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Skien - History |
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Extensive archeological excavations have shown that Skien is the only city in Norway, which has been continuously inhabited from the Viking Age to modern times. The city was granted a Royal Charter in 1358 but its history goes back to 900 A.D. The name "Skien" comes from the brook "Skida" that used to run through the town. Originally
the site of a monastery, the town - founded in 1110 - is one of the oldest
in Norway; it was incorporated in 1346. An industrial
centre and port, Skien's lumber and mining concerns began the development
of the area in the mid-1600’s. The ore has been exhausted, but the
town has important foundries and a thriving lumber and pulp trade. Pop.
(1992 est.) mun., 48,210. Skien
Church was first mentioned in a document dating from 1297. Churches on
this site were burnt in 1582, 1652, 1771, and 1886. The present building
is a neo-gothic structure built in 1894. The church is the largest in
Telemark, and is easily recognized by its two steeples. The organ is
among the
Kapitelberget, with its church ruins, is the foremost memorial to the mighty Dag family in Skien. The church had been a house chapel built by Dag Elivsson some time in the 12th century. The ruins were discovered in 1783, but weren`t restored until the present century. The ruins will again be restored for Skien`s 1000th anniversary in the year 2000. |
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Skien
largest
in the country. 