Stiftsgården

Historie

Stiftsgården is the royal residence in Trondheim, Norway. It is centrally situated on the city’s most important thoroughfare, Munkegaten. At 140 rooms constituting 4000 m² (43000 ft²), it is possibly the largest wooden building in Northern Europe, and it has been used by royalty and their guests since 1800.HistoryIt was built 1774 - 1778 for Cecilie Christine Schøller (1720 - 1786), the wealthy widow of Stie Tønsberg Schøller (1700–1769), chamberlain and merchant in Trondheim. Through her mother she was descended from some of the most prominent noble families in Denmark. From her father, the army Commander in Chief of central Norway, she inherited a large property in the city centre. When she inherited her husband's large fortune, she commenced the construction of the largest private town house in Trondheim. In 1777 she was given the title of privy counselor. She is a representative of the cultural and commercial growth that Trondheim experienced in the late 18th century, and of the city's strong women in that period. She often traveled abroad and seldom used the palace herself before she died in Copenhagen in 1786. The palace was constructed on the grounds of the former residence of her father, General Johan Friderich Frølich (1681–1757).During her absence abroad, her son-in-law General Georg Frederik Von Krogh (1732-1818) resided in the building. After her death, it was inherited by his son, Mrs. Schøller's grandson, and the General remained in residence there until it was sold to the state in 1800 for 10,000 rigsdaler. It was then used by the Governor of the region, as law courts and as a royal residence when the royal family visited Trondheim. The building also had several other functions; it housed the Bank of Norway in the period 1816 - 1819. In 1906 the palace became exclusively the royal residence in Trondheim.