The Student Society in Trondheim (, Samfundet for short) is Norway's largest student society. Besides housing a café, a restaurant, several bars and frequently hosting concerts and other activities (among them Norway's biggest culture festival, UKA), it is an independent organization for all students and teachers in Trondheim, owned fully by its members. (At the end of 2011, there are about 9000 members.) Many famous artists have held concerts here. Among others, Sex Pistols, Iggy Pop, N.E.R.D., Phoenix, Public Enemy, White Lies, Crystal Fighters, Tom McRae, Motörhead, Suede, Motorpsycho, Dum Dum Boys, In Flames and many, many more. Quite a few famous Norwegian bands have started their careers on one of Samfundet's many stages. Some examples are Knutsen & Ludvigsen, deLillos and Postgirobygget. Every other year world figures attend The Student Society through its festival ISFiT and past speakers include the Dalai Lama, former Director-General of WHO Gro Harlem Brundtland and Nobel Peace Prize Laureates José Ramos-Horta and Wangari Maathai. From 1992 to 2014 Samfundet transformed into Trondheim InterRail Center (TIRC) during the summer (from late June to mid August). TIRC was started in 1992 by members of the Student Society, and was run by society volunteers every summer. History As the Norwegian Institute of Technology (NTH) (later the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU) opened, September 15, 1910, Trondheim got its first real group of students, and the need for an organized student society soon became apparent. Only one week later, a group of students met and decided to create a student society, and yet one week later, on October 1, Norges Tekniske Høgskolens Studentersamfund ("The student society of NTH") first came into existence. In the beginning, membership was limited to NTH students; this was later expanded to all students (over 18) in the Trondheim area, and thus, in 1912, the name changed into Studentersamfundet i Trondhjem ("The student society of Trondheim"), which still is its current name, although the city has switched names twice since. In the first two years, Samfundet did not have its own building, but in 1912, they bought an old abandoned circus building (only called "Circus"), and 15 years later, in 1927, one began the building of the characteristic red round house which is today known as Samfundet. In 1929, the building was finished and the activities were moved. Although Circus was abandoned, the old traditions were carried through by architect Eystein Michaelsen;