This area south of Trondheim was named after the Old Norse god Heimdall from Norse mythology. The area has been continuously inhabited since at least the Iron Age, and is rich in archaeological sites. The area where Tillerbyen has been built was initially swamp, but it was drained in the 1930s as an airport was planned here. Nazi invaders of 1940 halted these plans, as they rather wanted an airport at Lade.