Skien Church.

The church in Skien had been located at Trade Square in the town since the 13th century. But after the city fire in 1886, which destroyed the old church that Henrik Ibsen knew, it was decided to build the new church further up in the town. Skien Church was completed in 1894, and with its 68-meter-high towers, it is a landmark for Skien. Henrik Ibsen never saw this new church, but the place where it stands can be the starting point for a little story: Henrik Ibsen visited Skien for a couple of weeks in the spring of 1850. He was on his way from Grimstad to Christiania to take his university entrance exams and continue as a playwright. When he left Skien in 1850, he never returned. His sister Hedvig later said she had happy memories of her brother's last visit. Other anecdotes also attest to pleasant times with the family and Henrik, who was debuting as a playwright with «Catilina» during those days. However, it was 19 years before Henrik had contact with any of them again. It was after he received a letter from his sister telling him that their mother had died. His mother, Marichen, died where the towers of Skien Church stand today. She spent her last years with her daughter, Hedvig, who lived in the meeting house of the free church dissenting congregation.