Trondheim Public Library

Trondheim Public Library is a good example of how the city’s history exists in layers. The current main library opened in 1988, and the full complex was completed in 1989. It was built together with older buildings, including Lorckgården and the old town hall. The result is a library where modern architecture and historic buildings stand side by side. But the most special part is found underneath and inside the building. A passage through the library follows almost the same route as Kaupmannastretet, one of the main streets of medieval Trondheim. During archaeological excavations, remains of a medieval church were found here, probably St Olav’s Church, along with traces of the surrounding cemetery. These remains have been preserved and can still be seen inside the library today. This means you can come here to borrow a book and, at the same time, stand in the middle of part of the medieval city. Trondheim’s library tradition also goes far back. As early as the 18th century, a library was established in connection with the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters. So the public library is more than a house for books. It is a meeting place between knowledge, medieval history and the Trondheim of today.