Bamble
Pop.
12,961; Area 300 sq. km. (120 sq. mi.)
The township of Bamble is made up of three small towns,
Langesund, Stathelle, and Bamble. It is a vacation coast with old
shipping towns with many of the original buildings still intact
but also has modern petrochemical industry, refineries, and
factories. Further west in Bamble lie the villages of
Brevikstrand, Kjønnøya, and Valle.
LANGESUND
(1765) is the administrative center for the township. It is a
timber shipping port dating from the 1500s. It was also important
as a port for shipping ice. There are still a number of well-kept
18th century buildings in the center of town, including the old
Town Hall. The local maritime museum is housed in an old
warehouse. Recreation areas include the island of Langøya,
Steinvika, and Krogshavn. Rafnes, on the western shore of the
Frier Fjord, has many petrochemical plants.
STATHELLE (1774) lies on the western side of the outlet from
Frier Fjord, Brevikstrømmen. A suspension bridge is an important
link between eastern and southern Norway. Croftholmen, a former
summer residence, is now a school for young merchant seamen.
Further west in Bamble lie the villages of Brevikstrand,
Kjønnøya, and Valle.
SIGHTS
TO SEE:
Bamble Church a large neogothic wooden structure designed and
decorated by its vicar, G. A. Lammers, the model for Ibsen's
"Brand." Built in 1836, the church replaced a smaller
romanesque stone church from about 1150. The stone church is said
to have been unusually richly decorated with a beautiful
limestone portal. The ruins of the stone church have been
restored and can be seen in the churchyard.
The Coastal Museum of Langsund in the old warehouse "Cudrio's Wharf", was built about 1700. Collections of old-time fishing equipment, mementoes from the days of the great full-rigged sailing ships, a commemorative section on World War II, and an interesting display of photographs from Langesund in olden days are displayed on three floors.
HOTELS:
LOCAL AUTHORITY OFFICE: Postboks 70, 3971 Langesund; Tel. 35 96 50 00
Bygdebøker for Bamble
Schilbred, C. S. Bd. I. Gårdens historie til omkring 1814. Oslo: Bamble kommune, 1968.
Zakariassen, Z. Bd. II. Gårdenes historie fra 1814 til 1950. Oslo: Bamble kommune, 1975.
Folkestad, G. K. Bamble herred. Et utdrag av herredets historie og geografi. utg. av Bamble lærerlag. Skien 1930.
Jubileumsskriftet for Bamble kommune, 1837-1937þ. Utg. av Bamble kommun. Krager¢, 1936.
Lund-Tangen, Jac. Fra Langesunds historie. Brevik 1977.
Gunnar Sem. Stathelle. Med særrtikler av C.S. Schilbred og Wilh. Swensen. Stathelle 1974.
Bamble historielag. Årsskrift. 1/1980-
Lund-Tangen, Jac. Fra Langesunds historie. Langesund: Eget Forlad, 1977.
Sem, Gunnar. Stathelle. Brevik: Alf Jacobsens Boktrykkeri, 1974.