The beautiful city of Porsgrunn is located on the eastern coast of Norway, and is named after the shrub Pors, which was found there in medieval times. The city is situated in the Telemark county, and has been an important harbour since the 16th century. Porsgrunn is today a flourishing market town. If you are moving home to Norway and need a company to arrange your relocation, The Moving Partnership are specialists and can get you the best quotes for your move to Scandinavia and Europe. 

About Porsgrunn/Skien

This surprisingly large city has all the amenities you would expect, and the added bonus of being in the south of the country, so the weather is much like the North of England. Porsgrunn is an industrial city, and well-known in Norway for its porcelain factory, which has been there since 1885. The factory has a riverside café and shop and a factory outlet, where you can purchase delicate porcelain at a reduced cost. You can also tour the site and admire the works of art on display in its gallery. 

The city is bordered by Skien and Brevik, which are all part of the traditional region of Grenland. These urban areas have merged together to form one large region, mainly due to the rising population. Telemarksvassdraget river mouth is at the entrance to the city, while the peninsula Herøya, once a separate industrial centre, has now grown into a suburb of Porsgrunn. 

The rivers around this area are clear and very clean, and you can swim in them in the summertime if you are hardy enough! The city has a large urban community, but is still surrounded by wonderful countryside.

Porsgrunn’s harbour was once the home of the country’s largest sailing ship Skomvær and in 1985 the sculptor Jørleif Uthaug created ‘Amphitrite, the Wave and the Sea Birds’, a nautical themed sculpture honouring the city’s maritime history. The city is full of pride of about its historical links to the sea, and this is apparent in its campus of the Telemark University College where Culture, Outdoor Life and Folk Culture are all available as degree subjects.  

Things to do in Porsgrunn/Skien

The city is very proud of its heritage and has two museums, where you can discover more about the historic importance of the harbour and the tall ships which once sailed there. The harbour is still busy today and the area is known for its heavy industry, with many of the larger companies in the region being in the renewable energies market. 

The week-long Porsgrunn International Theatre Festival is held every June, with lots of theatres, concerts, and the Kafe K where you can sit and enjoy a coffee and some conversation with other visitors who have come for the festivities. You will find many of the activities at the Festival are free and the streets are full of artists, so you can stop and watch them perform. 

The city really comes alive during this time, and the locals all come out and celebrate both during the day and the night, so you can expect it to be quite noisy during the festival. If you prefer quieter pursuits, then there is plenty of fishing, hiking and golf available locally to enjoy in your leisure time.

Shopping in Porsgrunn

You can shop both in and outdoors in the city as there is a shopping mall called Down Town, where you will find chain stores such as H&M, which is located in the south of the city. The main shopping street has an array of small shops and local cafés. If you try taking a walk along the river bank, you will find lots of quaint shops selling all kinds of interesting items.

Food and Drink 

The main shopping street also has a large number of restaurants and bars. If you wander along the coast you will find some of the more expensive restaurants serve freshly caught fish. There are also plenty of local Asian, Italian and Norwegian restaurants to choose from, as the city is not short of places to eat and drink. 

There is a wide variety of pubs where you can enjoy Norwegian beer, while expats may also enjoy Irish themed pubs, such as The Dubliner. There is no shortage of hotels in both Porsgrunn and in Skien. 

Transport in the Area 

If you are travelling from Oslo, then it takes up to a 3-hour train ride to get to Porsgrunn and Skien, taking you through some spectacular scenery on the way. The local bus services are excellent and fairly cheap too. If you are flying out of the city then Skien’s Geiteryggen Airport has flights daily to other regional areas in Norway, and the Sandefjord Airport in Torp offers Ryanair flights to and from Stansted.

If you are thinking of relocating to Porsgrunn and would like a free moving home to Norway quote, contact The Moving Partnership Limited. We have partnerships with top removals companies across Scandinavia, Europe and worldwide and can find the best deal for your move to all areas of Norway, including Oslo, Kristiansand, Bergen, Trondheim and Stavanger.