To spot Bakke Church, just look for the tall, pointed green steeple rising above a striking octagonal red wooden building right across the street-it's pretty hard to miss!
Now, while you’re standing here on the edge of Bakklandet, gaze up at that rich red wood and the elegant green spire-imagine the air alive with the sounds of busy carpenters and the soft echo of hammering wood from over three centuries ago. Back in 1715, this octagonal church was built following the plans of Johan Christopher Hempel, and, rumor has it, the bishop of the time tried to name it after his wife, Anna Dorothea. Fun fact: he might’ve been the only one who actually called it that-imagine trying to start a trend that nobody follows but you!
People in Bakklandet were so eager to have their own church that they tithed generously, but their efforts didn’t go down without some good old-fashioned priestly squabbling. The local priests insisted that the old Lade Church was far too small and way too far, so it was settled: Bakklandet would have its own grand, octagonal church. Two skilled carpenters-Johan Pedersen Graasten and Johan Henrik Helmers-got to work, using the blueprints from the nearby hospital church but giving it a supersized twist. When Bakke Church was finished, it quickly became the heart of the neighborhood.
Here’s where the story takes an action-packed twist! Picture 1718, the Swedish army marches in, the city is under siege, and flames threaten Trondheim. Fires devastated the area, but this church-like a cool superhero in a red costume-miraculously survived. It remains the oldest building in Bakklandet, stubbornly holding its ground through the centuries.
But Bakke Church’s adventures didn’t stop there. Fast forward to the 1900s: cars are roaring through the streets, and after World War I, the main road was expanded so close that the church practically had a front-row seat to traffic jams. When the new Bakke Bridge opened in 1927, the city started thinking, “Maybe it’s time to knock this old thing down.” But Trondheim folks love a good underdog! Instead of demolishing it, they shut the doors, broke out the jacks, and-in one of the oddest moving days you can imagine-lifted the whole church and shifted it several meters to a new foundation. Three years later, after lots of restoration and creative engineering, Bakke Church reopened, looking fresh and ready for its next century.
Peek through the windows or just take in the peaceful setting-the church now welcomes not only the Church of Norway’s congregation but also Trondheim’s tiny Eastern Orthodox community, since they don’t have a building of their own. Talk about sharing the love! Imagine all the tales these old wood planks have heard, the footsteps and whispered prayers, the city whirring and changing all around it.
So as you stand here soaking up the history, picture this grand old church enduring fire, siege, noisy car horns, and even a literal move down the street. Bakke Church is proof that sometimes, the buildings with the quirkiest tales and the oddest moves become the true heart of a neighborhood!
