| Settlement Type: | Town/City[1] |
| Pushpin Map: | Trøndelag#Norway |
| Pushpin Label: | Steinkjer |
| Pushpin Label Position: | top |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Central Norway |
| Subdivision Name2: | Trøndelag |
| Subdivision Type3: | District |
| Subdivision Name3: | Innherred |
| Subdivision Type4: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name4: | Steinkjer Municipality |
| Utc Offset1: | +01:00 |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | +02:00 |
| Established Title: | Established as |
| Established Date: | |
| Established Title1: | Ladested |
| Established Date1: | 1857 |
| Area Total Km2: | 8.15 |
| Population As Of: | 2024 |
| Population Total: | 13060 |
| Population Density Km2: | 1602 |
| Population Demonym: | Steinkjerbygg |
| Postal Code Type: | Post Code |
| Postal Code: | 7713 Steinkjer |
| Coordinates: | 64.0148°N 11.4954°W |
| Elevation M: | 7 |
| Elevation Footnotes: | [2] |
or [3] is the administrative centre of Steinkjer Municipality and Trøndelag county in Norway. The town is located at the northeastern end of the inner-most part of the Trondheimsfjorden, at the mouth of the river Steinkjerelva. In the eastern part of the town, the river of Figgja also flows into the fjord. The town is split in two by the river Steinkjerelva, creating the two traditional neighborhoods of Nordsia and Sørsia. Both the European route E6 highway and the Nordlandsbanen railway line run through the town, the latter serving the city at Steinkjer Station.[4] Steinkjer Church and Egge Church are both located in the town.
Prior to 1 January 2018, the town was also the administrative centre of Nord-Trøndelag county, and since that day it has been the seat of the newly created Trøndelag county. This means the Trøndelag County Municipality is based here as is the County Governor, the representative of the King and Government of Norway in Trøndelag county.
The 8.15km2 town has a population (2025) of 13,060 and a population density of .[5]
In Norway, the formannskapsdistrikt law went into effect on 1 January 1838 and it established civil municipalities throughout Norway. From that date, the village of Steinkjer was part of Stod Municipality. In 1857, the village was designated as a ladested (seaport/town), and due to the formannskapsdistrikt law, all towns with ladested status had to be self-governing municipalities. So, on 23 January 1858, the newly designated town was separated from Stod Municipality to form the new Steinkjer Municipality. It was a small municipality that included only the town itself. The initial population of Steinkjer Municipality was 1,150. Over time, the small town grew and annexed land from neighboring municipalities. In 1941, an area of Ogndal Municipality (population: 57) was transferred to the town of Steinkjer. In 1948, another area of Ogndal Municipality (population: 78) was transferred to the town of Steinkjer. Also in 1948, an area of Egge Municipality (population: 70) was transferred to the town of Steinkjer. In 1902, an unpopulated area of Ogndal Municipality was transferred into the town.[6]
During World War II, the city suffered some bombings.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, a large merger took place which merged the following places to form a new, larger Steinkjer Municipality:
The town (and municipality) is named after the old Steinkjer farm (non|Steinker) since the town was built on the site of the old farm. The first element is (m) which means "stone" or "rock". The last element is (n) which means a "barrier made for catching fish" or "container".[7]
The Steinkjer Station is a train station that serves the town.
. Norske gaardnavne: Nordre Trondhjems amt . 1903 . W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri . 15 . Kristiania, Norge . 225 . no . Oluf Rygh.