Latest news with #Trondheim
Times
2 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Times
Scandinavia's artiest city now has a fascinating new museum
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; 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; and the more traditional Trondheim Kunstmuseum (£12; 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; 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; or head to the Rockheim museum, with its section on Norwegian dark metal and a cantilevered roof that changes colour at night (£12; • 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; 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; '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; '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 Jordan was a guest of the Britannia Hotel, which has B&B doubles from £200 ( and PoMo, which has tickets from £13 ( Fly to Trondheim
CTV News
5 days ago
- General
- CTV News
A cargo ship that ran aground in Norway, narrowly missing a house, is being towed to a nearby harbour
The container ship NCL Salten is pulled from the ground and taken back at sea in Trondheim, Norway, Tuesday May 27, 2025, after the 135-meter-long ship ran aground in the Trondheimsfjord outside Byneset last Thursday. (Jan Langhaug/NTB Scanpix via AP) OSLO, Norway — A cargo ship that ran aground in a Norwegian fjord and narrowly missed a house, was pulled back into open water and was being towed to a nearby harbour on Tuesday — five days after the spectacular accident. A tugboat hauled and refloated the NCL Salten off the shore of the Trondheim fjord in the morning hours. The vessel was being taken to the nearby harbor of Orkanger. Norwegian broadcaster NRK quoted Ole T. Bjørnevik, the general manager of the tugboat company tasked with the refloating operation, as saying that it 'went better than expected.' Containers had been unloaded from the ship ahead of the refloating. The ship ran aground early last Thursday. No oil spills were reported, and none of the 16 people aboard was injured. The on-duty navigator, the ship's second officer, has been charged with negligent navigation after he allegedly fell asleep on duty. The Associated Press
The Independent
5 days ago
- General
- The Independent
A cargo ship that ran aground in Norway, narrowly missing a house, is being towed to a nearby harbor
A cargo ship that ran aground in a Norwegian fjord and narrowly missed a house, was pulled back into open water and was being towed to a nearby harbor on Tuesday — five days after the spectacular accident. A tugboat hauled and refloated the NCL Salten off the shore of the Trondheim fjord in the morning hours. The vessel was being taken to the nearby harbor of Orkanger. Norwegian broadcaster NRK quoted Ole T. Bjørnevik, the general manager of the tugboat company tasked with the refloating operation, as saying that it 'went better than expected.' Containers had been unloaded from the ship ahead of the refloating. The ship ran aground early last Thursday. No oil spills were reported, and none of the 16 people aboard was injured. The on-duty navigator, the ship's second officer, has been charged with negligent navigation after he allegedly fell asleep on duty.
Washington Post
5 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
A cargo ship that ran aground in Norway, narrowly missing a house, is being towed to a nearby harbor
OSLO, Norway — A cargo ship that ran aground in a Norwegian fjord and narrowly missed a house , was pulled back into open water and was being towed to a nearby harbor on Tuesday — five days after the spectacular accident. A tugboat hauled and refloated the NCL Salten off the shore of the Trondheim fjord in the morning hours. The vessel was being taken to the nearby harbor of Orkanger.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Cargo Ship Driver Responsible for Crashing Into a Man's Yard Fell Asleep at the Wheel, Police Say
A cargo ship that narrowly missed crashing into a man's home was believed to have been manned by a sleeping crew member, police say No injuries were reported after the NCL Salten ran aground 'The potential for serious damage was huge,' prosecutor Kjetil Bruland Sørensen saidPolice in Norway say a crew member falling asleep while on duty led to a massive cargo ship barely missing a retiree's home. Prosecutor Kjetil Bruland Sørensen said the employee aboard the NCL Salten was charged with negligent navigation, the Associated Press reported on Monday, May 26. The person's name was not made public, but he was identified as the ship's second officer. "Five meters further south and it would have entered the bedroom," homeowner Johan Helberg told the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation last week, per the BBC. Helberg had been sleeping when the roughly 440-foot-long vessel collided into his backyard at around 5:00 a.m. local time Thursday, May 22, in Byneset, near Trondheim. He slept through the initial crash, but was soon alerted by his neighbor Jostein Jorgensen, who witnessed the rarity in real-time. 'I was sleeping soundly, deeply, and then I heard a dinging sound, which I wondered might be my doorbell,' Helberg told the New York Times on Thursday night. 'I thought, who in the world rings the doorbell at 5:45 in the morning? I looked out the window, and he said: 'Haven't you seen the ship?' ' He called the incident 'completely surreal,' noting how close the ship came to crashing into his home. Jorgensen told the Times he had been 'in shock all day." He also told Norway's TV2 he struggled to wake up Helberg. "I was sure that he was already outside, but no, there was no sign of life. I rang the doorbell many times and nothing," he said, per the BBC. "And it was only when I called him on the phone that I managed to contact him.' In a statement, Sørensen said the NCL Salten's navigator testified that he 'fell asleep prior to the incident,' per the Times. 'It does happen, but it's not something that should happen,' the prosecutor said. 'We have regulations that are supposed to create barriers and prevent ships from running aground because someone falls asleep.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 'The potential for serious damage was huge — both for those onboard, people on land, and of course regarding environmental consequences and material damages,' he added. NCL and a salvage company tried to use a tug boat to remove the ship from Helberg's property, but their efforts were unsuccessful as of Thursday evening, per the Times. No injuries were reported. At least 16 other crew members were believed to be on board at the time of the incident, which remains under investigation. The Norwegian Police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. A spokesperson for the Norwegian Cruise Line told PEOPLE, 'The cargo ship is [in] no way affiliated with" the company. Read the original article on People
