Skien in the footsteps of Henrik Ibsen

The market square in Skien represents more than 1,000 years of trade and craftsmanship, and an extensive network both within Telemark and across Europe. And it was precisely here, in Stockmann's farm by the square, that Henrik Ibsen was born on March 20, 1828.

Stockmanngården - Henrik Ibsen's birthplace.
Henrik Ibsen was born here on March 20, 1828.
His father, Knud Ibsen, moved into the farm in 1825, the same year he married Marichen Altenburg. Knud Ibsen ran a successful business here for several years.

The vicarage at the end of Telemarksgata is visible from afar. This is one of only a few buildings in old Skien that remained standing after the fire in 1886. The strict and pietistic priest Gustav Adolf Lammers lived here. He established a free church that many of Henrik Ibsen's relatives and friends joined.

The Ibsen family moved here when they took over properties and businesses from the parents of Marichen, Henrik's mother. The inheritance also included Altenburggården, which was a larger and more stately house.

Dyre Vaa's famous Ibsen sculpture is located here. The park was laid out in the center of Skien after the city fire in 1886. On the occasion of Henrik Ibsen's 70th birthday in 1898, the park was named Henrik Ibsen's Square, and today it is known as Ibsen Park.

This is Skien's old party and theater venue. It was inaugurated in 1891 on Henrik Ibsen's birthday, but without his presence.
However, Ibsen's plays have been performed here for many years; almost ten of them during Ibsen's lifetime.

Skien church is built in neo-Gothic style and was completed in 1894. It is a monumental building erected after the town fire in 1886.

With its two 68-metre towers, it is a landmark in the area. The line of sight from the church down Kirkegaten, through Ibsenparken and Henrik Ibsensgate and down to the harbor is a monumental main axis in modern Skien.

This cemetery contains the graves of Henrik Ibsen's mother and father, his sister, Hedvig Stousland, and her family. Here are the graves of the Ibsen family's closest relatives in the Blom, Paus, Plesner and Cappelen families, but also acquaintances such as Lieungh, Melgaard, Bøysen, Gasmann, Houen and not least Lammers.

Henrik Ibsen is buried at Vår Frelsers Gravlund in Oslo.

Ibsentrappa is the shortcut from the center of Skien to Brekkeparken, where Telemark Museum is located.
Where it crosses Snipetorpgata, Sorrento Square is home to a bust of Henrik Ibsen, created by artist Håkon Anton Fagerås. The staircase is decorated with 32 quotes from Henrik Ibsen's play "Peer Gynt".

Snipetorp is Skien's oldest residential area, which survived the city fires of 1854 and 1886. Here you will find the old Skien with continuous wooden buildings from the end of the 18th century.

Snipetorpgata 27
The Ibsen family moved here around the same time as Henrik left for Grimstad in 1843. The Ibsen farm in Snipetorp, together with the Venstøp farm, are the only preserved homes of the Ibsen family in Skien.

Brekkeparken offers beautiful views of the city and the surrounding countryside. In the park, you'll find Søndre Brekke Farm, a farmhouse from Telemark, a theater and concert stage, the new VEV museum building with several exhibitions, a café and much more.

The farm Venstøp was Henrik Ibsen's childhood home from the age of seven until he was fifteen years old. Today it is home to the Henrik Ibsen Museum - Venstøp.

Henrik Ibsen left Skien on the boat "Lykkens prøve" in 1843. In earlier times, the area was a busy port area with sea stalls and port activities. Skien's old railway station was located on Langbrygga from 1882 to 1963.

During the summer season, MS Victoria and MS Henrik Ibsen operate on the Telemark Canal between Skien and Dalen. Hjellebrygga is the departure pier for the canal boats. More than a hundred years ago, this pier was a bustling place with many boat departures.

This sculpture stands on Bakkestranda and was erected in connection with the centenary of Henrik Ibsen's death in 2006. The sculpture was created by artist Marit Benthe Norheim, and 2,349 pupils from Skien's schools have each decorated the sculpture with a porcelain eye cast into the 7 meter high sculpture.