The pilgrim way in Norway is a route which is out of the ordinary. You can walk through the same landscape as the medieval pilgrims on their way to Nidaros, present-day Trondheim, and the Nidaros Cathedral, where St. Olav's remains were preserved in a gilded shrine on the high altar.
The Pilgrim logo is a hallmark, which guarantees that the route you are following is restored and approved by the county governor, the municipality and the Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Photo: Ragnhild Hoel, Directorate for Cultural Heritage.
State
1200 kilometres signposted
Some sections of the pilgrim way run alongside modern highways, but most of them follow ancient roads and paths, through forests, fields and meadows, and the high mountains of Dovre.
So far, the following sections have been approved:
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Oslo-Trondheim and the Swedish border – Stiklestad – Trondheim
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Skardøra – Trondheim ”Romboleden”
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The section through Østerdalen
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Grong – Stiklestad
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Oslo-Hamar, easterly route
The route offers a rich diversity of countryside and cultural monuments. The ancient paths lead us through historic landscapes where people have lived from time immemorial. Burial mounds, medieval churches and picturesque farms are all part of the journey.
Click on the map to see more detailed description of places
Response
Local participation and local commitment
The ways run through 45 communes and seven counties. The work with preparing these ways have resulted in much local involvement.
The work to establish the Pilgrim Way was started in 1994. The first route, from Oslo to Trondheim, was opened in 1997. Additional routes have been opened later.
In 2006, the Pilgrim Way was chosen as one of the Directorate for Cultural Heritage’s pilot projects in the programme Creating New Assets in the Cultural Heritage Sphere. A separate project management is working on preparing the way for accessibility, information and the business sector. The project will continue until the end of 2010, and is based on co-operation between South and North-Trøndelag, Oppland and Hedmark counties, as well as the council of Nidaros diocese.