Old Town Bridge
Encyclopedia
Old Town Bridge is located in Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
, Sør-Trøndelag
Sør-Trøndelag
- References :...
County, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
.
History
Gamle Bybro crosses the NidelvaNidelva
Nidelva or Nidelven is a river in the county Sør-Trøndelag, Norway. Elva or Elven is Norwegian for river, so the name translates to "Nid River".-Location:...
River from the south end of the main street Kjøpmannsgata connecting to the Trondheim neighborhood of Bakklandet
Bakklandet
Bakklandet is a neighborhood of Trondheim, Norway. It lies on the east side of the river Nidelva between Bakke Bridge and the Old Town Bridge. The area is dominated by small, wooden houses and narrow streets...
. Gamle Bybro was constructed by Johan Caspar von Cicignon
Johan Caspar von Cicignon
Johan Caspar von Cicignon was a Luxembourg born soldier and military engineer who spent most of his career in the service of Denmark–Norway...
in 1681 in conjunction with the reconstruction of Trondheim after the great fire of 1681. Johan Caspar von Cicignon laid out plans for the reconstruction of Trondheim as well as its fortification. Kristiansten Fortress
Kristiansten Fortress
Kristiansten Fortress is located on a hill east of the city of Trondheim in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It was built after the city fire of Trondheim in 1681 to protect the city against attack from the east. Construction was finished in 1685. It fulfilled its purpose in 1718 when Swedish forces...
was built at this time after his plans. The bridge location was of military-strategic significance. King Christian V of Denmark
Christian V of Denmark
Christian V , was king of Denmark and Norway from 1670 to 1699, the son of Frederick III of Denmark and Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
assumed the cost of construction. It was completed in 1685. The bridge was built in the vicinity of the original Elgeseter Bridge
Elgeseter Bridge
Elgeseter Bridge is a bridge in the city and municipality of Trondheim in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the European route E6 highway which passes over the Nidelva river and connects Prinsens street in the Midtbyen area of Trondheim with Elgeseter street in the Elgeseter area of...
. When it was opened the older bridge was allowed to decay and collapse. Since then Gamle Bybro has undergone many changes.
Originally Gamle Bybro was constructed of wood, but the wood was supported on three stone piers. In the middle of the bridge, an iron gate was placed. This remained a guarded city gate until 1816. At each end of the bridge there was a toll and guardhouse
Guardhouse
A guardhouse is a building used to house personnel and security equipment...
. The access house on the west end still stands, but that on the east side was taken down in 1824. Gamle Bybro was reconstructed in 1861 by the engineer Carl Adolf Dahl (1828-1907). Today Gamle Bybro is one of Trondheim's characteristic landmarks.
Gamle Bybro is also known as Lykkens portal (Gate of Happiness), after the lyrics of the popular waltz Nidelven stille og vakker du er ( "Nidelven quiet and beautiful you are") by Norwegian composer Oskar Hoddø (1916-1943). According to tradition, Hoddø wrote the waltz about the Nidelva River one night in late April 1940 while he was standing at Gamle Bybro. Oskar Hoddø was a member of the resistance movement against the Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany started with the German invasion of Norway on April 9, 1940, and ended on May 8, 1945, after the capitulation of German forces in Europe. Throughout this period, Norway was continuously occupied by the Wehrmacht...
. He was executed in Trondheim on 17 November 17, 1943.
Other sources
- Øksendal, Asbjørn (1969) Lurøy-affæren - Operasjon Oleander : Gestapo i Trondheim og Leksvik-affæren 1942-44 ISBN 9788270050239