Skien

Town and seat of Telemark fylke (county), southern Norway, on the Skienselva (river). Originally the site of a monastery, the town, founded in 1110, is one of the oldest in Norway; it was incorporated in 1346. An industrial centre and port, Skien's lumber and mining concerns began the development of the area in the mid-1600s. The ore has been exhausted, but the town has important foundries and