Hell, Norway
Hell is a village in Stjørdal Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It lies at the foot of the valley of Stjørdalen, where the Stjørdalselva empties into the Trondheim Fjord, about south of the town of Stjørdalshalsen. The village had a population of 1,921 in 2023, with a density of.
Hell is a post town with two post codes: 7517 for delivery route addresses and 7570 for post-office boxes. Hell currently has a grocery store, gas station, a fast food shop, and a retirement home. Until late 1995, the E6 highway bisected the village before proceeding across the bridge of Hell to Sandfærhus. The new highway goes around the village.
Name
The name Hell derives from the Old Norse word hellir, meaning "cliff cave" or "shelter under an overhanging rock".The village has become a minor tourist attraction because of the name's coincidence with the English word "hell", and visitors often have their photograph taken in front of the station sign. Temperatures in Hell can reach during winter. Among English-speaking tourists, popular postcards depict the station with a heavy frost on the ground, making a visual joke about "Hell frozen over".
British punk band The Boys recorded their third album in the village, and as a result named it To Hell with the Boys.
Climate
Trondheim Airport Værnes is used as the official meteorological office for this region. Temperatures in both winter and summer are moderate due to the geography of the location: the average January highs are still above freezing despite high latitude. Hell has a humid continental climate that is close to being subarctic and also close to being oceanic.Amenities
Hell railway station is situated at a railway junction where the Nordland Line north to Bodø branches off from the Meråkerbanen between Trondheim and Storlien, Sweden. Hell Station is currently a staffed railway station.The Hell Kjøpesenter mall is located at Sandfærhus north of the Stjørdalselva river, rather than in Hell, and thus the name is a misnomer.
A blues festival takes place every year at Hell Station in September, The original festival started in 1992, then changed its name to Hell Music Festival in 2006 to open their doors for music other than blues. The Hell Music Festival in 2007 failed to attract many concert-goers, however, and the festival declared bankruptcy the same year. In 2008, a new festival was started, entitled "Blues in Hell", going back to the original concept.
Since 2011, the circuit in the village has hosted a round of the FIA European Rallycross Championship.