Porsgrunn is a town in the county of Telemark in Norway with a population of 35,000. The larger town of Skien is nearby and the combined urban area has a population of 87,000. Porsgrunn is a well known industrial town, and industries here include Porsgrunds Porselænsfabrik, a porcelain factory established in 1885.
- Porsgrunds Porcelænsfabrik, a porcelain factory established in 1885. The factory has a riverside café, a shop and a factory outlet where you can buy high quality porcelain at low prices. The factory is open for tours Monday to Friday 10 am, 11 am and 13 pm. Always preorder your tour on + 47 35 56 21 00, or e-mail: fabrikkutsalget@porsgrund.com. The factory also included Gallery Porsgrunn with art exhibitions.
- Porsgrunn bymuseum is the town museum. It's located close to the Down Town shopping mall. Here you will find many interiors and exhibits from the Porsgrunn's 500 year history as a growing town with trade and industry. The museum has a near complete collection of all products manufactured by the porcelain factory.
- Porsgrunn sjøfartsmuseum, also close to the Down Town shopping mall. The city has a long and proud history as a harbour and shipping town, and once was one of Norway's most important such. A lot of tall ships belonged to the city. This museum contains many objects from this period, including models of ships, as well as the fully restored tugboat Hans Martin, built in concrete using a special technique developed in Porsgrunn.
Porsgrunds Porcelænsfabrik, a porcelain factory established in 1885. The factory has a riverside café, a shop and a factory outlet where you can buy high quality porcelain at low prices. The factory is open for tours Monday to Friday 10 am, 11 am and 13 pm. Always preorder your tour on + 47 35 56 21 00, or e-mail: fabrikkutsalget@porsgrund.com. The factory also included Gallery Porsgrunn with art exhibitions.
Porsgrunn bymuseum is the town museum. It's located close to the Down Town shopping mall. Here you will find many interiors and exhibits from the Porsgrunn's 500 year history as a growing town with trade and industry. The museum has a near complete collection of all products manufactured by the porcelain factory.
Porsgrunn sjøfartsmuseum, also close to the Down Town shopping mall. The city has a long and proud history as a harbour and shipping town, and once was one of Norway's most important such. A lot of tall ships belonged to the city. This museum contains many objects from this period, including models of ships, as well as the fully restored tugboat Hans Martin, built in concrete using a special technique developed in Porsgrunn.
The city. Take a walk along the river where you can visit numerous small shops, restaurants and cafés.
Porsgrunn International Theatre Festival (PIT) is a week-long festival with lots of indoor and outdoor theatres, arranged in June every year. The festival is arranged by the local Grenland Friteater. The festival is varied, with The Street of Fools where you can stop by and watch for free or give the artists a dime, go to the festival cafe, Kafe K, and have a conversation or go to concerts, or you can visit the many performances for all tastes. Late and early. For young and old. Indoors and out. Check out the festival here.
Porsgrunn has a long cosy shopping street with lots of small cafés and shops. If you prefer shop indoors, you can go to the shopping mall Down Town, located south in the city, by the bridge. The porcelain factory across the bridge has two factory outlets, where it is possible to buy both expensive and cheap porcelain.
As with most medium sized Norwegian cities, there is no abundance of restaurants in Porsgrunn. There is decent Chinese cuisine available, Italian and pizza restaurants. But up along the river you can find small high quality restaurants, like Friisebrygga Mat & Vin (a nice place to meet and talk to locals) or the slightly more exclusive Michel Seylmagers restaurant, located by the City Hall staircase.
There are numerous bars up along the main street. You can drink beer and enjoy one of Norway's numerous copies of an Irish pub at The Dubliner, the cultural alibi Kafe K or the calmness of Café Osebro, where you can dine down by the river in a cosy garden - everything is cosy in Porsgrunn - as the local saying goes. Porsgrunn is a traditional tall ship and trading community, and you can still meet some former seamen at Sailors pub. If you want to catch up with the local alternative community, try out the brown pub Karjolen loacated on the ground floor of Folkets hus, the building of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions.