is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

and

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

in Telemark in the county of

Vestfold og Telemark Vestfold og Telemark (; ) is a county under disestablishment in Norway. The county is the southernmost one of Eastern Norway and consists of two distinct and separate traditional regions: the former counties of Telemark and (most of) Vestfold ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. It is part of the

traditional region Historical regions (or historical areas) are geographical regions which at some point in time had a cultural, ethnic, linguistic or political basis, regardless of latterday borders. They are used as delimitations for studying and analysing social ...

of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Porsgrunn. The municipality of Porsgrunn was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The town of Brevik and the rural district of

Eidanger Eidanger is a rural parish and former municipality of Porsgrunn, in Telemark County, Norway. History Eidanger was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). It was merged with Porsgrunn on 1 January 1964. The mai ...

were merged into the municipality of Porsgrunn on 1 January 1964. The conurbation of Porsgrunn and

Skien Skien () is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county in Norway. In modern times it is regarded as part of the traditional region of Grenland, although historically it belonged to Grenmar/Skiensfjorden, while Grenland referred the ...

is considered by Statistics Norway to be the seventh-largest city in Norway.

General information

Name

The place is first mentioned in

1576 Year 1576 ( MDLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * January 20 – Viceroy Martín Enríquez de Almanza founds the settlement of León ...

(''"Porsgrund"'') by the writer Peder Claussøn Friis 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 flows into the fjord, and that place is called Porsgrund." The name was probably given during medieval times to the then swampy area by the

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

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'' ("Bog Myrtle"), and the Norwegian word ''grunn'' meaning "ground". Prior to 1931, the name was spelled "Porsgrund".

Coat-of-arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

is from modern times. They were granted on 16 January 1905. The arms were devised in 1905 when the city needed a new city hall. The silver bend is the small river running through the city. The upper half shows a silver-colored branch of

bog myrtle ''Myrica gale'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Myricaceae, native to parts of Japan, North Korea, Russia, mainland Europe, the British Isles and parts of northern North America, in Canada and the United States. Common names include ...

on a red background and is thus a

canting ' (IPA: , VOS Spelling: ''tjanting'', jv, ꦕꦤ꧀ꦛꦶꦁ, Tjanting) is a pen-like tool used to apply liquid hot wax ( jv, ) in the batik-making process in Indonesia, more precisely ''batik tulis'' (lit. "written batik"). Traditional '' ...

symbol. The silver

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 ''ancora'', which itself comes from the Greek ἄ� ...

on a blue background symbolizes the importance of the local

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

History

Porsgrunn has been an important harbor town in the Grenland area since the late 16th century. In 1653, 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 '' Telemarksvassdraget'' 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 rural ...

. In the 18th century, it was the home of some of Norway's most influential families at the time, such as the Aalls, Cappelens, Løvenskiolds, and Deichmans. Also in this period, Porsgrunn was considered the cultural centre of Norway. On the ecclesiastical side, Porsgrunn was separated from the ancient rural parishes of

Solum The solum (plural, sola) in soil science consists of the surface and subsoil layers that have undergone the same soil forming conditions. The base of the solum is the relatively unweathered parent material. Solum and soils are not synonymous. Som ...

, and

Gjerpen Gjerpen is a former township which is now part of the municipality of Skien, in Telemark county, Norway. Location The parish of Gjerpen was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). According to the 1835 census t ...

in 1764 to become a prestegjeld with its own minister. Churches within the Porsgrunn prestegjeld include Østre Porsgrunn Church and Vestre Porsgrunn Church. The city was granted limited city status in

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 ...

, but this 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 masts to harness the power of wind and propel the vessel. There is a variety of sail plans that propel sailing ships, employing square-rigged or fore-and-aft sails. Some ships ...

. In 1985, the sculpture '' Amphitrite, the wave and the sea birds'' was unveiled in Porsgrunn. The sculpture, which is one of Jørleif Uthaug's best known works, has a nautical theme in honor of Porsgrunn's maritime history.

Geography

Porsgrunn borders the municipalities of

and Siljan to the north,

Bamble Bamble is a municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Langesund. General information Name The Old Norse form of the na ...

in the west, and Larvik in the east. It is part of a cluster of municipalities in southern Telemark that constitute the Grenland area of Norway. The city is situated near Gunneklevfjord, and at the mouth of the river '' Telemarksvassdraget'' or Porsgrunn River (''Porsgrunnselva''). The peninsula of

Herøya Herøya is a peninsula in the municipality of Porsgrunn, Norway. It is located between the fjords of Frierfjord to the west and Gunneklevfjord to the east, at the mouth of Telemarksvassdraget. The name stems from the Old Norse word "her-eyjar" m ...

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

Industry

Porsgrunn is an important center of industry and has a long history of

heavy industry Heavy industry is an industry that involves one or more characteristics such as large and heavy products; large and heavy equipment and facilities (such as heavy equipment, large machine tools, huge buildings and large-scale infrastructure); o ...

. Important industries in Porsgrunn include:

Transportation

Transportation links from Porsgrunn: *Bus (

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population ...

, Kristiansand,

Notodden Notodden () is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Øst-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Notodden. Notodden was separated from the munic ...

) *Train (stops at Porsgrunn Station) **The

Vestfold Line The Vestfold Line ( no, Vestfoldbanen) is a railway line which runs between Drammen and Eidanger in Norway. The line connects to the Drammen Line at the northern terminus at Drammen Station and continues as the Bratsberg Line past Skien Station ...

Drammen Drammen () is a city and municipality in Viken, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the south-eastern and most populated part of Norway. Drammen municipality also includes smaller towns and villages such as Konne ...

and onwards to

**The Bratsberg Line to

and Notodden *Ferry ( Fjordbåtene i Brevik)

Notable residents

Public Service & public thinking

Cort Adeler Cort Sivertsen Adeler (16 December 16225 November 1675), known in Denmark as Coort Sifvertsen Adelaer, in the Netherlands as Koert Sievertsen Adelaer and in Italy as Curzio Suffrido Adelborst, was the name of honour given to Kurt Sivertsen, a N ...

(1622-1675) a Norwegian/Danish admiral * Niels Aall (1769–1854) an estate owner, businessman and politician; built Ulefos Manor * Severin Løvenskiold (1777–1856) a nobleman, politician and Prime Minister of Norway 1828/1841 * Thobias Petter Wiibe (1815-1891) politician, Mayor of Porsgrund, 1850s *

Niels Mathiesen Niels Mathiesen (1829–1900) was a Norwegian politician and merchant.Storgaden 137
i ...

(1829–1900) a politician and merchant, Mayor of Porsgrund, 1860s to 1880s * Jørgen Christian Knudsen (1843–1922) a Norwegian ship-owner and politician * Johan Castberg (1862-1926)

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

, Govt. Minister 1900s & 1910s * Carl P. Wright (1893–1961) politician, Mayor of Porsgrund, 1930s *

Erik Hesselberg Erik Bryn Hesselberg (4 June 1914 – 15 September 1972) was a Norwegian sailor, author, photographer, painter and sculptor. He is most known as a crewmember of the Kon-Tiki raft expedition from South America to French Polynesia in 1947. Biogr ...

(1914–1972) a sailor, author, painter, sculptor and

Kon-Tiki The ''Kon-Tiki'' expedition was a 1947 journey by raft across the Pacific Ocean from South America to the Polynesian islands, led by Norwegian explorer and writer Thor Heyerdahl. The raft was named ''Kon-Tiki'' after the Inca god Viracocha, fo ...

crewmember * Einar Tufte-Johnsen (1915–1985) an aviation officer and head of NATO Defense College * Finn Kristensen (born 1936) electrician, trade unionist and Govt. Minister 1980s & 1990s * Ann-Marit Sæbønes (born 1945) physiotherapist and first female Mayor of Oslo, 1992/1995 * Mads Gilbert (born 1947) a Norwegian physician, humanitarian, activist and politician * Kristin Halvorsen (born 1960), former leader of Socialist Left Party, Govt. Minister * Vibeke Hein Bæra (born 1964) a Norwegian lawyer, defended Anders Behring Breivik at his trial * Robin Kåss (born 1977) a Norwegian politician, Mayor of Porsgrund 2015 & 2019 * Torbjørn Røe Isaksen (born 1978), former leader of

Norwegian Young Conservatives Norwegian Young Conservatives (Norwegian: Unge Høyres Landsforbund, UHL, normally referred to as Unge Høyre) is the Norwegian youth party of the Conservative Party. Its ideology is liberal conservatism Liberal conservatism is a political ...

, Minister of Education and Research * brothers

Kjetil Aleksander Lie Kjetil Aleksander Lie (born 18 November 1980 in Porsgrunn) is a Norwegian chess player, and Norway's eighth International Grandmaster (GM). Lie was the Norwegian chess champion in 2009 and 2010. Representing the chess club in Porsgrunn, Lie is ...

(born 1980) & Espen Lie (born 1984) Norwegian chess players

Business

* Hans Eleonardus Møller Sr. (1780–1860) a Norwegian businessperson * Jørgen Wright Cappelen (1805–1878) a bookseller and publisher, co-founded Cappelen Damm * Johan Jeremiassen (1843-1889) an entrepreneur, ship-owner, consul and politician; founded the porcelain flatware company Porsgrund Porselænsfabrik * Petter Stordalen (born 1962) a Norwegian billionaire businessman,

real estate developer Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re- lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to othe ...

and

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

owner

The Arts

* Halfdan Christensen (1873–1950) a Norwegian stage actor and theatre director * Tone Schwarzott (born 1941) a Norwegian actress and poet * Yngvar Numme (born 1944) a Norwegian singer, actor, revue writer and director * Bugge Wesseltoft (born 1964) a Norwegian jazz musician, pianist, composer and producer * Stephen Ackles (born 1966) a Norwegian vocalist, pianist, and songwriter *

Øyvind Torvund Øyvind Torvund (born 1976 in Porsgrunn) is a Norwegian composer. He studied composition at the Norwegian Academy of Music (Oslo) with Bjørn Kruse and Ivar Frounbergand, as well as at Berlin University of the Arts, Universität der Künste (Ber ...

(born 1976) a Norwegian composer *

Aleksander Walmann Aleksander Walmann Åsgården (born 12 January 1986) is a Norwegian singer and songwriter. He represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 alongside Jowst with the song "Grab the Moment", finishing in 10th place. Early life and care ...

(born 1986) singer for

Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Norway participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017. The Norwegian broadcaster NRK organised the national final ''Melodi Grand Prix 2017'' in order to select the Norwegian entry for the 2017 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. Background Prior to t ...

* Linda Aslaksen (born 1986) also known as ''Zina'', a Sámi artist and educator * Didrik Solli-Tangen (born 1987) singer for Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 * Emil Solli-Tangen (born 1990) a Norwegian opera singer

Sport

Jørgen Juve Jørgen Juve (22 November 1906 – 12 April 1983) was a Norwegian football player, jurist, journalist and non-fiction writer. He played as a striker for Lyn, and also for the Norway national team. He is the highest-scoring player ever for Norwa ...

(1906–1983) a Norwegian football player, jurist, journalist and non-fiction writer; highest scoring player for Norway, 33 goals in 45 games; captain of Norway, which won Olympic bronze medals in the 1936 Summer Olympics * Cathrine Roll-Matthiesen (born 1967) a former handball player, team silver medallist at the

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

* sisters Anita Valen (born 1968) & Monica Valvik (born 1970), Norwegian racing cyclists, won the

Norwegian National Road Race Championships The Norwegian National Road Race Championships, have been held annually with an event for each category of rider; Men, Women, junior riders & under 23 riders, since 1946. The event also includes the Norwegian National Time Trial Championships an ...

eleven times between them *

Ronny Deila Ronny Deila (born 21 September 1975) is a Norwegian football manager and former player, who is the manager of Standard Liège. He spent most of his playing career at Odd before becoming head coach at Strømsgodset, winning the Norwegian Cup in ...

(born 1975) football manager, head coach of

New York City FC New York City Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in New York City that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), the highest level of American soccer, as a member of the league's Eastern Conference. The club is co-owned b ...

and former player with 352 club caps * Tony Capaldi (born 1981), professional footballer, nearly 300 club caps * Rune Jarstein (born 1984) a football goalkeeper with about 400 club caps and 69 for

* Espen Ruud (born 1984) a football defender with 430 club caps and 35 for

* Fredrik Nordkvelle (born 1985) a footballer with 360 club caps

Twin towns – sister cities

Porsgrunn is twinned with: * Kisumu, Kenya * Pori, Finland *

Sigtuna Sigtuna () is a locality situated in Sigtuna Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 8,444 inhabitants in 2010. It is the namesake of the municipality even though the seat is in Märsta. Sigtuna is for historical reasons often still referr ...

, Sweden *

Sønderborg (; german: Sonderburg ) is a Danish town in the Region of Southern Denmark. It is the main town and the administrative seat of Sønderborg Municipality (Kommune). The town has a population of 27,766 (1 January 2022),Sundsvall, Sweden

References

Footnotes

Books

* Harald Hals (1968). ''Eidanger bygdehistorie''. Brødrene Kjaer Boktrykkeri. * Johan N. Tønnessen (1956–1957). ''Porsgrunns historie''. * Ole Georg Moseng (2006). ''Porsgrunns historie . Bind I . Byen i emning ''. * Ellen Schrumpf (2006). ''Porsgrunns historie . Bind II . Byen ved elva''.