Skien () 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 ...

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 ...

county in

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 ...

. In modern times it is regarded as 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 ...

Grenland Grenland is a traditional district in the county of Vestfold og Telemark, in the south-east of Norway. Located in the southeastern part of the county, Grenland is composed of the municipalities Skien, Porsgrunn, Bamble, and Siljan. Sometimes the ...

, although historically it belonged to

Grenmar Grenmar is a part of Telemark county of Norway. The region consists of the communities of Kragerø and Drangedal. Vestfold og Telemark {{VestfoldTelemark-geo-stub ...

/Skiensfjorden, while Grenland referred the

Norsjø Norsjø is a lake in the municipalities of Skien, Nome and Sauherad in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. It is 55 km² in area and 15 meters above sea level. Norsjø is part of the Telemark Canal. Most rivers in Telemark meet Norsjø on ...

area and Bø. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Skien. Skien is also the capital of Vestfold og Telemark county. Skien is one of Norway's oldest cities, with an urban history dating back to the Middle Ages, and received privileges as a

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 1358. From the 15th century, the city was governed by a 12-member council. The modern municipality of Skien was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The rural municipalities of

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 ...

and

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 ...

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

Porsgrunn/Skien Porsgrunn/Skien is a Norwegian urban area located in Grenland in southern Telemark. The urban area covers parts of three municipalities: Skien, Porsgrunn and Bamble Bamble is a municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. It is part of ...

is reckoned by Statistics Norway to be the seventh largest urban area in Norway, straddling an area of three municipalities: Skien municipality (about 62% of the population), Porsgrunn (30%), and

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 ...

(8%). This area is home to more than 100,000 people. Skien was historically a centre of seafaring, timber exports and early industrialization, and 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 the Low Countries, the United Kingdom and Denmark. It retained its position as Eastern Norway's leading commercial city until the 19th century, when it gradually started to lose importance to the emerging capital of Christiania following the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

. The city was the birthplace of playwright Henrik Ibsen, and many of his famous dramas are set in places reminiscent of early 19th-century Skien.

General information

Name

The

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlemen ...

form of the name was ''Skiða'' (from the word ''skiða'' which means "straight plank", and which is also the origin of the word

ski A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partia ...

), and the town is probably named after a brook (with a straight run) with this name.

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 w ...

is derived from the oldest known seal of the city, dating back to 1609. The seal shows two

s and in the middle a

cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...

, with a small star on the crosspoint. The skis are a semi-

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 '' ...

element (based on a misunderstanding of the meaning of the town's name) and the cross is a

religious symbol A religious symbol is an iconic representation intended to represent a specific religion, or a specific concept within a given religion. Religious symbols have been used in the military in many countries, such as the United States military chapl ...

. 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 of St. Mary as the second medieval church of Skien was devoted to her. Besides the skis and cross, there are two meadow buttercups on each side. In 1854, the arms were shown as two skis, but the cross was now made from

ski pole Ski poles, also referred to as poles (in North America), sticks (UK), or stocks (Australia), are used by skiers for balance and propulsion. Modern ski poles are most commonly made from aluminum and carbon fiber, though materials such as bamboo are ...

s, 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. (See also

Alvdal Alvdal is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Østerdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Alvdal (villa ...

and

Trysil Trysil is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Østerdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Innbygda. Other villages in the municipality include Nybergsund, � ...

)

History

Until 1979, it was thought that Skien was founded in the 14th century. However, the archaeological discovery of a carving of the Skien 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 trading whetstones from Eidsborg (inland Telemark).

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 ...

was founded in the 12th century. Skien was given formal commercial town rights by the Norwegian crown in 1358.

Timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...

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 as

patricians The patricians (from la, patricius, Greek: πατρίκιος) were originally a group of ruling class families in ancient Rome. The distinction was highly significant in the Roman Kingdom, and the early Republic, but its relevance waned after ...

. In an 1882 letter to

Georg Brandes Georg Morris Cohen Brandes (4 February 1842 – 19 February 1927) was a Danish critic and scholar who greatly influenced Scandinavian and European literature from the 1870s through the turn of the 20th century. He is seen as the theorist behind ...

, Henrik Ibsen mentions the families

Paus The Paus family () is a Norwegian family that first appeared as members of the elite of 16th-century Oslo and that for centuries belonged to Norway's "aristocracy of officials" as priests of the state church, judges and other higher government of ...

, Plesner, von der Lippe, Cappelen and Blom as the most prominent patrician families when he grew up there. The current town layout was fixed after the last town fire in 1886. In 1964, the rural municipalities Solum and Gjerpen were merged with Skien town, forming the Skien municipality.

Frogner Manor in Skien

Frogner Manor Frogner Manor (''Frogner Hovedgård'') is a manor house and former estate in today's borough of Frogner in Oslo, Norway. The estate comprised most of the modern borough of Frogner, which has been named after the estate, and Frognerseteren wit ...

(''Frogner Hovedgård'') is a manor house on the outskirts of Skien. The manor house was built for shipowner and timber merchant Christopher 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. KirkenKapitelberget

Kapitelberget

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 Peder Claussøn Friis (1 April 1545 – 15 October 1614) was a Norwegian clergyman, author and historian. He is most associated with his translation of ''Snorre Sturlessøns Norske Kongers Chronica''. Peder Claussen Friis grew up in Audnedal i ...

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.

Transportation

Roads

The main road into Skien is from the E18 road and through

Porsgrunn is a city and municipality in Telemark in the county of Vestfold og Telemark in Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Porsgrunn. The municipality of Porsgrunn w ...

, on either road 36 or 354 that runs up along Skienselva on each side. Another common route used by most buses coming from Oslo is road 32, that goes through Siljan, Steinsholt, Lågendalen, Hvittingfoss and Hof. Road 32 enters the E18 in Hof. 564598-168

Water

Skien is the main terminus for the

Telemark Canal The Telemark Canal connects the towns Skien and Dalen in southern Norway by linking several long lakes in the Skien watershed through a series of 18 locks. It originally consisted of two canals. The Norsjø–Skien Canal, with locks in Skien a ...

. 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 the

Frierfjord Frierfjorden is a fjord in the Grenland traditional district in the county of Telemark, Norway. It is an arm of the Langesundsfjord and well into the 1700s was also known as the Langesundsfjord. Frierfjorden stretches from the opening to Lange ...

. Skien harbour is located at ''Vold havneterminal''.

Railroads

Skien was connected to the Norwegian railway network (

Vestfoldbanen 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 Stati ...

) in 1882. In 1919, Bratsbergbanen opened between Skien and

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 ...

. Vy still operates regular train services on both railways.

Air

The local airport is

Skien Airport, Geiteryggen Skien Airport, Geiteryggen ( no, Skien lufthavn, Geiteryggen; ) is a regional airport located at Geiteryggen, southwest of the city center of Skien, Norway. Owned by Skien Municipality, it was last served by Widerøe with daily flights to Bergen. ...

. It serves domestic flights to

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...

and Stavanger as well as flights to

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

by the airline Vildanden. For the present, no commercial flights are operated from Geiteryggen.

Culture and recreation

Ibsen and Telemark Museums

Skien was the birthplace of the author and playwright Henrik 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-site Telemark Museum, which includes several other historical sites.

Music and entertainment

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 Teater Ibsen (from 1975 to 1991 Telemark Teater) is a theatre in Skien in Vestfold og Telemark, Norway. The theatre was established in 1975 as Telemark Teater, and changed its name to Teater Ibsen in 1991. The theatre serves as regional theatre fo ...

is the city theatre, and is still used for small productions. Skien Church is the largest church in Telemark county, and is famous for its two twin

tower A tower is a tall structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting structures. Towers are specifi ...

s and great organ. In the summer of 2009 Elton John held a concert at the new Skagerak Arena, the soccer pitch for the local soccer team Odd Grenland. 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).

Amusement parks

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 a

traveling carnival A traveling carnival (US English), usually simply called a carnival, or travelling funfair (UK English), is an amusement show that may be made up of amusement rides, food vendors, merchandise vendors, games of chance and skill, thrill acts, ...

with rides and merry-go-arounds for a week, in "Stevneplassen". There is an indoor

waterpark A water park (or waterpark, water world) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other b ...

and a big outdoor climbing park in Skien Fritidspark.

Media

The daily newspapers ''

Varden Varden may refer to: People *Erik Varden (born 1974), Norwegian Roman Catholic prelate *Evelyn Varden (1893-1958), American actress *Helga Varden, American philosopher *Norma Varden (1898-1989), English actress * Varden Tsulukidze (1865–1923), Ge ...

'' and ''

Telemarksavisa ''Telemarksavisa'' is a Norwegian newspaper, published in Skien in Telemark county. ''Telemark Arbeiderblad'' was started on 1 October 1921 as a reaction to the perceived moderate stance of Skien's labour newspaper ''Bratsberg Demokraten''. Howe ...

'' are published in Skien. The local television for

Telemark Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...

, TVTelemark, is located in Skien.

Economy

Commerce and industry

The largest industries are

ABB Asea Brown Boveri ABB Ltd. is a Swedish-Swiss multinational corporation headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland. The company was formed in 1988 when Sweden's Allmänna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget (ASEA) and Switzerland's Brown, Boveri & Cie merged to create ...

(

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

firm),

Norske Skog Union Norske Skog Union was a paper mill located in Skien in Norway. The mill was part of the Norske Skog Corporation and opened in 1873 with the name Union Co. The mill had two paper machines that produced 240,000 tonnes of newsprint and book paper. I ...

(a paper mill which was closed down in the spring of 2006), an
EFD Induction
(

induction heating Induction heating is the process of heating electrically conductive materials, namely metals or semi-conductors, by electromagnetic induction, through heat transfer passing through an induction coil that creates an electromagnetic field within th ...

and

induction welding Induction welding is a form of welding that uses electromagnetic induction to heat the workpiece. The welding apparatus contains an induction coil that is energised with a radio-frequency electric current. This generates a high-frequency elect ...

). Other important places of work are

Telemark Hospital Telemark Hospital Trust is a health trust with its headquarters in Skien. There are also sections in Porsgrunn and Kragerø. The total employees in 2003 were 2750, of which 215 were doctors. It is owned by Southern and Eastern Norway Regional Healt ...

and Vestfold og Telemark county municipality.

Agder Court of Appeal The Agder Court of Appeal ( no, Agder lagmannsrett) is one of six courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the town of Skien. The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Vestfold og Telemark and Agder (except for Si ...

is located in Skien. Because the E18 highway lies outside of the metropolitan area of

, Skien has lost many important companies to the cities in

Vestfold Vestfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in Eastern Norway. In 2020 the county became part of the much larger county of Vestfold og Telemark. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it bordered t ...

Shopping

Skien has three

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...

s: *''Handelsbyen Herkules'' (110 stores and services) *''Arkaden Skien Storsenter'' (47 stores and services) *''Lietorvet Senter'' (28 stores and services)

Sports

Arenas

* Gjerpenhallen * Mælahallen *

Skagerak Arena The Skagerak Arena is a football stadium located in Skien, Norway. It was formerly called Odd Stadion, and was built in 1923 as the home ground of Eliteserien club Odd. The stadium is often referred to as ''Falkum'', being situated in that area ...

* Skienshallen * Skien Ishall * Skien Isstadion

Clubs

Gjerpen IF Gjerpen Idrettsforening is a sports club in Skien, Norway. It was founded in 1918. Among the club's activities are handball, skiing and athletics. In handball the club's women's team has won the National championships several times. Notable playe ...

( handball) * Odds Ballklubb ( football) * Sceen Curling Klubb (

curling Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns slidi ...

) * Skien Ishockeyklubb (

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

) * Tollnes Ballklubb (football) * Moflata table tennis (table tennis) * Skien Innebandyklubb (Floorball)

Notable people

Public service & public thinking

Jørgen von Ansbach Jørgen von Ansbach (ca. 1510 – ca. 1590) was a German-Norwegian timber merchant and mayor of Skien (southern part of Norway). He immigrated from Germany to Skien around 1540. He came as a mining administrator at a time when King Christian III ...

(ca.1510–ca.1590) German-Norwegian timber merchant, Mayor of Skie *

Diderik von Cappelen Diderik von Cappelen (21 June 1761 – 3 April 1828) was a Norwegian wholesaler, merchant, shipowner, estate owner and politician in 1814. He is often referred to as Diderik von Cappelen but he spelt his name ''Didrich von Cappelen'' and is also ...

(1761–1828) a wholesaler, shipowner, estate owner and politician *

Ulrich Fredrich von Cappelen Ulrich Fredrich von Cappelen (1770–1820) was a Norwegian businessman, ship owner and timber merchant.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, t ...

(1777–1856), landowner, Prime Minister, Governor of Norway *

Peter Andreas Munch Peter Andreas Munch (15 December 1810 – 25 May 1863), usually known as P. A. Munch, was a Norwegian historian, known for his work on the medieval history of Norway. Munch's scholarship included Norwegian archaeology, geography, ethnography, ...

(1810–1863), historian, worked on the medieval history of Norway * Brynild Anundsen (1841–1913), Norwegian-American editor and publisher *

Gunnar Knudsen Gunnar Knudsen (19 September 1848 – 1 December 1928), born Aanon Gunerius Knudsen, was a Norwegian politician from the Liberal Party who served as the 11th Prime Minister of Norway twice from 1908 to 1910 and from 1913 to 1920. He also inherited ...

(1848–1928),

Prime Minister of Norway The prime minister of Norway ( no, statsminister, which directly translates to "minister of state") is the head of government and chief executive of Norway. The prime minister and Cabinet (consisting of all the most senior government department ...

1908/1910 & 1913/1920 *

Hjalmar Johansen Fredrik Hjalmar Johansen (15 May 1867 – 3 January 1913) was a Norwegian polar explorer. He participated on the first and third '' Fram'' expeditions. He shipped out with the Fridtjof Nansen expedition in 1893–1896, and accompanied Nansen ...

(1867–1913),

polar explorer This list is for recognised pioneering explorers of the polar regions. It does not include subsequent travelers and expeditions. Polar explorers * Jameson Adams * Stian Aker * Valerian Albanov * Roald Amundsen * Salomon August Andrée * Piotr ...

Halvdan Koht Halvdan Koht (7 July 1873 – 12 December 1965) was a Norwegian historian and politician representing the Labour Party. Born in the north of Norway to a fairly distinguished family, he soon became interested in politics and history. Star ...

(1873–1965) a Norwegian historian and politician *

Carl Størmer Fredrik Carl Mülertz Størmer (3 September 1874 – 13 August 1957) was a Norwegian mathematician and astrophysicist. In mathematics, he is known for his work in number theory, including the calculation of and Størmer's theorem on consecu ...

(1874–1957) a Norwegian mathematician and astrophysicist *

George Awsumb George Awsumb (20 July 1880 – 24 November 1959) was a prominent Norwegian-American architect in the first half of the 20th century. Awsumb defined architecture as “frozen music” designed for the “man on the street.” He was influenced by ...

(1880–1959), Norwegian-American architect * Alfhild Hovdan (1904–1982) tourist manager, started the

Trafalgar Square Christmas tree The Trafalgar Square Christmas tree is a Christmas tree given to the people of London by the city of Oslo each year since 194The tree is prominently displayed in Trafalgar Square from the beginning of December until 6 January. History A Trafa ...

* Herman Wold (1908–1992) a Swedish

econometrician Econometrics is the application of statistical methods to economic data in order to give empirical content to economic relationships. M. Hashem Pesaran (1987). "Econometrics," '' The New Palgrave: A Dictionary of Economics'', v. 2, p. 8 p. 8 ...

and statistician * Einfrid Halvorsen (born 1937) a trade unionist and mayor of Skien, 1983 to 1986 *

Bjørn Tore Godal Bjørn Tore Godal (born 20 January 1945) is a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1994–1997 and Minister of Defence from 2000–2001 in Stoltenberg's First Cabinet. From 2003-2007 he was the No ...

(born 1945) politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs 1994/1997 *

Jon Fredrik Baksaas Jon Fredrik Baksaas (born 1954) is the Chairman of the GSMA and until August 2015 the CEO of Telenor. He now serves as a special adviser to the telecommunications company's Group Executive Management team. Among the longest-serving top executives ...

(born 1954), CEO of Telenor * Margareth Øvrum (born 1958) an engineer and executive VP of Statoil * Eskil Pedersen (born 1984) leader of the Labour Party´s Youth Organization, AUF, during terrorist attract on AUF at

Utøya Utøya () is an island in the Tyrifjorden lake in Hole municipality, in the county of Viken, Norway. The island is , situated off the shore, by the E16 road, about driving distance south of Hønefoss, and northwest of Oslo city centre. Ove ...

on 22 July 2011 * Bastian Vasquez (1990 – ca.mid 2015) a Norwegian

ISIS Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kin ...

jihadist

The Arts

August Cappelen Hermann August Cappelen (1 May 1827 – 8 March 1852) was a Norwegian painter. Cappelen was best known for his melancholic, dramatic and romantic landscape compositions. Background Hermann August Cappelen was born in Skien, Norway. He was the ...

(1827–1852) a Norwegian painter of melancholic, dramatic landscapes * Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906), a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. *

Iver Holter Iver Paul Fredrik Holter (13 December 1850 – 27 January 1941) was a Norwegian composer. He was conductor and music director of the Oslo Philharmonic for a quarter century. Biography Iver Paul Fredrik Holter was born in Gausdal, Oppland, N ...

(1850–1941) a Norwegian composer and conductor *

Rolf Christensen Rolf Christensen (August 4, 1894 – May 18, 1962) was a Norwegian actor and film director who was particularly well known for his roles in operettas, plays, and farces. Christensen debuted on stage in 1918 at the Trondheim National Theater an ...

(1894–1962) actor in operettas, plays and farces and film director * Aage Samuelsen (1915–1987) a Norwegian evangelist, singer and composer *

Knut Wigert Knut Kirsebom Wigert (3 October 1916 – 14 June 2006) was a Norwegian actor, known for his many Ibsen roles and the establishment of an Ibsen museum in Oslo. Personal life Knut Hansen was born in Skien as a son of Major Sigvald Hansen (188 ...

(1916–2006) a Norwegian actor, known for his Ibsen roles * Kari Lövaas (born 1939) a Norwegian operatic soprano *

Tor Åge Bringsværd Tor Åge Bringsværd (born 16 November 1939 in Skien, Norway) is an author, playwright, editor and translator. He is perhaps best known for his speculative fiction. Together with long-time partner Jon Bing, he is also considered as the first Nor ...

(born 1939) an author, playwright, editor and translator *

Yngvar Numme Yngvar Numme (born 1 October 1944 in Porsgrunn, Norway) is a Norwegian singer, actor, revue writer and director. He is particularly known for his central role in the show group Dizzie Tunes for about forty years, one of the most successful ensembl ...

(born 1944) singer, actor, revue writer and director IMDb Database
retrieved 22 December 2020 * Torhild Staahlen (1947-2022) a Norwegian operatic mezzo-soprano *

Iver Kleive Iver Kleive (born 25 May 1949 in Skien, Norway) is a Norwegian composer and organist. He is known for his composing style which is a fusion of traditional church music with other musical idioms such as blues, jazz, and Norwegian folk music. He ...

(born 1949) a Norwegian composer and organist *

Audun Kleive Audun Kleive (born 20 October 1961) is a Norwegian jazz drummer.) He was raised in Skien and is the son of organist Kristoffer Kleive and brother of organist Iver Kleive. Career Kleive began to play drums in a rock and dance band, and then wen ...

(born 1961) a Norwegian jazz drummer *

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 *

Gisle Kverndokk Gisle Kverndokk (born 3 February 1967 in Trondheim, raised in Skien) is a Norwegian contemporary composer. Education In his teens, Kverndokk studied composition with Ragnar Søderlind. After having completed high school, Kverndokk enrolled at ...

(born 1967) a Norwegian contemporary composer * Heidi Hauge (born 1967) a Norwegian folk and country music singer *

Paal Flaata Pål Flåta (born 8 April 1968) is a Norwegian vocalist, known from the band Midnight Choir and as a solo artist. Career Flaata was born in Skien, Norway. He started his career in the Skien band Memphis News and has since then been involved i ...

(born 1968) a Norwegian vocalist *

Bård Tufte Johansen Bård Tufte Johansen (born 19 June 1969 in Skien) is a Norwegian comedian. Together with Harald Eia, he has authored and participated in several successful NRK TV series, such as ''U:Natt'' (1994), starring with Monotelevision, '' Lille Lørdag ...

(born 1969) a Norwegian comedian * Wetle Holte (born 1973) a Norwegian jazz drummer and composer *

Lage Lund Lage Fosheim Lund (born 12 December 1977) is a Norwegian jazz guitarist. Early life and education Initially aspiring to become a professional skateboarder, Lund began playing guitar at the age of 13. He later founded a jazz trio and performing ...

(born 1978) a Norwegian jazz guitarist *

Atle Pettersen Atle Pettersen (born September 5, 1989 in Skien) is a Norwegian singer and songwriter from Skien and lead singer of the band The Scheen.Julie Bergan (born 1994) a Norwegian singer and songwriter

Sport

Per Mathias Jespersen Per Mathias Jespersen (29 March 1888 – 13 July 1964) was a Norwegian gymnast who competed in the 1906 Intercalated Games and in the 1908 Summer Olympics. He was born in Skien. He was married to Anna Johnsen, and they were the parents of Finn V ...

(1888–1964) gymnast, team silver medallist at 1908 Summer Olympics *

Werner Nilsen Werner "Scotty" Nilsen (February 4, 1904 in Skien, Norway – May 10, 1992 in St. Louis, Missouri) is a former Norwegian American soccer forward. He is one of the highest scoring players in U.S. soccer history, scoring 131 goals in 239 games ...

(1904–1992) an American high-scoring soccer forward * Nicolai Johansen (1917–1999) Secretary Gen. the

Norwegian Football Association The Norwegian Football Federation ( nb, Norges Fotballforbund, nn, Noregs Fotballforbund; NFF) is the governing body of football (soccer), football in Norway. It was formed in 1902 and organises the Norway national football team, men's and Norway ...

, 1955/1983 * Geir Karlsen (born 1948) retired footballer with nearly 300 club caps and 32 for

Dag Erik Pedersen Dag Erik Pedersen (born 6 June 1959) is a retired Norwegian road racing cyclist with a long career as professional. He won 3 stages in the Giro d'Italia and he came 4th in the Road race in the 1981 World Championship. He was a member of Birkenes ...

(born 1959) a retired road racing cyclist, now anchorman with

NRK NRK, an abbreviation of the Norwegian ''Norsk Rikskringkasting AS'', generally expressed in English as the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and the largest ...

Jeanette Nilsen Jeanette Nilsen (born 27 June 1972) is a Norwegian team handball player and World Champion from 1999. She was born in Skien. She received a bronze medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVI ...

(born 1972) handball player, team bronze medallist at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...

* Tommy Svindal Larsen (born 1973) retired footballer with 517 club caps and 24 for

* Torjus Hansén (born 1973) a Norwegian former footballer with 373 club caps *

Frode Johnsen Frode Johnsen (born 17 March 1974) is a Norwegian former professional footballer who played for Odd and Rosenborg in the Tippeligaen and for Nagoya Grampus and Shimizu S-Pulse in Japan. He played in several positions, but was preferred as a ...

(born 1974) retired footballer with 518 club caps and 35 for

Alexander Aas Hendrik Alexander van Es Aas (born 14 September 1978), known as Alexander Aas, is a retired Norwegian football defender. Aas spent most of his career playing for Odd Grenland, before moving to Denmark for a two-year spell with Odense. In 2007, ...

(born 1978) a retired Norwegian footballer with 350 club caps * Erik Midtgarden (born 1987) a Norwegian footballer with 320 club caps

Twin towns – sister cities

Skien is twinned with: *

Loimaa Loimaa (; historical sv, Loimijoki) is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Southwest Finland region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is ...

, Finland *

Minot Minot ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, North Dakota, United States, in the state's north-central region. It is most widely known for the Air Force base approximately north of the city. With a population of 48,377 at the 20 ...

, United States *

Mosfellsbær Mosfellsbær (, colloquially Mosó) is a town in south-west Iceland, east of the country's capital, Reykjavík. The town of Mosfellsbær is a 15-minute drive from midtown Reykjavík. The district includes the Leiruvogur cove, which forms part of ...

, Iceland *

Onești Onești (; hu, Ónfalva) is a city in Bacău County, Romania, with a population of 39,172 inhabitants. It is situated in the historical region of Moldavia. Administratively, the villages of Slobozia and Borzești form part of Onești. Histor ...

, Romania *

Sorrento Sorrento (, ; nap, Surriento ; la, Surrentum) is a town overlooking the Bay of Naples in Southern Italy. A popular tourist destination, Sorrento is located on the Sorrentine Peninsula at the south-eastern terminus of the Circumvesuviana ra ...

, Italy *

Thisted Thisted is a town in the municipality of Thisted in the North Denmark Region of Denmark. It has a population of 13,461 (1 January 2022)Uddevalla Uddevalla (old no, Oddevold) is a town and the seat of Uddevalla Municipality in Västra Götaland County, Sweden. In 2015, it had a population of 34 781. It is located at a bay of the south-eastern part of Skagerrak. The beaches of Uddevalla ar ...

, Sweden

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from Statistics Norway * * *
Municipal website

Municipal website

Municipal website
{{Authority control Municipalities of Vestfold og Telemark Cities and towns in Norway