Grenland
Encyclopedia
Grenland is a traditional district
in the county of Telemark
, in the south of Norway
. It is composed of the municipalities Skien
, Porsgrunn
, Bamble
, Nome
, and Siljan
. Sometimes the municipalities Kragerø
, and Drangedal
are considered being part of the area. The region encompasses 1,794 km² and has 106,948 inhabitants (2004), which translates as 12% of the area and 64% of the population of Telemark.
It is the core of a slightly larger traditional district known as Nedre Telemark ("Lower Telemark") which also includes Bø
, Sauherad
, and Heddal
.
, before Harald Fairhair, Grenland, was a petty kingdom
. Originally Grenland was probably the name of the region surrounding the lake Norsjø
in Nedre Telemark, however, not identical with Grænafylket which also included the coastal villages. Grænafylket (or Grenafylket) contained the coastal region Vestmar and the landscapes further inland.
Vestmar is assumed to signify the land to the west of the sea (mar), however sea in this case should be interpreted as fjord
, i.e. Langesundsfjorden
. Vestmar was described as a county already in the 8th century AD.
The name Grenland is derived from a people, the Grener, i.e. "the land of the Grener". It is mentioned as a Gothic nation by Jordanes
in his work Getica from about 551 AD: "Sunt quamquam et horum positura Granii, Agadii, Eunixi, Thelae, Rugi, Harothi, Ranii." (Getica, III:24)
consisting of the cities Skien
and Porsgrunn
.
During the period of the municipality mergers in Norway, the chief administrative officer (fylkesmann) in Telemark proposed that the municipalities Skien
, Solum
, Gjerpen
, Porsgrunn
, Eidanger
and Brevik
be merged to form a large urban municipality centered around Skien. The municipalities had been closely integrated since the establishment of the Hydro
factory at Herøya
, and conurbation
between the settlements was also significant.
However, the idea was opposed by Solum as well as Porsgrunn, Eidanger and Brevik and soon fell out of grace. Eidanger proposed a merger with Brevik and Porsgrunn, and the enlarged Porsgrunn municipality was finally created on 1 January 1964. Brevik lost its city status in the process. In light of this merger, the central authorities saw only one possible solution; a similar merger between Solum, Gjerpen and Skien. Unlike the first proposal, this was met by protests from Gjerpen - to no avail, as the case went to the Norwegian Parliament. The result was a significantly enlarged Skien municipality. On 1 January 1968 an area from the old Gjerpen and Solum municipalities with 3,554 inhabitants was moved to Porsgrunn.
In addition, the urban municipalities Langesund
and Stathelle
was incorporated into the rural municipality Bamble
. Like Brevik, both Langesund and Stathelle lost their city status. Siljan municipality remained unaffected by the mergers, contrary to the initial expectations.
Today Brevik, Stathelle and Langesund have all regained their city status.
Districts of Norway
The country Norway is historically divided into a number of districts. Many districts have deep historical roots, and only partially coincide with today's administrative units of counties and municipalities. The districts are defined by geographical features, often valleys, mountain ranges, fjords,...
in the county of Telemark
Telemark
is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...
, in the south of Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. It is composed of the municipalities Skien
Skien
' is a city and municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Skien. Skien is also the administrative centre of Telemark county....
, Porsgrunn
Porsgrunn
is a town and municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Porsgrunn....
, Bamble
Bamble
Bamble is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Langesund.-Name:...
, Nome
Nome, Norway
Nome is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Midt-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ulefoss....
, and Siljan
Siljan
Siljan is the name of:*Siljan, Norway, a municipality in Norway*Siljan , a lake in Sweden...
. Sometimes the municipalities Kragerø
Kragerø
is a town and municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Vestmar. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kragerø....
, and Drangedal
Drangedal
Drangedal is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Prestestranda. The municipality of Drangedal was established on 1 January 1838...
are considered being part of the area. The region encompasses 1,794 km² and has 106,948 inhabitants (2004), which translates as 12% of the area and 64% of the population of Telemark.
It is the core of a slightly larger traditional district known as Nedre Telemark ("Lower Telemark") which also includes Bø
Bø, Telemark
Bø is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Midt-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bø i Telemark. The municipality of Bø was established on 1 January 1838...
, Sauherad
Sauherad
Sauherad is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Midt-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Akkerhaugen...
, and Heddal
Heddal
Heddal is a village and parish in Notodden municipality in Telemark County, Norway.- History :The parish of Hitterdal was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 . Notodden was separated from Heddal both as a city and a municipality of its own, in 1913. Heddal was subsequently merged with...
.
Grenland, Grænafylket and Vestmar
In the early Viking AgeViking Age
Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the late 8th to 11th centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
, before Harald Fairhair, Grenland, was a petty kingdom
Petty kingdom
A petty kingdom is one of a number of small kingdoms, described as minor or "petty" by contrast to an empire or unified kingdom that either preceded or succeeded it...
. Originally Grenland was probably the name of the region surrounding the lake Norsjø
Norsjø
I♥U Norsjø is a lake in Telemark, 55 km² in area. The lake is 15 meters above sea level.Most rivers in Telemark meet Norsjø on their way before ending up in the Skien river or Porsgrunn river. Norsjø is a source for drinking water to Skien Municipal. Norsjø is also a part of the Telemark...
in Nedre Telemark, however, not identical with Grænafylket which also included the coastal villages. Grænafylket (or Grenafylket) contained the coastal region Vestmar and the landscapes further inland.
Vestmar is assumed to signify the land to the west of the sea (mar), however sea in this case should be interpreted as fjord
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
, i.e. Langesundsfjorden
Breviksfjord
Breviksfjorden is a stretch of fjord between the islands of Sandøya, Bjørkøya and Siktesøya in Porsgrunn municipality and the mainland of Bamble municipality, both in Telemark county, Norway.-Location:...
. Vestmar was described as a county already in the 8th century AD.
The name Grenland is derived from a people, the Grener, i.e. "the land of the Grener". It is mentioned as a Gothic nation by Jordanes
Jordanes
Jordanes, also written Jordanis or Jornandes, was a 6th century Roman bureaucrat, who turned his hand to history later in life....
in his work Getica from about 551 AD: "Sunt quamquam et horum positura Granii, Agadii, Eunixi, Thelae, Rugi, Harothi, Ranii." (Getica, III:24)
Metropolitan Grenland
Grenland is also the name of an agglomerationAgglomeration
In the study of human settlements, an urban agglomeration is an extended city or town area comprising the built-up area of a central place and any suburbs linked by continuous urban area. In France, INSEE the French Statistical Institute, translate it as "Unité urbaine" which means continuous...
consisting of the cities Skien
Skien
' is a city and municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Skien. Skien is also the administrative centre of Telemark county....
and Porsgrunn
Porsgrunn
is a town and municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Porsgrunn....
.
| Municipality | Population | Areakm² | Densitypop. per km² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skien Skien ' is a city and municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Skien. Skien is also the administrative centre of Telemark county.... |
50,507 | 719 | 70 |
| Porsgrunn Porsgrunn is a town and municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Porsgrunn.... |
33,323 | 161 | 207 |
| Bamble Bamble Bamble is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Langesund.-Name:... |
14,163 | 282 | 50 |
| Nome Nome, Norway Nome is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Midt-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ulefoss.... |
6,606 | 430 | 17 |
| Siljan Siljan, Norway Siljan is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Siljan. The parish of Slemdal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838... |
2,349 | 202 | 12 |
| Total | 106,948 | 1,794 | 60 |
During the period of the municipality mergers in Norway, the chief administrative officer (fylkesmann) in Telemark proposed that the municipalities Skien
Skien
' is a city and municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Skien. Skien is also the administrative centre of Telemark county....
, Solum
Solum, Norway
Solum is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway.The parish of Solum was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 . According to the 1835 census the municipality had a population of 3,557. Solum is located west of the city Skien, and encompassed districts such as Nenset, Tollnes,...
, Gjerpen
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 . According to the 1835 census the municipality had a population of 4,381. Gjerpen was located east of the city...
, Porsgrunn
Porsgrunn
is a town and municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Porsgrunn....
, Eidanger
Eidanger
Eidanger is a rural parish and former municipality of Porsgrunn, in Telemark County, Norway.-History:Eidanger was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . It was merged with Porsgrunn on 1 January 1964....
and Brevik
Brevik
is a town in Telemark, Norway with an estimated population of 2,700. Brevik was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 , but was merged with Porsgrunn on January 1, 1964. Brevik is regarded one of the best preserved towns from the sailing ship era...
be merged to form a large urban municipality centered around Skien. The municipalities had been closely integrated since the establishment of the Hydro
Norsk Hydro
Norsk Hydro ASA is a Norwegian aluminium and renewable energy company, headquartered in Oslo. Hydro is the fourth largest integrated aluminium company worldwide. It has operations in some 40 countries around the world and is active on all continents. The Norwegian state holds a 43.8 percent...
factory at Herøya
Herøya
Herøya is a peninsula in the municipality of Porsgrunn, Norway. It is located between the fjords of Frierfjord to the west and Gunneklevfjord to the east, at the mouth of Telemarksvassdraget...
, and conurbation
Conurbation
A conurbation is a region comprising a number of cities, large towns, and other urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area...
between the settlements was also significant.
However, the idea was opposed by Solum as well as Porsgrunn, Eidanger and Brevik and soon fell out of grace. Eidanger proposed a merger with Brevik and Porsgrunn, and the enlarged Porsgrunn municipality was finally created on 1 January 1964. Brevik lost its city status in the process. In light of this merger, the central authorities saw only one possible solution; a similar merger between Solum, Gjerpen and Skien. Unlike the first proposal, this was met by protests from Gjerpen - to no avail, as the case went to the Norwegian Parliament. The result was a significantly enlarged Skien municipality. On 1 January 1968 an area from the old Gjerpen and Solum municipalities with 3,554 inhabitants was moved to Porsgrunn.
In addition, the urban municipalities Langesund
Langesund
is the administrative centre of the municipality of Bamble, Norway.The town of Langesund was established as a municipality January 1, 1838...
and Stathelle
Stathelle
is a town in Norway in the municipality of Bamble in the county of Telemark, Norway.-History:Stathelle was a former municipality in Telemark. It was separated from Bamble as a municipality of its own in 1851. In 1964, the municipalities of Stathelle and Langesund merged with Bamble municipality...
was incorporated into the rural municipality Bamble
Bamble
Bamble is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Langesund.-Name:...
. Like Brevik, both Langesund and Stathelle lost their city status. Siljan municipality remained unaffected by the mergers, contrary to the initial expectations.
Today Brevik, Stathelle and Langesund have all regained their city status.