has added to her collection with more on her arms and collarbone. She is mum to Cameron, 30, Bo, 25, Martha, 20 and Malcolm, 16. 5

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store