Archbishop's Palace, Trondheim — Attraction in Trondheim

Reading the name, I can assure you that you are expecting something different than what this museum actually displays. Sure, it was a palace at one point, but there isn't much left that would make you think it was. This is not a bad thing at all, as it is replaced with something just as great: a museum of the cathedral and the palace grounds.

The ground floor of the museum is all about the cathedral. It has a slew of busts, statues, and gargoyles recovered from the cathedral during excavations. They are very beautiful and are incredibly old. Several of them date back to 1270-1300, which is always really cool to see.

Upstairs is a small area dedicated to more about the cathedral and religious artifacts. There is a display of numerous models of the cathedral through time, which I liked. You could see its growth, downsize, and then growth again, to what it is today. There was also a display of colorized black-and-white pictures of the architects and workers who worked to renovate the cathedral. There were a lot of cool things about the pictures, and very interesting to see the pride many of them had in their reconstructions.

Downstairs, however, is the big event.

This area has artifacts from the archbishop, and the previously existing buildings on the site. There are coins from Holland and Germany (from trade), manuscripts, a broken archbishop staff, combs, buttons... I could go on and on about the stuff here. It covers an enormous area and is cool. You can spend a very sizable amount of time here, so be careful. Another cool thing about this area is that you can see the ruins of the castle, and later a mint. Only the bare foundations and the floor are remaining, but it was...

Set in a new building at the rear of the courtyard of the Archbishop's residence, the museum at first seemd unassuming. The admissions price was reasonable (90 NOK at the time of writing) and I thought the main level was the whole museum. I was wrong: there is a good sized lower level with many artifacts and displays, as well as an upper mezzanine. The place was pleasantly large and I spent a good hour and a half taking it in.

What you'll find inside are original pieces of statues recovered from restoration of the cathedral done in the 1990s. These pieces were simply thrown into the walls to rebuild following a massive fire in Trondheim in the 1500s. They are interesting to look at for the art style and details and date back to the 1100s and 1200s.

Downstairs are numerous displays and artifacts derailing the way the Archbishop's residence and surroundings were going back in time, from examples of weapons and coins to how things were built and models of how the area changed over time. These displays are set in the footprint of the actual original walls that were excavated in the 1990s. It's a fascinating walk through history.

Overall I recommend this museum without hesitation. It was basically my favorite place...

O Palácio do Arcebispo (Palácio do Arcebispo de Trondheim), é um dos edifícios mais antigos e bem preservados da Escandinávia. Construído no século XII, o palácio servia como residência oficial e centro administrativo dos arcebispos da arquidiocese de Nidaros, que foi um importante centro religioso e político durante a Idade Média. O palácio estava estrategicamente situado ao lado da catedral, reflectindo a importância da Igreja Católica na Noruega medieval, especialmente numa cidade que era o local de coroação dos reis noruegueses. Além de ser uma residência, o palácio abrigava também escritórios administrativos e judiciais, sendo um centro de governança e organização religiosa. Com o passar dos séculos, o palácio sofreu danos graves, especialmente após a Reforma Protestante no século XVI, quando o arcebispado foi dissolvido. Apesar disso, partes do edifício foram preservadas e restauradas, mantendo sua estrutura impressionante até os dias atuais. As cuidadosas restaurações realizadas ao longo dos séculos permitiram que no Palácio do Arcebispo fossem reveladas excelentes descobertas arqueológicas, como ferramentas, cerâmicas e vestígios de estruturas anteriores, que ajudaram a reconstruir a história do local e sua importância como centro de poder político e religioso. Hoje, os visitantes podem observar de perto esses elementos, tanto nos museus quanto em exposições interativas, que proporcionam uma visão fascinante e detalhada da vida cotidiana e das estruturas de poder da Noruega medieval. Além disso, as áreas restauradas e as ruínas visíveis permitem aos visitantes explorar as antigas salas e corredores, imaginando como o local funcionava durante o auge de sua importância. Atualmente, o Palácio do Arcebispo é um importante ponto turístico e abriga diversos museus que exibem artefatos históricos, achados arqueológicos e as insígnias reais...