Trondhjems mekaniske Værksted
Encyclopedia
Trondhjems mekaniske Værksted or TMV was a major shipbuilding company in Trondheim
, Norway
.
The company grew gradually until the turn of the century, when it had over 700 employees and was one of Norway's largest company. For many years TMV was the biggest employer in Trondheim. The majority of TMV's shares was acquired by the Norwegian holding company Aker
in 1960, merging them into the Aker Group. The company was closed in 1983.
The former location of the company's shipbuilding businessis still referred to as TMV by some citizens of Trondheim. The site currently houses the offices of the Nedre Elvehavn
borough of Trondheim. The entire area has been subject to an urban renewal project
. Solsiden shopping centre was built on the grounds in October 2000, and the surrounding area now has several apartment buildings and a hotel
.
The history of the area as a shipyard is preserved; the dry dock
s, many of the company buildings and even some of the shipbuilding equipment (such as a large crane
) is still present. When a pedestrian bridge connecting Nedre Elvehavn to the city centre of Trondheim was built in 2003, it was named Verftsbrua, meaning "the (ship)yard bridge".
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...
, 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
It was founded in 1872 by engineer and industrialist, Sophus August Weidemann. Weidemann had started in 1864 as manager of one of the pioneer companies in Trondheim. Weidemann resigned from his manager position in 1871 and founded Trondhjems mekaniske Værksted the following year.The company grew gradually until the turn of the century, when it had over 700 employees and was one of Norway's largest company. For many years TMV was the biggest employer in Trondheim. The majority of TMV's shares was acquired by the Norwegian holding company Aker
Aker ASA
Aker ASA is a Norwegian holding company engaged in offshore fishing, construction and engineering. The company is listed on Oslo Stock Exchange and is controlled by Kjell Inge Røkke with 66.66% ownership through TRG Holding...
in 1960, merging them into the Aker Group. The company was closed in 1983.
The former location of the company's shipbuilding businessis still referred to as TMV by some citizens of Trondheim. The site currently houses the offices of the Nedre Elvehavn
Nedre Elvehavn
Nedre Elvehavn is a borough of Trondheim, Norway located east of Nidelven opposite Midtbyen . The borough is located north of Bakklandet, west of Møllenberg and south of Nyhavna...
borough of Trondheim. The entire area has been subject to an urban renewal project
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
. Solsiden shopping centre was built on the grounds in October 2000, and the surrounding area now has several apartment buildings and a hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
.
The history of the area as a shipyard is preserved; the dry dock
Dry dock
A drydock is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform...
s, many of the company buildings and even some of the shipbuilding equipment (such as a large crane
Crane (machine)
A crane is a type of machine, generally equipped with a hoist, wire ropes or chains, and sheaves, that can be used both to lift and lower materials and to move them horizontally. It uses one or more simple machines to create mechanical advantage and thus move loads beyond the normal capability of...
) is still present. When a pedestrian bridge connecting Nedre Elvehavn to the city centre of Trondheim was built in 2003, it was named Verftsbrua, meaning "the (ship)yard bridge".