Porsgrunn, County of Vestfold og Telemark, Norway

🇳🇴 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 was established on 1 January 1838. 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.

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. 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 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, south-east of the city, was originally an industrial park and has grown into a suburb of Porsgrunn.

Economy: Industry Porsgrunn is an important centre 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.

Transport 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).