Lian is a recreational area located west of the city centre of
Trondheim
Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...
in
Trøndelag
Trøndelag (; or is a county and coextensive with the Trøndelag region (also known as ''Midt-Norge'' or ''Midt-Noreg,'' "Mid-Norway") in the central part of Norway. It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County (); in 1804 the county was ...
county,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
. It is situated on the border between the neighborhood of
Byåsen and the forested area of
Bymarka. The site came into popular recreational use in 1933 when the
Gråkallen Line (''Gråkallbanen'') of the
Trondheim Tramway
The Trondheim Tramway in Trondheim, Norway, is the world's most northerly tramway system, following the closure and dismantling of the Arkhangelsk tramways in Russia. It consists of one line, the Gråkallen Line, running from St. Olav's Gate ...
was extended.
Lian Station remains the terminus of Gråkallbanen.
With the arrival of the tramway, a
ski jump
Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the fin ...
was built and Lian Restaurant was opened at the end of the line. The area became a primary location for winter sports in the city.
Lianvannet was an important swimming place during the summer and was also possible to rent row boats. A dancing area was also built.
From 1925, the frozen lake was used for
harness racing
Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australia ...
, with up to 6,000 watchers. In 1927,
A/S Graakalbanen offered the trotting association 100
hectare
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...
of land for a harness racing course, although the association did not except the deal since the tramway was not yet built. Instead they established
Leangen Travbane at
Leangen. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the new field was confiscated by the German occupation forces.
The area around Lian has many cabins and some houses. About sixty cabins are illegally permanently occupied; only those buildings occupied from before 1967 may legally be permanently lived in. In 2008, the city suggested giving an amnesty for those who live in illegal houses, but have suggested changing reconstruction regulations for all houses in the area. This will in essence decrease the house value of legal housing (which come under restrictions) to illegal housing (which now may be sold as permanent housing). This created a local controversy.
References
External links
Lian Restaurant website
{{authority control
Geography of Trondheim
Illegal housing