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 and Heistad. 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 by

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 (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. *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 in

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 in

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 (''"Porsgrund"'') by the writer Peder Claussøn Friis in his work ''Concerning the Kingdom of Norway'' (see the article: Norwegian literature). He writes: "Two and a half miles from the sea, the Skien River 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, who went here to collect the shrub '' pors'' ("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, 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 (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 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 (

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.

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'' 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, Cappelens, 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'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, Gunnekleivfjorden, and the mouth of the river '' Telemarksvassdraget'' or Porsgrunn River (''Porsgrunnselva'') are located in the western part of the municipality. The peninsula of Herøya, southeast of the main city centre, was originally an industrial park and has grown into a suburb of Porsgrunn. The Eidangerfjorden 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 and the Agder Court of Appeal.

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 * 1839-1840: Jens Gasmann * 1841-1841: Jørgen Flood * 1842-1842: Ole Hersted Schjøtt * 1843-1844: Peter Bøyesen * 1845-1845: Paulus Flood * 1846-1846: Peter Bøyesen * 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 * 1858-1859: Thobias Petter Wiibe * 1860-1860: Jørgen Aall Flood * 1861-1862: Niels Mathiesen * 1863-1864: Hans Møller * 1865-1865: Niels Mathiesen * 1866-1866: Hans Møller * 1867-1867: Niels Mathiesen * 1868-1869: Hans Møller * 1870-1870: Niels Mathiesen * 1871-1871: Hans Møller * 1872-1872: Niels Mathiesen * 1873-1873: Hans Møller * 1874-1874: Niels Mathiesen * 1875-1875: Hans Møller * 1876-1876: Niels Mathiesen * 1877-1877: Hans Møller * 1878-1878: Niels Mathiesen * 1879-1879: Hans Møller * 1880-1880: Niels Mathiesen * 1881-1883: Hans Møller * 1884-1884: Niels Mathiesen * 1885-1890: Hans Møller * 1891-1892: Alfred P. Wright * 1893-1893: Jørgen C. Knudsen * 1894-1899: Alfred P. Wright * 1900-1907: H. Jeremiassen * 1926-1930: Lars Andersen ( Ap) * 1931-1931: Arvid Frisak ( Ap) * 1931-1936: Carl P. Wright ( H) * 1964-1984: Harald Moen ( Ap) * 1984-1988: Kristen Waaland ( Ap) * 1988-1991: Ivar Moen ( Ap) * 1991-2003: Elisabeth A. Nilsen ( Ap) * 2003-2015: Øystein Kåre Beyer ( Ap) * 2015–2023: Robin Martin Kåss ( Ap) * 2023-present: Janicke Andreassen ( Ap)

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: *

Norsk Hydro Norsk Hydro ASA (often referred to as just ''Hydro'') is a Norway, Norwegian aluminium and renewable energy company, headquartered in Oslo. It is one of the largest aluminium companies worldwide. It has operations in some 50 countries around th ...

(

magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 ...

) * Elkem (

silicon Silicon is a chemical element; it has symbol Si and atomic number 14. It is a hard, brittle crystalline solid with a blue-grey metallic lustre, and is a tetravalent metalloid (sometimes considered a non-metal) and semiconductor. It is a membe ...

) *

Yara International Yara International ASA is a Norwegian chemical company. It produces, distributes, and sells nitrogen-based mineral fertilizers and related industrial products. Its product line also includes phosphate and potash-based mineral fertilizers, as we ...

(

nitrogen Nitrogen is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a Nonmetal (chemistry), nonmetal and the lightest member of pnictogen, group 15 of the periodic table, often called the Pnictogen, pnictogens. ...

fertilizer A fertilizer or fertiliser is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from liming materials or other non-nutrient soil amendments. Man ...

s) * Porsgrund Porcelænsfabrik (

porcelain Porcelain (), also called china, is a ceramic material made by heating Industrial mineral, raw materials, generally including kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The greater strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to oth ...

) * Renewable Energy Corporation (solar power products) * Isola (

building material Building material is material used for construction. Many naturally occurring substances, such as clay, rocks, sand, wood, and even twigs and leaves, have been used to construct buildings and other structures, like bridges. Apart from natur ...

s, roofing) *

Norcem Norcem AS is a Norway, Norwegian manufacturer of cement, and subsidiary of HeidelbergCement. It has plants in Brevik, Norway, Brevik and Kjøpsvik. History

Norcem was established in 1968 as a merger between the three cement factories Norce ...

* Eramet

Transportation

Transportation links from Porsgrunn: *Bus (

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) 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 of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

Kristiansand Kristiansand is a city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality is the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 116,000 as of January 2020, following th ...

Notodden is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Aust-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Notodden. Other population centres include the villages of Bolkesjø, G ...

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

Vestfold Line The Vestfold Line () 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. The line is excl ...

to Drammen Station and onwards to

Oslo Central Station Oslo Central Station (, abbreviated ) is the main railway station in Oslo, and the largest railway station within the entire Norwegian railway system. It connects with Jernbanetorget station, which is served by trams and the Oslo Metro. It's ...

**The Bratsberg Line to Skien Station and Notodden Station *Ferry ( Fjordbåtene i Brevik)

Notable people

Public service and public thinking

* Cort Adeler (1622–1675), a Norwegian/Danish

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

* Niels Aall (1769–1854), an estate owner, businessman and politician who built Ulefos Manor *

Severin Løvenskiold Severin Løvenskiold (7 February 1777 – 15 September 1856) was a Norwegian nobleman, politician and the prime minister of Norway. Family Severin Løvenskiold, the younger, was born in Porsgrunn in Telemark, Norway to Severin Løvenskiold, ...

(1777–1856), a nobleman, politician, and Prime Minister of Norway 1828/1841 * Thobias Petter Wiibe (1815–1891), a politician and Mayor of Porsgrund in the 1850s * Niels Mathiesen (1829–1900), a politician, merchant, and Mayor of Porsgrund during the 1860s to 1880s * Jørgen Christian Knudsen (1843–1922), a ship-owner and politician * Johan Castberg (1862–1926), a

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

and government minister during the 1900s & 1910s * Carl P. Wright (1893–1961), a politician who was Mayor of Porsgrunn during the 1930s * Erik Hesselberg (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, f ...

crewmember * Einar Tufte-Johnsen (1915–1985), an aviation officer and head of

NATO Defense College NATO Defense College (NDC) is the international military college for NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries. It is located in Rome, Italy. History The idea of a NATO Defense College originated with General Dwight D. Eisenhower, t ...

* Finn Kristensen (born 1936), an electrician, trade unionist, and government minister during the 1980s & 1990s * Ann-Marit Sæbønes (born 1945), a physiotherapist and first female Mayor of Oslo during 1992-1995 * Mads Gilbert (born 1947), a physician, humanitarian, activist, and politician * Kristin Halvorsen (born 1960), the former leader of Socialist Left Party and a government minister * Vibeke Hein Bæra (born 1964), a lawyer, defended

Anders Behring Breivik Anders Behring Breivik (; born 13 February 1979), officially named Fjotolf Hansen from 2017 to 2025, and Far Skaldigrimmr Rauskjoldr av Northriki since March 2025, is a Norwegian neo-Nazi terrorist and mass murderer. He carried out the 2011 No ...

at his

trial In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, w ...

* Robin Kåss (born 1977), a politician who was elected Mayor of Porsgrunn in 2015 & 2019 * Torbjørn Røe Isaksen (born 1978), the former leader of Norwegian Young Conservatives and the Minister of Education and Research * brothers Kjetil Aleksander Lie (born 1980) & Espen Lie (born 1984), chess players

Business

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

, 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 Halfdan Christensen (12 December 1873 – 17 September 1950) was a Norwegian stage actor and theatre director. Biography Christensen was born at Porsgrunn in Telemark, Norway. His family moved to Kristiania (now Oslo) where he attended Aars ...

(1873–1950), a stage actor and theatre director * Tone Schwarzott (born 1941), an actress and poet * Yngvar Numme (born 1944), a singer, actor, revue writer, and director *

Bugge Wesseltoft Jens Christian Bugge Wesseltoft (born 1 February 1964) is a Norwegian jazz pianist, composer, and producer, son of jazz guitarist Erik Wesseltoft. Career In 1989, Wesseltoft collaborated with the Knut Riisnæs Quartet and was soon after ...

(born 1964), a jazz musician, pianist, composer, and producer * Stephen Ackles (born 1966), a vocalist, pianist, and songwriter * Øyvind Torvund (born 1976), a 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 caree ...

(born 1986), a singer for

Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Norway was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song " Grab the Moment" written by Joakim With Steen and Jonas McDonnell. The song was performed by Jowst, which is the artistic name of music producer Joakim With Steen, with ...

* Didrik Solli-Tangen (born 1987), a singer for Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 * Emil Solli-Tangen (born 1990), a opera singer

Sport

Jørgen Juve Jørgen Juve (22 November 1906 – 12 April 1983) was a Norwegian football player, jurist, journalist, and non-fiction writer. For most of his career, he played as a striker for Lyn. He also played for a season at Basel in Switzerland before re ...

(1906–1983), a football player, jurist, journalist, and non-fiction writer who was the highest scoring player for Norway with 33 goals in 45 games; captain of Norway, which won Olympic bronze medals in the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to ...

* Cathrine Roll-Matthiesen (born 1967), a former handball player and team silver medallist at the 1988 &

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

* sisters Anita Valen (born 1968) & Monica Valvik (born 1970), racing cyclists who 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 (born 1975), a football manager who was head coach of

New York City FC New York City Football Club (often referred to as NYCFC) is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in New York City. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern C ...

and former player with 352 club caps * Tony Capaldi (born 1981), a professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

with 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 Kisumu ( ) is the third-largest city in Kenya located in the Lake Victoria area in the former Nyanza Province. It is the second-largest city after Kampala in the Lake Victoria Basin. The city has a population of slightly over 600,000. The ...

, Kenya *

Pori Pori (; ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Satakunta. It is located on the west coast of the country, on the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Pori is approximately , while the Pori sub-region, sub-region has a population of a ...

, Finland *

Sigtuna Sigtuna is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality situated in the eponymous Sigtuna Municipality, in Stockholm County, Sweden with 9,689 inhabitants in 2020. It is the namesake even though the seat of the municipality is in another locality, Märsta. S ...

, Sweden *

Sønderborg (; ) is a Denmark, 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 28,333 (1 January 2025),Sundsvall Sundsvall () is a city and the seat of Sundsvall Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden. It has a population of 58,807 as of 2020; more than 95,000 live in the municipal area. It is Sweden's 21st largest city by population. Old town i ...

, Sweden

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from

* *
Municipal website

Porsgrunds Porselænsfabrik AS
(porcelain factory)
www.isola.com

Porsgrunn public library
{{use dmy dates, date=October 2023 Municipalities of Telemark 1838 establishments in Norway