Porsgrunn

35,409 ( March 31, 2013 )

Porsgrunn? / I is a major port and industrial city in the south of the province of Telemark ( Norway). The 160 kilometers from Oslo Situated on the Norwegian south coast independent municipality reaches its highest elevation in the Fjerdingen (360 meters). The districts Eidanger and Brevik were amalgamated in 1964.

Porsgrunn received his coat of arms on 13 December 1904 by the Swedish-Norwegian King Oscar II A plant branch symbolizes the bog myrtle, Norwegian " Pors ", which gave the place its name. The anchor stands for the shipping; the Silver Bevel box represents the river Porsgrunnselva

History

Porsgrunn is mentioned since the 16th century, but grew up as a timber transshipment point until 1600th 1807 was the place market rights in 1842 it became a city. In the 19th century, industrialization brought the ship to Porsgrunn; Only 1866-1880 103 ships left the local shipyards. Traditionally, larger sawmills played a decisive role in the economic development of the city.

An economic stagnation around 1880 led to new business initiatives. With capital from Reeder circles the porcelain manufactory Porsgrund Porselænsfabrik was founded in 1885. Since 1887, the factory, to date, the only one of its kind in Norway and well known nationally, goods for household ago. Together with its museum it is now regarded as the most important tourist attraction of the city. It was built on the German model and moved into the first years of skilled workers from Germany and Bohemia. Even before 1900 it was a major employer, the last but not least, many women employed - then a novelty.

Characteristic of the city was especially the heavy industry in the last eighty years. On the peninsula Herøya, a few kilometers located southwest of the center, the Norsk Hydro Group had in 1929 built a fertilizer factory. It is operated since 2004 by the former Hydro- daughter Yara and is considered by various modifications as one of the largest facilities of its kind in the world. At the beginning of the fifties, Norsk Hydro built also on Herøya a magnesium factory that was converted in 2002 into a modern smelting plant for scrap metal recycling. Part of the work produced Norsk Hydro since 1951, various grades of PVC. More factories on Herøya make the island to this day the largest industrial complex in Norway.

Educational institutions

Since the late 19th century Porsgrunn is also an important site for educational institutions. In 1884 the Skiensfjordens Tekniske Fagskole, until 1972 a successful working professional technical school, founded. Today, in existence since 1994 Høgskolen i Telemark ( College of Telemark) has one of its four locations in Porsgrunn; it allows, among other things, an engineering education including promotion. Also, a business school and a nursing education are affiliated.

Twin Cities

• Finland Pori ( Finland)
• Sweden Sigtuna (Sweden)
• Denmark Sønderborg (Denmark)
• Sweden Sundsvall ( Sweden)

Sons and daughters of the town

• Thorstein Aaby (1971-2007), guitarist
• Jacob Aall (1773-1844), theologian, historian and politician
• Cort Adeler (1622-1675), Dutch - Norwegian Admiral
• Common Lands Rune Jarstein ( born 1984 ), football player
• Jahn Otto Johansen ( born 1934 ), journalist and writer
• Jørgen Juve, (1906-1983), football player
• Tommy Svindal Larsen (born 1973 ), football player
• Kjetil Lie ( b. 1980 ), chess grandmaster
• Didrik Solli Tangen - (* 1987), pop singer
• Anita Valen de Vries ( born 1968 ), cyclist
• Monica Valvik - Valen (born 1970 ), cyclist
• Bugge Wesseltoft (born 1964 ), jazz musician
• Kjersti Wold (born 1962 ), writer