The 'flag of
Trondheim' is one of the official symbols of the city and municipality of Trondheim in
Norway.
Most Norwegian municipalities have a banner of their respective coats of arms as a flag. As Trondheim has no heraldic coat of arms, but only a seal that is unsuitable as a banner of arms, a yellow "Trondheim rose" on a red field was instead chosen for the flag of Trondheim. The designer of the flag was professor Arne E. Holm, whose proposal was approved by the municipal council in
1989, and confirmed by royal order the same year.
The
dog rose is the official flower of the city and its stylised form is related to the
Tudor rose.
It is found as a symbol in medieval sources among other things representing
St. Olav. This flower has been used as a symbol of the city at least since the 16th century. It is earliest preserved in the seal of the
church chapter of Trondheim used in the 1500s. In the 1600s it was used on a green field in the banner of the citizen guard of the city. It has also been used as a symbol of several
guilds such as the
masons,
bakers,
goldsmiths and
smiths. In the 1700s the flower replaced the three heads in the
seal of Trondheim. The idea of the rose as a symbol of Trondheim may originally have come into being because of a misinterpretation of the last syllable of the city's old name
Nidaros.
The flower has been so closely connected to Trondheim that the Norwegian heraldic authority denied other municipalities the use of it in their coats of arms.
Sources
★
Trondheim municipality page on the Trondheim rose
★
Trondheim municipality page on the flag