Snipetorp district

About

Here you can rediscover old Skien with a continuous row of wooden houses from the late 1700s.

Saved from the fire
The city fire that ravaged in 1886 stopped at a large pear tree in the garden of number 8, near the top of Snipetorpbakken. Thus, the buildings along the flat section of Snipetorpgata were spared. The difference between Snipetorp before and after the fire is evident from the street width, 12.5 meters in the fire zone and 6 meters in the district before the fire.

Gateway to Skien with shops and pubs
Snipetorp was one of the old gateways to the city, and there was a lot of activity in the many workshops and pubs. The average townsman lived here. The wooden houses are characteristic of the buildings just outside the center of old Skien. People who belonged to the lower middle class and working class lived here. It was not just a quiet residential street as it is today. A number of shops and workshops of various kinds were located there. As an important gateway, there were also accommodations and hospitality for travelers. Therefore, there was a pub in the largest building on Snipetorp, at Bratsberggata 2.

District with historic houses that today is an attractive residential area
Some of these houses are now around 200 years old. They were built in the late 1700s and 1800s. They are mostly one and two-story small houses with partly standing and partly lying panels and with different roof structures. Today, most of the houses have been restored and the area has become a very attractive residential area.

Henrik Ibsen's parents lived on Snipetorp for 22 years
The previously very wealthy parents of Henrik Ibsen moved to Snipetorpgata 27 with their 5 children in September 1843 after Knud Ibsen's bankruptcy. This house was built in 1827. The Ibsen family lived there for a full 22 years until Marichen and Knud separated.

Every year, on the last Sunday in August, the Snipetorp Market is held.

(Source: City tour in Skien, 1995)