Skien is one of Norway's oldest cities, with a history stretching back to Viking times. It received market town privileges in 1358 and became wealthy through timber exports and seafaring. Between the 16th and 19th centuries, it was one of Norway's two or three largest cities, with extensive trade connections to the Netherlands, Britain and Denmark. Today around 55,000 people live here. It's the administrative centre of Telemark and forms a conurbation with neighbouring Porsgrunn.
The city's most famous son is Henrik Ibsen, the playwright considered the father of modern realistic drama. He was born here on 20 March 1828 and lived in Skien until he was 15. His family belonged to the wealthy merchant class, though his father's business failed when Henrik was seven, and the family had to move from the city centre to a farm called Venstøp on the outskirts. Many of Ibsen's plays are set in places reminiscent of his hometown.
Unfortunately, a devastating fire in 1886 destroyed most of the city centre, so the Skien that shaped young Ibsen no longer exists. The only authentic neighbourhood from his time is Snipetorp, a row of wooden houses from the late 1700s that survived when the fire stopped at a large pear tree in one of the gardens.
Skien is also the starting point for the Telemark Canal. When this waterway opened in 1892, Europeans called it the eighth wonder of the world. More than 500 men spent five years blasting through the mountains to create it. The canal runs 105 km from Skien to Dalen, with 18 locks lifting boats 72 metres in total. The largest is Vrangfoss, with five chambers and a lifting height of 23 metres. Two vintage vessels, MS Victoria and MS Henrik Ibsen, still sail this route during summer. Victoria has been running since 1882.
Above the city centre sits Brekkeparken, an open-air museum with 14 historic farmhouses from across Telemark and a manor house that once belonged to Niels Aall, one of the men who helped create Norway's constitution in 1814. The park plants 27,000 tulips every spring and has views over the city and canal. The Ibsen Museum at Venstøp is currently closed for renovation, but a new modern museum will open in 2028 to mark the 200th anniversary of the playwright's birth.