Namsos is a municipality and city in the county of Nord-Trøndelag, Norway.

The city is on a small bay, about 15 miles from the sea, near the head of Namsenfjord and at the mouth of the river Namsen. The main part of the town is built on a small low lying promontory which extends into the bay. To the north, low forested hills rise fairly steeply to over 600 ft. and eastwards there extends the wide Namsen valley.

The location by the river, and the large forests in made the town ideal for sawmills. There were eleven mills in the haydays, but only one remains, Moelven Van Severen.

The town has a swimming pool located underground - one of the first, but far from the only, such construction in Norway.

History

The town was founded in 1845. Consisting mostly of wooden houses, it has been burned down to the ground on three occasions during its relatively short history. The first fire was in 1872, caused by two boys playing with matches. The second fire was in 1897, with an unknown cause. The third time was during World War II when the town was bombed by German airplanes on April 20th 1940.

See also: Namsos in April 1940