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To visit the two counties of Mid-Norway is to experience "a Norway in miniature" and "Norway at its most real", according to the marketing company Mid-Norway Adventure.

The region is, in fact, bursting with tradition: so much so, according to an old saying, that if you took everything about Trøndelag out of the Norwegian history books, you would only have the covers left.

Trondheim, the nation's third largest city, is the heart of Mid-Norway, whose twin counties of Nord-Trøndelag (North Trøndelag) and Sør-Trøndelag (South Trøndelag) also include the most important agricultural districts in the country.

In the centre of Trondheim, a green city in which wide streets and modern buildings blend smoothly with picturesque wooden houses and narrow lanes, is the beautiful Stiftsgården, one of the royal residences and the third largest wooden building in the Nordic countries. The salmon river Nidelven meanders gently nearby. Nidaros Cathedral and the adjoining Archbishop's Palace draw visitors from all over the world.

Beyond Trondheim are the wide open spaces stretching towards the Swedish border in the east and the Dovre plateau to the south, a landscape of expansive mountain highland and majestic peaks. The northern coastline is a medley of islands in all shapes and sizes, battered by rough seas. Further south, the islands Frøya and Hitra are now connected to the mainland by tunnels. The Trondheimsfjord reaches 130 kilometres inland to Steinkjer, the administrative centre of Nord-Trøndelag.

There are several good salmon and sea trout rivers in this part of the country, including the famous Namsen, considered one of the best fishing rivers in Europe. The more intrepid tourist can explore one of the numerous national parks, some so remote and strictly protected that trekking and camping are the only options. The vast forest and mountain areas support a rich and varied wildlife. Elk are particularly abundant – about 4000 are hunted each year in Nord-Trøndelag alone – and smaller, hardy deer also thrive. There are also lynx and wolverine, a bear population that is shared with Sweden, and wolves.

We sing of Olav....
It was at the major historic site of Stiklestad, Nord-Trøndelag, that King Olav Haraldsson – later St. Olav – fell in battle on 29 July in the year 1030, during his crusade to bring Christianity to Norway. Each year around this time, known as "Olsok Day", the story of Olav is re-enacted on a beautiful outdoor stage – an unforgettable event. Stiklestad also boasts a cultural centre with a folk museum and a Resistance museum, and a stone church dating from 1180.

Olav was buried at Nidaros, as Trondheim was then called. Nidaros Cathedral was built over his grave, which during the Middle Ages became a pilgrimage site comparable to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. For four centuries, travellers came seeking consolation, help and miracle cures, making the city the largest and richest in Norway.

This national shrine also became the traditional burial site for Norwegian monarchs; and later, for their coronations, although the two most recent kings chose to be anointed rather than crowned. Since 1814 it has been a constitutional requirement that the Norwegian monarch be proclaimed at the cathedral.

Nidaros is an intriguing architectural mixture of late Romanesque, Gothic and Norman styles and influences. Considered by many the finest church in the Scandinavian countries, it is built of a distinctive local steatite, or soapstone, of a subtle bluish-grey.

A totally different kind of history is on display at the unique mining town of Røros, near the Swedish border in Sør-Trøndelag. Røros was founded in 1644 after copper ore was discovered in the area. Its carefully preserved wooden buildings and mining works – long since discontinued – are among the cultural treasures on UNESCO's World Heritage List. The old Christianus Quintus (Christian V) copper mine is a particularly impressive sight. The surrounding countryside is known for its large herds of domesticated reindeer and some of the coldest winters in Norway.

• Nord-Trøndelag
• Sør-Trøndelag