Porsgrunn
Porsgrunn kommune | |
---|---|
![]() Parts of Porsgrunn | |
![]() Coat of arms ![]() Vestfold og Telemark within Norway | |
![]() Porsgrunn within Vestfold og Telemark | |
Coordinates: 59°6′56″N 9°42′36″E | |
Country | Norway |
County | Vestfold og Telemark |
District | Grenland |
Administrative centre | Porsgrunn |
Government | |
• Mayor (2015) | Robin Kåss (Ap) |
Area | |
• Total | 165 km2 (64 sq mi) |
• Land | 161 km2 (62 sq mi) |
Area rank | 352 in Norway |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 35,117 |
• Rank | 22 in Norway |
• Density | 213/km2 (550/sq mi) |
• Change (10 years) | 6.4% |
Demonym(s) | Porsgrunning[1] |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
ISO 3166 code | NO-3806 |
Official language form | Bokmål[2] |
Website | www |
The municipality of Porsgrunn was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The town of Brevik and the rural district of Eidanger were merged into the municipality of Porsgrunn on 1 January 1964.
The conurbation of Porsgrunn and Skien is considered by Statistics Norway to be the seventh-largest city in Norway.
General information
Name
The place is first mentioned 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, and that place is called Porsgrund." The name was probably given during medieval times to the then swampy area by the nuns of Gimsøy Abbey, 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 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 on a red background and is thus a canting symbol. The silver anchor on a blue background symbolizes the importance of the local harbor.[3]
History
Porsgrunn has been an important harbor town in the Grenland area since the late 16th century. In 1653, the Customs House was moved further down the Telemarksvassdraget from Skien 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.[4] Moving the Custom House to Porsgrunn added to the flourishing harbor activity and Porsgrunn became a thriving market town.
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 Eidanger, Solum, and Gjerpen 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, but this was expanded to full city status in 1842.
Porsgrunn was once home to Skomvær, the country's largest sailing ship. 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
![](../I/m/The_Porsgrunn_River.jpg)
Porsgrunn borders the municipalities of Skien and Siljan to the north, Bamble 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, 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. Important industries in Porsgrunn include:
- Norsk Hydro (magnesium)
- Elkem (silicon)
- Yara International (nitrogen fertilizers)
- Porsgrund Porcelænsfabrik (porcelain)
- Renewable Energy Corporation (solar power products)
- Isola (building materials, roofing)
- Norcem
- Eramet
Transportation
Transportation links from Porsgrunn:
- Bus (Oslo, Kristiansand, Notodden)
- Train (stops at Porsgrunn Station)
- The Vestfold Line to Drammen and onwards to Oslo
- The Bratsberg Line to Skien and Notodden
- Ferry (Fjordbåtene i Brevik)
Notable residents
- Cort Adeler (1622-1675), admiral, born in Brevik/Porsgrunn
- Johan Castberg (1862-1926), politician, born in Brevik/Porsgrunn
- Kristin Halvorsen (born 1960), former leader of Socialist Left Party, Minister of Finance, Minister of Education
- Petter Stordalen (born 1962), real estate developer, and hotel owner
- Torbjørn Røe Isaksen (born 1978), former leader of Unge Høyre, Minister of Education and Research
- Tony Capaldi (born 1981), professional footballer currently playing for Morecambe F.C.
- Aleksander Walmann (born 1986), singer, known for participating for Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017
- Thobias Petter Wiibe (1815-1891), mayor
- Didrik Solli-Tangen (born 1987), singer, known for participating for Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
The following cities are twinned with Porsgrunn:[5]
References
Footnotes
- "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
- "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
- Norske Kommunevåpen (1990). "Nye kommunevåbener i Norden". Retrieved 2009-01-17.
- ""Historien vår"-byhistorisk utstilling" (in Norwegian). Porsgrunn Kommune. Retrieved 2007-06-16.
- "Vennskapskommuner for Porsgrunn og Brevik" (in Norwegian). Porsgrunn kommune. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
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.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Porsgrunn. |
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Look up Porsgrunn in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
- Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway
Telemark travel guide from Wikivoyage Porsgrunn travel guide from Wikivoyage- Municipal website (in Norwegian)
- Porsgrunds Porselænsfabrik AS (porcelain factory) (in Norwegian)
- www.isola.com (in Norwegian)
- Porsgrunn public library (in Norwegian)