The 779-square-kilometre (301 sq mi) municipality is the 147th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Skien is the 18th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 55,924. The municipality'spopulation density is 77.8 inhabitants per square kilometre (202/sq mi) and its population has increased by 5.5% over the previous 10-year period.[5][6] Theconurbation ofPorsgrunn/Skien is reckoned byStatistics Norway to be theseventh largest urban area in Norway, straddling an area of three municipalities: Skien municipality (about 62% of the population),Porsgrunn Municipality (30%), andBamble Municipality (8%). This entire area is home to more than 100,000 people.
The municipality has existed since 1838, but the city of Skien is one of Norway's oldest cities, with an urban history dating back to the Middle Ages, and received privileges as amarket town in 1358. From the 15th century, the city was governed by a 12-member council. Skien was historically a centre of seafaring, timber exports, and early industrialization. It was one of Norway's two or three largest cities between the 16th and 19th centuries. It was also one of Norway's most internationally oriented cities, with extensive contact with its export markets in theLow Countries, theUnited Kingdom, andDenmark. It retained its position asEastern Norway's leading commercial city until the 19th century, when it gradually started to lose importance to the emerging capital ofChristiania following theNapoleonic Wars.[7] The city was the birthplace of playwrightHenrik Ibsen, and many of his famous dramas are set in places reminiscent of early 19th-century Skien.
The municipality (originally thetown of Skien) is named after the Skien river (Old Norse:Skiða) since it ran through the town. The name is the pluralgenitive case of the wordskið which means "ski", likely referring to the straight path of the river.[4][9]
Thecoat of arms is derived from the oldest known seal of the city, dating back to 1609. Theblazon is"Gules, two crossed ski-poles with central star between two skisaddorsed between two flower plants issuant from aterrace in base Or". This means the arms have a redfield (background) and thecharge is a two ski poles forming across with a star at the crosspoint located in between twoskis which in turn are between two tall flower plants growing out of a flat ground at the bottom of the shield. Amural crown is usually displayed above the shield. The charge has atincture ofOr which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The skis are a semi-canting element (based on the meaning of the town's name) and the cross is areligious symbol. There have been several theories about the meaning of the cross, but its meaning is not clearly known. It has been suggested that it is a symbol for the main church in Skien, the Holy Cross church. The small star may be a symbol ofSt. Mary as the second medieval church of Skien was devoted to her. Besides the skis and cross, there are twomeadow buttercups on each side. The municipal flag is white with a small image of coat of arms next to the name "Skien kommune".[10][11][12]
In 1854, the arms were shown as two skis, but the cross was now made fromski poles, as another canting element. This remained so until the early half of the 20th century. In the 1980s, the city officially adopted the current arms, which are identical to the oldest seal. The colours are the colours that have been used since the 19th century. The differences between the seal and the present arms are that in the arms the cross is placed on top of the skis and the star is changed from a four-pointed star to a six-pointed star, and that the cross is made of ski-poles.[10]
Until 1979, it was thought that Skien was founded in the 14th century. However, the archaeological discovery of a carving of theSkien animal has established that its founding preceded 1000 A.D. The city was then a meeting place for inland farmers and marine traders, and also a centre for tradingwhetstones fromEidsborg (inland Telemark).Gimsøy Abbey was founded in the 12th century. Skien was given formalcommercial town rights by the Norwegian crown in 1358.Timber has historically been the principal export from Skien, and in the sixteenth century the city became the Kingdom's leading port for shipping timber. The oldest remaining building is Gjerpen church (built in approximately 1150).
From the 16th century, the city came to be dominated by a group of families known aspatricians. In an 1882 letter toGeorg Brandes,Henrik Ibsen mentions the familiesPaus, Plesner,von der Lippe,Cappelen andBlom as the most prominent patrician families when he grew up there.[13]The current town layout was fixed after the last town fire in 1886.
Themunicipal council(Kommunestyre) of Skien is made up of 55 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by politicalparty.
TheEuropean route E18 highway runs through neighboringPorsgrunn and it connects to theNorwegian national road 36 which is the main road through Skien. It follows along the Skienselva river to the north. Another main route used by most buses coming from Oslo isNorwegian county road 32 which goes throughSiljan and on to the northeast.
Skien is the main terminus for theTelemark Canal. The "Norsjø-Skienskanalen" section of the canal, with one terminus at Skien and the other at Løveid, was built in 1854–1861. In Europe, canals were commonly built in the pre-railroad period to transport goods, timber, and passengers. The "Porsgrunn river" runs from the lock at Skien through Porsgrunn to theFrierfjord. Skien harbour is located atVold havneterminal.
Skien was the birthplace of the author and playwrightHenrik Ibsen, probably the most important writer to emerge from Norway. Many of Ibsen's plays are set in an unnamed provincial town that suggests Skien. The former Ibsen family homestead at Venstøp outside Skien was established as the Ibsen Museum in 1958. The Ibsen Museum has now been incorporated into the multi-siteTelemark Museum, which includes several other historical sites.
Ibsenhuset is the local culture and conference center in Skien. It also houses concerts by international and national artists, opera, theatre and other cultural events.Skien kunstforening has a department in Ibsenhuset, and the local culture school and library are also located in the building. The venue is also home to the regional symphony orchestra, Grenland Symfoniorkester.
Teater Ibsen is the city theatre, and is still used for small productions.
In the summer of 2009 Elton John held a concert at the new Skagerak Arena, the soccer pitch for the local footfall team Odd. Next to Skagerak Arena is Stevneplassen, where car shows, concerts, flea markets and the annual "Handelsstevnet" – a trade fair with entertainment and a small amusement park – are held. The Handelsstevnet was closed down after the annual fair in 2011.
In Skotfoss, a small suburb of Skien further up the Telemark Canal, concerts are held at Løveid Sluser. There are plans to hold cultural events and concerts at Klosterøya (a downtown graffiti park).
There are no local amusement parks in Skien. Lekeland was a small amusement park for children just outside the town, but it closed in 2008. Every year there is atraveling carnival with rides and merry-go-arounds for a week, in "Stevneplassen". There is an indoorwaterpark and a big outdoor climbing park inSkien Fritidspark.[46]
Frogner Manor [no] (Frogner Hovedgård) is a manor house on the outskirts of Skien. The manor house was built for shipowner and timber merchantChristopher Hansen Blom (died 1879) and his wife Marie Elisabeth (Cappelen) Blom (died 1834). The main building is influenced by Italian Renaissance architecture. The garden was laid out in English landscape style in the 1850s.[47]
The Church on Kapitelberget (Kirken på Kapitelberget) was a medieval church. Kapitelberget was a private chapel on Bratsberg farm dating to the early 1100s. It is not known when the church went out of use, but Bratsberg farm burned down in 1156. in 1576,Peder Claussøn Friis reviewed it as a ruin. The site was first excavated in 1901. In 1928,Gerhard Fischer undertook restoration and preservation. The work was completed in 1933.[48][49]
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