To spot the Raven’s claw, look straight ahead for an open square bustling with life, surrounded by old wooden buildings and right where the street meets the lively docks-if you sniff the air, you might even catch a whiff of the sea and fresh fish.
Okay, you’ve made it to the legendary Ravnkloa-Trondheim’s own “claw of the raven”-but don’t worry, there aren’t any giant birds lurking about! Instead, you’re standing at the most famous public square in Trondheim, right at the end of Munkegata, perfectly lined up between the mighty Nidaros Cathedral and the little island of Munkholmen. For centuries, if you wanted to smell fish, hear the shouting of merchants, and maybe catch a joke or two shouted across barrels, this was the place to be. The name Ravnkloa probably comes from a fellow called Peder Raffnklau, noted all the way back in the early 1600s-a time when cod was king and every fish told a story.
Imagine the scene in the 1800s: barrels everywhere, fishmongers with rough hands, crowds picking through glistening seafood, the salty breeze mixing with the sound of gulls and gossip. The real fish market officially began right here in 1896-though people had been trading on these cobblestones long before. They even built a special fish hall in 1945, which, like a stubborn old fisherman, just wouldn’t last-getting replaced a couple times before today’s fish hall finally opened its doors in 2000. Here you’ll find the city’s freshest seafood and, on soft summer evenings, crowds peeling shrimp with pink fingers at the outdoor café.
Keep your head on a swivel for the sculpture “The Last Viking” by Nils Aas, and a ringing reminder of the past in the form of the old Ravnkloa bell. Nowadays, boats putter back and forth from here to Munkholmen, and you might even spot a traditional rowboat ferrying people across the canal. Everyone from Viking traders to modern foodies has walked this square, so take a breath and let the history-and maybe the fishy aroma-sink in. This is Ravnkloa: noisy, lively, and always one claw ahead of the times!
