Kirkegata
Encyclopedia
Kirkegata is the main street of the town of Levanger
Levanger
Levanger is a town and municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Innherred region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Levanger...

 which is located in Nord-Trøndelag
Nord-Trøndelag
is a county constituting the northern part of Trøndelag in Norway. As of 2010, the county had 131,555 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-least populated county. The largest municipalities are Stjørdal, Steinkjer—the county seat, Levanger, Namsos and Verdal, all with between 21,000 and...

 county, in the middle of Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

. The street is parted on the middle by Øverparken with the famous fountain and the town square, referred to as Torget by locals. The current/"modern" street plot of Levanger was laid out by the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 king Carl III
Charles XIV John of Sweden
Charles XIV & III John, also Carl John, Swedish and Norwegian: Karl Johan was King of Sweden and King of Norway from 1818 until his death...

 in the early 19th century.

The street is laid out in an axis from the Mo farm area in the southwest to the northeast. It passes by the Levanger videregående skole, the old Høgskolen i Levanger (now part of Nord-Trøndelag University College
Nord-Trøndelag University College
Nord-Trøndelag University College or HiNT is a Norwegian university college located throughout the county of Nord-Trøndelag...

), past the Levanger Church
Levanger Church
Levanger Church is a parish church in the municipality of Levanger in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the town of Levanger, along the road Kirkegata. The church is part of the Levanger parish in the Sør-Innherad deanery in the Diocese of Nidaros. The white, stone church building...

 (hence the name Kirkegata), down to the Levangerselva bridge, the lower harbour area, and the old Levanger slaughter house. At the northeastern end of the road, it joins Norwegian County Road 774.

Wooden houses

Most of the buildings facing Kirkegata are old wooden houses of a very fine and distinct character, constructed towards the end of the 19th century, following the last of the great fires of Levanger (in 1848, 1863 and 1897). The last fire prompted new and better fire protection measures, such as a firewall
Firewall (construction)
A firewall is a fireproof barrier used to prevent the spread of fire between or through buildings, structures, electrical substation transformers, or within an aircraft or vehicle.- Applications :...

 between each house. The general high amount of fine wooden houses in Levanger, has earned Levanger the status as national wooden house town in Norway. Some fine wooden houses were demolished and replaced by modern buildings in the 1950s-1970s and even later.

Other distinctive buildings

Not all of the old houses lining Kirkegata are old wooden houses. The old Levanger bank building is constructed from brick. The only proper hotel in downtown Levanger, Backlund Norlandia hotel, is to be found in Kirkegata 41. The modern Backlund is a multi-story brick building erected after the old one was destroyed in a fire. The old Backlund hotel was famous for having housed the Swedish king Oscar II
Oscar II
Oscar II may refer to:*Oscar II of Sweden , who ruled Sweden and Norway.*Oscar class submarine, used by the Russian Navy.*Oscar II, Steamship used by Henry Ford for his peace expedition in 1915....

. The new one housed the Norwegian king Olav V in the 1960s. A modern spa hotel, Levanger Fjordhotell and Spa, is to be constructed down at the harbour area, a part of a gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...

 process, including the transformation of the old Trønder Mat factory (a meat processing plant) into high class apartments.

Dining

Numerous café
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...

s, pubs, and bar
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...

s are located along Kirkegata. No39 is a cafe in the ground floor of Backlund hotel, that offers an outdoor area during summertime. Oskars Irish Pub is an Irish themed pub, offering beer and whiskey. They can also offer an outdoor area during summer.
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