Welcome to Henrik Ibsen’s childhood town Skien! The great and well-known author had his upbringing in Skien before heading to Grimstad.
Most of Ibsen's plays take place in Norway, and Ibsen often took motifs from his birthplace Skien.
Henrik was born in Skien on 20 March 1882 where he grew up and lived the first years of his life, until he was 15 years old. Both the mother's and father's sides belonged to the city's most powerful trading families.
In 1844 he begins an apprenticeship with pharmacist Reimann in Grimstad. He stayed here for six years, and he returned to Skien only once, in 1850. According to his own words, this was the last time he visited his hometown of Skien.
In 1886, Skien again experienced a major fire, which left the center of Skien in ruins, and that Skien which had made such an impression on Henrik, was lost. The only authentic environment from Ibsen's time can be found in the Snipetorp district.
Nevertheless, you can find many traces of Henrik Ibsen all over the city. Henrik's childhood home, the farm at Venstøp, stands there to this day and is now a museum, Henrik Ibsen Museum. The place is open to the public in the summer and here you can see the place where he grew up, i.a. the famous attic which may have been the inspiration for Ibsen's play Vildanden.
Skien municipality has produced its own "Ibsen wading booklet" which you can get free of charge at Skien Turistkontor (service office in Skien municipality).
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