Archbishop's Palace & Museum, Trondheim (must see)

For hundreds of years the Archbishop's palace and castle in Trondheim was the medieval seat of authority for the Catholic Archbishop of Nidaros, now known as Trondheim. After Catholiscism was banned, the castle/palace became royal property. With the Sovereignty Act of 1660, it was the residence for the local bailiff.

The castle was upgraded and expanded. It was used as a residential palace and as a military facility. Today the palace houses a museum, holding archeological finds from the Bishop's Palace. Two large wooden buildings in the palace were destroyed by fire in 1983. Excavations of the buildings in the 1990s are the largest such digs in Norway.

One hundred twenty archeologists from twelve different countries recovered about 160,000 artifacts and the remains of foundations of 100 buildings. Three mints were discovered, stacked one above the other. The lowest mint was in the best condition. It apparently was used to mint coins for Archbishop Gaute Ivarsson.

In addition to exhibits from the digs, the museum holds models of the Archbishop's Palace as seen through the ages and 120 sculptures, including some from Nidaros Cathedral.

The "Armory" located in the Palace is the Army Museum in Trondheim. It is a museum of the Norwegian Army and a museum of resistance. There are weapons and armor and uniforms displayed, from Viking times, the Middle Ages and the union with Denmark and Sweden. Lastly, there are items from the Nazi occupation of Norway in World War II.

The Regalia of Norway (the Crown and crown jewels, etc.) had been stored in the west part of the Castle since 1826. They are on permanent display in the castle.