Atlas Trail
Eight Northern European Cities from Lower Saxony to the Norwegian Fjords
This trail follows eight cities of northern Europe from the plains of Lower Saxony and the Dutch north, along the Baltic coast of Poland and Sweden, to the western and central coasts of Norway. Each stop shows a different way a northern city grew: through trade fairs, a university, a rebuilt port, a shipyard strike, a new harbour or a medieval trading post.
Stop 1 of 8.
Cities
Start inland in the capital of Lower Saxony. Hanover had about 536,000 people in 2021, and it was once the seat of the House of Hanover, whose members also ruled Britain as kings for over a century. Today it is known for the world's largest industrial trade fair.
Stop 2 of 8.
Cities
Groningen is the hub of the Dutch north. It gained city rights in 1245 and acted almost like an independent city-state in the 15th century. About a quarter of its residents are students, drawn partly to the University of Groningen, founded in 1614.
Stop 3 of 8.
Cities
Szczecin, once called Stettin in English, began as a West Slavic stronghold in the 8th century and became capital of the Duchy of Pomerania. It returned to Poland after the Second World War, and the first agreement between striking workers and the communist government was signed here on 30 August 1980.
Stop 4 of 8.
Cities
Gdańsk lies at the mouth of the Motława River on Gdańsk Bay. It was first mentioned in 997, later joined the Hanseatic League, and was the Polish Crown's principal seaport until the early 18th century. The Solidarity trade union was born here in the 1980s.
Stop 5 of 8.
Cities
Gdynia sits beside Gdańsk in the Tricity area. It grew from a modest fishing village after Poland's independence in 1920 so that the country would have a seaport independent of the Free City of Danzig. It received city rights in 1926 and was named a UNESCO City of Film in 2021.
Stop 6 of 8.
Cities
Malmö stands on the Öresund strait on the southwestern coast of Sweden. It received city privileges in 1353 and is the third-largest city in Sweden, the largest in Scania and the seat of Skåne County.
Stop 7 of 8.
Cities
Bergen on Norway's west coast is called the city of seven mountains. Tradition credits King Olav Kyrre with founding it in 1070, it served as Norway's capital in the 13th century, and it was a dominant Hanseatic League trading post until 1789.
Stop 8 of 8.
Cities
End at Trondheim on the south shore of Trondheim Fjord, at the mouth of the Nidelva. It was formerly known as Kaupangen and Nidaros, and it now hosts the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and the Geological Survey of Norway.
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