The city where it all began: Skien is now preparing for Ibsen 2028

Mayor Marius Roheim Aarvold and Culture Director Guro Honningdal do not hide their pride when they talk about the city's great playwright - and how important he is to Skien's identity.
In just two years, Skien, Norway and the rest of the world will mark the 200th anniversary of Ibsen's birth.

The opening date is set. It is set for Ibsen's birthday, March 20, in the city where he was born. Behind the scenes, there is a lot of activity.

The vision is ambitious – of course, and enshrined in the Strategic Plan for Ibsen 2028: Skien shall be the Ibsen City that challenges and excites .  

– The government has decided that the anniversary will be opened here in Skien. This involves both obligations and opportunities to get our region equipped and ready for the big day, says Culture Director Guro Honningdal.

World-class construction projects

Two buildings will form the formal framework for the celebration: the new Ibsen Library with the Sølvåren information center, and the upgrade of the Henrik Ibsen Museum Venstøp. Both are scheduled for completion in time for the anniversary.

At Venstøp, the barn will be converted into a year-round museum, while the farmhouse will be taken back in time – as it appeared when the budding playwright stepped into his childhood shoes there.

– Getting two buildings that I believe are in a class of their own, also from a world perspective, gives us completely new opportunities. We get facilities that make us better equipped to welcome visitors, professionalize and develop tourism, and make Ibsen more accessible. This will enable us to succeed with the goals we have set ourselves, believes Mayor Marius Roheim Aarvold.

Continuing to engage the world

Henrik Ibsen really needs no introduction. He is one of the world's most important playwrights and is considered the "father of modern drama." With his direct and challenging drama, he excited and provoked his contemporaries - and continues to do so today.

His plays are read, performed and interpreted daily around the world. In Skien, creativity is being spared in the run-up to the anniversary year: both large and small cultural actors will create art and cultural experiences that highlight Ibsen's plays in many different formats.

Honningdal strongly believes that close collaboration between cultural and tourism stakeholders will provide experiences that are unexpected, playful – and perhaps spectacular.

– We can both excite and challenge through different artistic and cultural expressions. People need different approaches to understand literature, which revolves around complex human dilemmas and relationships. Ibsen's texts can withstand both reinterpretation and shaking.

The fact that Nora still provokes in some parts of the world when she slams the door shut speaks volumes.

Aarvold nods: – In China, the term “Noraism” has replaced feminism – named after Nora. Not many Norwegians know that. Ibsen is more relevant internationally than many people think.

Honningdal is also fascinated by how Ibsen is constantly being "taken home" in various places around the world.

– When Ibsen lived in Amalfi in Italy, he wrote large parts of A Doll's House , including the scene with the famous tarantella dance. This means that many there feel that Ibsen is also "a bit of theirs". I think it's great that you make the story your own, she says.

Another important part of the communication is Skien's own history – the story of a city in development.

Snipetorp: A journey through time in the middle of Skien

The town where Ibsen was born has long since burned down and disappeared. The wooden buildings in Snipetorp are the only authentic urban environment left from Ibsen's time.

– Skien, in Ibsen's time, was in a phase characterized by development, with waterfalls and sawmills. At the same time, it was a difficult period for the Ibsen family, as so many others experienced economic decline. For us, the settlement at Snipetorp is a familiar environment, but for visitors it is an eventful encounter with history, says Honningdal.

Will lift the region

Aarvold believes the ripple effects of Ibsen 2028 could be large – not just for Skien, but for all of Telemark.

– Look at HC Andersen's House in Odense. It has done wonders for the city – economically, culturally and urban-wise. If we manage half of it, it will mean a lot. More visitors mean more culture, more business, more of everything. This is a Telemark initiative, and we are lucky to have the county council as a supporter.  

Honningdal adds: – The legacy of Ibsen is already visible in Skien. The artist city, the free city scheme, Ibsen Scope – there is a lot happening. But most importantly: Ibsen is for everyone . Children and young people in particular . The worst thing that can happen is that someone feels that Ibsen is not for them.

– That's why it's brilliant to integrate a public library with a dissemination center, as we will do in the upcoming Ibsen Library, Aarvold interjects.

– We know that new libraries today are used mostly by young people, and thus you get a natural dissemination of Ibsen. It is permeated throughout the building. It provides an extra dimension that will support our strategy, and strengthen the pride that Ibsen is from Skien.

A folk festival in progress

In two years, Skien will be pulsating. Streets will fill up, spaces will open up, artists will create – and the public will flock in. Skien has many talented people, and now they will come together.

We hope the anniversary will be a public celebration, where everyone – not just the cultural institutions, but also the business community – helps fill the city with life. Everyone should feel proud that there is now a celebration in the city. We are already getting ready. We are building and preparing our streets towards 2028; both Kongens gate and Torgata will be finished for the big anniversary.  

– There is enough Ibsen for everyone, but he was only born in one place. And that place is Skien, concludes Mayor Aarvold.