Old Town Bridge

Red-painted wooden bridge linking the centre to Bakklandet

The Old Town Bridge, Gamle Bybro, links the cathedral side of the river to the wooden houses of Bakklandet. The current red-painted wooden bridge dates from 1861, replacing an earlier crossing built in 1681 as part of the rebuilding after the great fire. The view from the middle of the bridge — colourful warehouses on stilts above the river, the cathedral spire in the distance — is one of the most photographed in Trondheim.

Walk across slowly, look up at the carved gate towers, then look down at the wooden warehouses lining the Nidelva. The bridge is on every short walking route through the centre and at its best in the long northern evening light.

things to do sight bakklandet
A story
The wrought-iron gate towers at each end of the bridge are known locally as the Gate of Happiness — they appear in the well-known children's song by Oskar Hoddø, who lived in Bakklandet and wrote about the small joys of crossing the bridge to home.