Troms?is the eighth-largest municipality in Norway with a population of 72 000 people. it is the biggest town in Northern Norway and has the northenmost university; worldwide. Tromso area is inhabited since ultimate period of the last ice age (9000 years ago). In medieval times; rich Norse and S醡i heritage has been discovered. The Norse chieftain Ohthere; who lived during the 890s; may have inhabited the southernmost reaches of today's Troms?municipality and talked about himself as "furthest to the North of all Norwegians". Even longer is the presence of the Sami people. The first church on the island of Troms鴜a was erected in 1252: Ecclesia Sanctae Mariae de Trums juxta paganos ("The Church of Saint Mary in Troms near the Heathens"); First defense structure were a turf wall and a wooden fortress against people from Karelia and Russia; especially Novgorod. In 17th and 18th century; a redoubt; fortified Skansen; was built. The village of 80 inhabitants rapidly grew to a florishing city which was called the Paris of the North. Since 1838; it is a municipality. In 19th century; arctic hunting started; in 20th century; famous explorors of the Arctic were in Tromso: Roald Amundsen; Umberto Nobile and Fridtjof Nansen. The Northern Lights Observatory was established; in 1927. Polar Museum; Polarmuseet; is situated in a wharf house from 1837. Troms?Cathedral; Norway's only wooden cathedral; was built in 1861. Northern Europe's oldest cinema still in use; Verdensteatret; was built in 1915-16. A modern landmark is the Arctic Cathedral of 1965. The Troms?University Museum ist the oldest scientific insittution in Northern Norway.