Steinkjer
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| County | Nord-Trøndelag | |
| District | Innherred | |
| Municipality | NO-1702 | |
| Administrative centre | Steinkjer | |
| Mayor (2005) | Per Sverre Rannem (Ap) | |
| Official language form | Neutral | |
| Area - Total - Land - Percentage |
Ranked 45 1,564 km² 1,423 km² 0.48 % |
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| Population - Total (2004) - Percentage - Change (10 years) - Density |
Ranked 43 20,451 0.45 % -1.3 % 14/km² |
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| Coordinates | ||
| www.steinkjer.kommune.no |
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Steinkjer is the city centre of its municipality Steinkjer Kommune and the administrative city of the county of Nord-Trøndelag, Norway. The city is located by the northern part of the Trondheimsfjord called Beitstadfjorden, which is an inlet of the Trondheimsfjord system. Situated over 50 km from the coast, Steinkjer is actually connected to the Atlantic through the narrow straight of Skarnsundet, between the Trondheimsfjord and the Beitstadsfjord, some 30 km south of Steinkjer. The longest cable-stayed bridge in Norway , Skarnsundsbrua, crosses it (total length of 1,010 metres). Large ships pass through Skarnsundet and this allows tourists to visit the inland city of Steinkjer by ship! Each year ferries from Hurtigruten makes trips to the cruise port of Steinkjer, more than 200 km travel through the fjord system. This is truly a special kind of journey.
Steinkjer has survived two major disasters in modern history. The first major incident was a city-wide fire in the year 1900, which burned down much of the southern parts of the city. The second major incident happened in April 1940, when the city was struck by World War II and bombed by the Luftwaffe. The city was quickly rebuilt after 1945 and much of the architecture of today's Steinkjer originates from the 1950s and 1960s with Functionalism inspired style. Some important buildings of Steinkjer survived the bombing, like the train station and city college. These buildings are based upon a classic architecture style inspired from Switzerland, or Swiss-style.
Steinkjer is aNord-Trøndelag’s county (city) center and therefore houses the county authorities and administration. Steinkjer lies by road about 120 km north of Trondheim following European route E6).
Steinkjer Kommune is one of the northernmost areas with rich agriculture, allowing large production of grain. It is obvious from the landscape that Steinkjer is a typical agricultural municipality. In addition, there are large forest resources in the immediate area, and the entire municipiality is rich in natural resources. The tallest buildings in Steinkjer are two 60 metres tall grain silos, visible several kilometres south of Steinkjer and today mark the skyline, especially when viewed from the south. Kirknesvaag Sag & Høvleri is a large wood mill and industry park producing wood planks and treehouse module components. Almost half of the inner city area consists of the large industrial park for wood products.
Steinkjer is one of Norway’s larger urban municipalities measured by total area. Approximately half of the population live near the town center, while the rest of the population lives in rural areas. Much of the city is however today in the process of urbanization, with the building of several apartment blocks in or within the immediate vicinity of the city.
Steinkjer is easily accessible by ship, road and train. European route E6 and the railway line go through the town, and it takes around 90 minutes by car or train to get to Trondheim Airport with Trønderbanen (NSB). The city is as mentioned connected to the Atlantic and actually got much ship traffic, despite the fact that Steinkjer is far from the coast.
Further north from Steinkjer, geographical distances between cities grow. The temperate climate of Steinkjer also marks a border with the more harsh conditions typical of inland areas further north. Although the January average in Steinkjer is -5°C ([1]), which is colder than coastal areas further north, Steinkjer is more sheltered and is the most northern town with a summer season warm and long enough to allow reliable cultivation of a range of vegetables and grain such as wheat. Steinkjer is therefore recognized as a "border town" between the more densely populated, warmer southern parts of Norway and the less populated, cooler northern parts.
Steinkjer also has a rich culture and hosts one of the most prominent music cultures in central Norway. Steinkjer is also labeled "Steinkjer Punkrock City" by its most lively citizens. In 2006 a fairly large music festival was established called Steinkjer festivalen (wrong, SteinkjerFestivalen). Also look at the official festival webpage SteinkjerFestivalen.
The city will mark its 150th anniversary in 2007, since it was founded in 1857.
The rail road reached Steinkjer in 1905.
| Municipalities of Nord-Trøndelag |  |
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Flatanger | Fosnes | Frosta | Grong | Høylandet | Inderøy | Leka | Leksvik | Levanger | Lierne | Meråker | Mosvik | Namdalseid | Namsos | Namsskogan | Nærøy | Overhalla | Røyrvik | Snåsa | Steinkjer | Stjørdal | Verdal | Verran | Vikna |
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