Skien (Norway)

Skien is a urban heart as well as municipality inwards Telemark county, Norway. It is utilization of the traditional share of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the urban heart of Skien. Skien is too the administrative centre of Telemark county.

The municipality of Skien was established on 1 Jan 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The rural municipalities of Gjerpen as well as Solum were merged into the municipality of Skien on 1 Jan 1964.

The conurbation of Skien as well as Porsgrunn is considered past times Statistics Kingdom of Norway to last the 7th largest urban heart inwards Kingdom of Norway straddling an expanse of 3 municipalities: Skien municipality (about 52% of the population), Porsgrunn (35%), as well as Bamble (11.5%). The expanse is domicile to to a greater extent than than 85,000 people.

Skien was historically Norway's most of import port town for transportation timber. The urban heart was the birthplace as well as boyhood domicile of playwright Henrik Ibsen, as well as many of his famous dramas are laid inwards in places reminiscent of 19th century Skien.

Name

The Old Norse shape of the shout out was Skiða (from the give-and-take skiða which agency "straight plank"), as well as the town is in all probability named later on a brook (with a direct run) alongside this name.

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms are derived from the oldest known seal of the city, dating dorsum to 1609. The seal shows ii skis as well as inwards the middle a cross, alongside a small-scale star on the crosspoint. The skis are a semi-canting chemical cistron (based on a misunderstanding of the pregnant of the town's name) as well as the cross is a religious symbol. There accept been several theories most the pregnant of the cross, but its pregnant is non clearly known. It has been suggested that it is a symbol for the primary church building inwards Skien, the Holy Cross church. The small-scale star may last a symbol of St. Mary equally the instant medieval church building of Skien was devoted to her. Besides the skis as well as cross, in that location are ii meadow buttercups on each side.

In 1854, the arms were shown equally ii skis, but the cross was straightaway made from ski poles, equally some other canting element. This remained thence until the early on one-half of the 20th century.

In the 1980s, the urban heart officially adopted the electrical flow arms, which are identical to the oldest seal. The colours are the colours that accept been used since the 19th century. The differences betwixt the seal as well as the acquaint arms are that inwards the arms the cross is placed on top of the skis as well as the star is changed from a four-pointed star to a six-pointed star, as well as that the cross is made of ski-poles.

History

Until 1979, it was believed that Skien was founded inwards the 14th century. However, the archaeological notice of a carving of the Skien beast has established its founding to earlier M A.D. The urban heart was as well as thence a coming together house for inland farmers as well as sailing traders, as well as too equally a transportation harbour for whetstones from Eidsborg (inland Telemark). The village tin last traced dorsum to the 11th century, as well as Gimsøy Abbey was founded inwards the twelfth century. Skien was given formal commercial town rights past times the Danish crown inwards 1358. Timber has historically been the most dominant export production from Skien, as well as the urban heart was the Kingdom's leading port town for transportation timber from the 16th century onwards. The oldest remaining edifice is Gjerpen church building (built inwards simply about 1150).

From the 16th century, the urban heart came to last dominated past times a grouping of families known equally patricians. In an 1882 missive of the alphabet to Rasmus B. Anderson, Henrik Ibsen mentions the families Paus, Plesner, von der Lippe, Cappelen as well as Blom equally the most prominent patrician families when he grew upwards there.

The electrical flow town layout was fixed later on the final town burn inwards 1886. In 1964, the rural municipalities Solum as well as Gjerpen were merged together alongside Skien town, forming the Skien municipality.

Transportation

RoadsThe primary route into Skien is from the E18 route as well as through Porsgrunn, on either route 36 or 354 that runs upwards along Skienselva on each side. Another mutual route used past times most buses coming from Oslo is route 32, that goes through Siljan, Steinsholt, Lågendalen, Hvittingfoss as well as Hof. Road 32 enters the E18 inwards Hof.

Water

Skien is the primary terminus for the Telemark Canal (Norwegian: Telemarkskanalen), which consists of ii canals. In Europe, canals were unremarkably built inwards the pre-railroad catamenia to carry goods, timber, as well as passengers.

The "Norsjø-Skienskanalen", alongside i terminus at Skien as well as the other at Løveid, was built inwards 1854–1861, as well as is the oldest of the ii canals.

The "Bandak-Nordsjøkanalene" continued the canal beyond Løveid. It was opened inwards 1892.

Skien harbour is located at Vold havneterminal.

Railroads

Skien was connected to the Norwegian railway network (Vestfoldbanen) inwards 1882. In 1919, Bratsbergbanen opened betwixt Skien as well as Notodden. Norges Statsbaner all the same operates regular develop services on both railways.

Air

The local airdrome is called Skien Airport, Geiteryggen as well as serves domestic flights to Bergen as well as Stavanger equally good equally flights to Trondheim past times the airline Vildanden.