is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Telemark Telemark () is a Counties of Norway, county and a current electoral district in Norway. Telemark borders the counties of Vestfold, Buskerud, Vestland, Rogaland and Agder. In 2020, Telemark merged with the county of Vestfold to form the county o ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. It is located in the traditional district of

Grenland Grenland is a traditional district in Telemark county, in the south-east of Norway. "Grenland" has referred to varying locations throughout history. In modern times, Grenland refers to the areas of the municipalities of Skien, Porsgrunn, Bamble, ...

. The

administrative centre An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgi ...

of the municipality is the city of Porsgrunn. Some other notable settlements in Porsgrunn include the town of Brevik and the villages of

Langangen Langangen is a village in Porsgrunn Municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The village is located in the far eastern part of the municipality, just before the border with neighboring Larvik Municipality, about to the southeast of the town of ...

and

Heistad Heistad is a village in Porsgrunn Municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The village is located on the western shore of the Eidangerfjorden, just north of the town of Brevik. The village is mainly a residential area. About to the west is the ...

. The municipality is the 315th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Porsgrunn is the 29th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 37,056. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

is and its population has increased by 4.7% over the previous 10-year period. The

conurbation A conurbation is a region consisting of a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most ...

of the cities of

Porsgrunn is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Porsgrunn (town), city ...

and

Skien Skien () is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Grenland, although historically it belonged to Grenmar/Skiensfjorden, while Grenland referred the Norsjø area and Bø. The administrative ...

is called

Porsgrunn/Skien Skien/Porsgrunn is a Norwegian urban area located in Grenland in southern Telemark. The urban area covers parts of three municipalities: Skien, Porsgrunn and Bamble Bamble is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Telemark county ...

Statistics Norway Statistics Norway (, abbreviated to ''SSB'') is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876. Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every year on its web site. All rele ...

and it is considered to be the seventh-largest urban area in Norway.

General information

The town of Porsgrunn was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see

formannskapsdistrikt () was the name of a Norwegian self-governing municipality. The name was used from the establishment these municipalities in 1838 until the name fell out of use in 1863. The municipalities had their legal basis from two laws enacted on 14 Jan ...

law). The small urban town of Porsgrunn grew over time. On 1 July 1920, the growing town

annexed Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held to ...

some adjacent areas of some of the neighboring rural municipalities: an area of

Gjerpen Municipality Gjerpen is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Skien Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Gjerpen, which is now part o ...

(population: 437), an area of Eidanger Municipality (population: 550), and an area of Solum Municipality (population: 1,614). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the

Schei Committee The Schei Committee () was a committee named by the Government of Norway to look into the organization of municipalities in Norway post-World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a ...

. On 1 January 1964, there was a major municipal merger where the following areas were merged to form a new

Porsgrunn Municipality is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Porsgrunn. Some other notable settlements in Porsgrunn include the town of Brev ...

. *the town of Porsgrunn (population: 10,863) *the town of Brevik (population: 2,498) *all of Eidanger Municipality (population: 13,018) *the Bakke area (population: 75) of

Hedrum Municipality Hedrum is a former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1988. The area is now part of Larvik Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Nanset (from 1978-1988; prio ...

Vestfold Vestfold () is a county and a current electoral district in Norway. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it borders Buskerud and Telemark counties. The county administration is located in Tønsberg, Norway's oldest city, and the larg ...

county *the Enigheten, Høyberg, and Skavåsen areas (population: 12) of

Brunlanes Municipality Brunlanes is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1988. The area is now the southwestern part of Larvik Municipality. The administr ...

county On 1 January 1968, an area of

Skien Municipality Skien () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Grenland, although historically it belonged to Grenmar/Skiensfjorden, while Gr ...

(population: 3,554) was transferred to Porsgrunn Municipality (these areas had originally been part of Solum and Gjerpen municipalities).

Name

The place is first mentioned in existing historical records in

1576 Year 1576 ( MDLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. Events January–March * January 20 – Martín Enríquez de Almanza, Viceroy of New Spain, founds the settlement of León, in what is later the s ...

(''"Porsgrund"'') by the writer

Peder Claussøn Friis Peder Claussøn Friis (1 April 1545 – 15 October 1614) was a Norwegian clergyman, author and historian. He is most associated with his translation of ''Snorre Sturlessøns Norske Kongers Chronica''. Peder Claussen Friis grew up in Audneda ...

in his work ''Concerning the Kingdom of Norway'' (see the article:

Norwegian literature Norwegian literature is literature composed in Norway or by Norwegian people. The history of Norwegian literature starts with the pagan Eddaic poems and skaldic verse of the 9th and 10th centuries with poets such as Bragi Boddason and Eyvindr ...

). He writes: "Two and a half miles from the sea, the

Skien River The Skien watershed is the third largest watershed of Norway after those of the Glomma and the Drammen rivers. The catchment area is , and the maximum length is . The Skien watershed includes rivers which feed Lake Norsjø above Skien; * Vinje ...

flows into the

fjord In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, the Arctic, and surrounding landmasses of the n ...

, and that place is called Porsgrund." The name was probably given during medieval times to the then

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

y area by the

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

s of

Gimsøy Abbey Gimsøy Abbey (''Gimsøy kloster'') was a Benedictine monastery located on the eastern end of the island of Klosterøya at Skien in Telemark, Norway. The island was commonly referred to as ''Gimsøy'' or ''Gjemsø''. History The abbey was founded ...

, who went here to collect the shrub ''

pors Pors may refer to * PORS, the Plus-One-Recall-Store language used in evolutionary computation and genetic programming * Pors Fotball, also known as Pors Grenland, or just Pors, a Norwegian football club {{disambig ...

'' ("Bog Myrtle"). The last element of the name which means "ground". The name was historically spelled ''Porsgrund''. On 1 January 1930, the spelling of the name of the municipality was changed to ''Porsgrunn'', giving it a more "Norwegianized" spelling.

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

was originally granted on 16 January 1905 for the town of Porsgrunn. The arms were originally devised in 1905 when the city needed a new

city hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

. After the municipal merger on 1 January 1964, the old arms were re-adopted by the new, larger Porsgrunn Municipality. The

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...

is ''"

Gules In heraldry, gules () is the tincture with the colour red. It is one of the class of five dark tinctures called "colours", the others being azure (blue), sable (black), vert (green) and purpure (purple). Gules is portrayed in heraldic hatch ...

and

azure Azure may refer to: Color * Azure (color), a hue of blue ** Azure (heraldry) ** Shades of azure, shades and variations Arts and media * ''Azure'' (Art Farmer and Fritz Pauer album), 1987 * Azure (Gary Peacock and Marilyn Crispell album), 2013 * ...

, a bend between a

bog myrtle ''Myrica gale'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Myricaceae native to parts of Eurasia and North America. Common names include bog-myrtle, sweet willow, Dutch myrtle, and sweetgale. Description ''Myrica gale'' is a deciduous shrub g ...

branch and an anchor

argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...

"'' (). This means the arms have a red (above) and blue (below)

field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grass ...

(background) and the

charge Charge or charged may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary Music * ''Charge'' (David Ford album) * ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album) * '' Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...

is a diagonal bend (stripe) with an

anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ', which itself comes from the Greek (). Anch ...

below it and the branch of a

plant above it. The charge has a

tincture A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...

which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The silver bend (stripe) symbolizes the small river running through the city. The

plant is a

canting ' (International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: , Van Ophuijsen Spelling System, VOS Spelling: , ) is a pen-like tool used to apply liquid hot wax () in the batik-making process in Indonesia, more precisely (). Traditional consists of copper wax-con ...

symbol since the name Porsgrunn comes from the Norwegian word for the plant. The

on a blue background symbolizes the importance of the local

harbor A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be moored. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is ...

and sea. The arms were designed by Wilhelm Rudolph.

Churches

The

Church of Norway The Church of Norway (, , , ) is an Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. Christianity became the state religion of Norway around 1020, and was established a ...

has two parishes () within the municipality of Porsgrunn. It is part of the

Skien prosti Several Church of Norway churches are in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark in Norway. This list includes all of the parishes in Agder and Telemark counties. The diocese is based at the Kristiansand Cathedral in the city of Kristiansand in Kristians ...

(

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of ...

) in the

Diocese of Agder og Telemark The Diocese of Agder og Telemark () is a diocese of the Church of Norway, covering all of Agder county and Telemark county in Norway. The cathedral city is Kristiansand, Norway's fifth largest city. Kristiansand Cathedral serves as the seat of t ...

History

Porsgrunn has been an important harbor town in the

area since the late 16th century. In

1653 Events January–March * January 3 – By the Coonan Cross Oath, the Eastern Church in India cuts itself off from colonial Portuguese tutelage. * January – The Swiss Peasant War begins after magistrates meeting at Lucern ...

, the

Customs House A custom house or customs house was traditionally a building housing the offices for a jurisdictional government whose officials oversaw the functions associated with importing and exporting goods into and out of a country, such as collecting ...

was moved further down the ''

Skien river The Skien watershed is the third largest watershed of Norway after those of the Glomma and the Drammen rivers. The catchment area is , and the maximum length is . The Skien watershed includes rivers which feed Lake Norsjø above Skien; * Vinje ...

'' from

to Porsgrunn mainly because industrial waste such as sawdust and mud made the river too shallow to allow boats to go any further up the river. Moving the Custom House to Porsgrunn added to the flourishing harbor activity and Porsgrunn became a thriving

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...

with a ladested status. In the 18th century, Porsgrunn was the home of some of Norway's most influential families at the time, such as the Aalls,

Cappelen Cappelen is a Norwegian surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Cappelen (family), a distinguished Norwegian family * Andreas Zeier Cappelen (1915–2008), Norwegian jurist and politician * August Cappelen (1827–1852), Norwegian pai ...

s, Løvenskiolds, and Deichmans. Also in this period, Porsgrunn was considered the cultural centre of Norway. The city was granted limited city status as a

kjøpstad A (historically ''kjøbstad'', ''kjöbstad'', or ''kaupstad'', from ) is an old Scandinavian term for a "market town" in Denmark–Norway for several hundred years. Kjøpstads were places of trade and exporting materials (e.g. timber, flour, iron ...

1807 Events January–March *January 7 – The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland issues an Order in Council prohibiting British ships from trading with France or its allies. *January 20 – The Sierra Leone Company, faced with b ...

. The town was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838, and it was expanded to full city status in 1842. Porsgrunn was once home to '' Skomvær'', the country's largest

sailing ship A sailing ship is a sea-going vessel that uses sails mounted on Mast (sailing), masts to harness the power of wind and propel the vessel. There is a variety of sail plans that propel sailing ships, employing Square rig, square-rigged or Fore-an ...

. In 1985, the sculpture ''

Amphitrite, the wave and the sea birds ''Amphitrite, the wave and the sea birds'' () is a tall stainless steel sculpture by Jørleif Uthaug located in Porsgrunn, Norway. The work consists of a nude female figure (representing Amphitrite, the wife of Neptune (mythology), Neptune) a ...

'' was unveiled in Porsgrunn. The sculpture, which is one of

Jørleif Uthaug Jørleif Uthaug (3 August 1911 – 25 August 1990) was a Norwegian illustrator, painter and sculptor. Biography He was born at Brekstad in Ørland Municipality in Sør-Trøndelag, Norway. He was the son of Daniel Meier Uthaug (1886–1977) an ...

's best known works, has a nautical theme in honor of Porsgrunn's maritime history.

Geography

Porsgrunn Municipality borders the municipalities of

and Siljan to the north,

Bamble Bamble is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Langesund ...

in the west, and

Larvik Larvik () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Vestfold. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Larvik (town) ...

in the east. It is part of a cluster of municipalities in southern

that constitute the

area of Norway. The

Frierfjorden Frier or Frierfjord is a fjord in Telemark county, Norway. The long fjord is located along the Skaggerak coast in the traditional district of Grenland and it forms the border with the municipalities of Bamble, Skien, and Porsgrunn. The fjord is ...

Gunnekleivfjorden Gunnekleivfjorden is a fjord in Porsgrunn Municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The long fjord is located at the head of Frierfjord in the town of Porsgrunn. The west side of the fjord is defined by the Herøya peninsula at the mouth of Te ...

, and the mouth of the river '' Telemarksvassdraget'' or Porsgrunn River (''Porsgrunnselva'') are located in the western part of the municipality. The peninsula of

Herøya Herøya is a peninsula in Porsgrunn Municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located between the fjords of Frierfjord to the west and Gunnekleivfjord to the east, at the mouth of Porsgrunn River. The name stems from the Old Norse word ...

, southeast of the main city centre, was originally an industrial park and has grown into a suburb of Porsgrunn. The

Eidangerfjorden Eidangerfjord or Eidangerfjorden is a fjord in Porsgrunn Municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The long fjord stretches from the village area of Eidanger south to the Langesundsfjord. The mouth of the Eidangerfjord is located between the town ...

runs through the central part of the municipality.

Government

Porsgrunn Municipality is responsible for

primary education Primary education is the first stage of Education, formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary education. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first schools and middle s ...

(through 10th grade), outpatient

health services Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...

senior citizen Old age is the range of ages for people nearing and surpassing life expectancy. People who are of old age are also referred to as: old people, elderly, elders, senior citizens, seniors or older adults. Old age is not a definite biological sta ...

services,

welfare Welfare may refer to: Philosophy *Well-being (happiness, prosperity, or flourishing) of a person or group * Utility in utilitarianism * Value in value theory Economics * Utility, a general term for individual well-being in economics and decision ...

and other

social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. Also available amachine-converted HTML They may be provided by individuals, private and i ...

zoning In urban planning, zoning is a method in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into land-use "zones", each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for ...

economic development In economics, economic development (or economic and social development) is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and object ...

, and municipal

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

s and utilities. The municipality is governed by a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough cou ...

of directly elected representatives. The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

indirectly elected An indirect election or ''hierarchical voting,'' is an election in which voters do not choose directly among candidates or parties for an office ( direct voting system), but elect people who in turn choose candidates or parties. It is one of the o ...

by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the

Telemark District Court Telemark District Court () was a district court located in Telemark county, Norway. This court was based at three different courthouses which were located in Skien, Notodden, and Kviteseid. The court was subordinate to the Agder Court of Appeal. ...

and the

Agder Court of Appeal The Agder Court of Appeal () is one of six courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the town of Skien. The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Vestfold og Telemark and Agder (except for Sirdal Municipality which ...

Municipal council

The

of Porsgrunn is made up of 49 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a Hospitality, host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will oft ...

Mayors

The

mayors In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

() of Porsgrunn (incomplete list): * 1838-1838:

Jørgen Flood Jørgen Flood (28 December 1792 – 28 June 1867) was a Norwegian merchant and politician.S ...

* 1839-1840:

Jens Gasmann Jens Severin Gasmann (1776 – 7 May 1850) was a Norwegian businessperson and politician. Jørgen Flood Jørgen Flood (28 December 1792 – 28 June 1867) was a Norwegian merchant and politician.S ...

* 1842-1842:

Ole Hersted Schjøtt Ole Hersted Schjøtt (1805-1848) was a Norwegian clergyman and politician.Opptegnel ...

* 1843-1844:

Peter Bøyesen Peter Johan Bøyesen (13 January 1799 – 24 November 1867
in volume two of ''Porsgrunns historie ...

* 1845-1845:

Paulus Flood Paulus Mathias Frederikus Flood (11 March 1804 – 26 December 1847) was a Norwegian merchant and politician.

* 1846-1846:

Peter Bøyesen Peter Johan Bøyesen (13 January 1799 – 24 November 1867
in volume two of ''Porsgrunns historie ...

* 1847-1849: E.R. Pedersen * 1850-1853: Thorvald Olsen * 1854-1854: Thobias Petter Wiibe * 1855-1855: Simon Karenius Høegh * 1856-1856: Thobias Petter Wiibe * 1857-1857:

Jørgen Aall Flood Jørgen Aall Flood (1820–1892) was a Norway, Norwegian politician, consul (representative), vice consul and businessman.Thobias Petter Wiibe * 1860-1860:

Jørgen Aall Flood Jørgen Aall Flood (1820–1892) was a Norway, Norwegian politician, consul (representative), vice consul and businessman.Niels Mathiesen Niels Mathiesen (1829–1900) was a Norwegian politician and merchant.Storgaden 137
...

* 1863-1864: