Skien (town)

Skien (Norwegian: [¹ʃiː.ən] ) is a town/city in Skien Municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is the administrative centre of the municipality. The town is located along the Skienselva river, about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) to the northwest of the town of Porsgrunn. The villages of Skotfoss, Åfoss, and Klovholt are located about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) to the west of the town, the village of Sneltvedt lies about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) to the east of the town, and the village of Hoppestad lies about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) to the northwest. The town is part of the Porsgrunn/Skien metropolitan area, so Statistics Norway does not track the population of the town separately. The portion of the urban area within Skien Municipality is 26.66-square-kilometre (6,590-acre) and it has a population (2025) of 51,527 and a population density of 1,933 inhabitants per square kilometre (5,010/sq mi). Skien city center is located where the river Farelva (from the lake Norsjø) forms the lake Hjellevatnet, and it divides into a waterfall on each side of the island of Klosterøya. The harbor basin is located at the northern part of the river Skienselva. The hilly terrain makes the center of Skien crowded with a main north-south axis. The city got its current road alignment and layout after the last big city fire in 1886. Skien is the seat of the county governor and the Telemark County Municipality. The town also has the Telemark Hospital Trust and a number of secondary schools. There is a prison at Rødmyr, a jogging track at Klosterskogen, and a sports and swimming hall (Skienshallen). The newspapers Telemarksavisa and Varden are published in the city.