Porsgrunn is a small industrial city of about 36,000 on the Porsgrunn River in Telemark county, southeastern Norway. It has been known for porcelain production since the late eighteenth century, and Porsgrunds Porselensfabrikk — Norway's only remaining porcelain manufacturer — still operates here. You can visit the factory outlet and the attached museum, which traces the history of Norwegian porcelain with some beautiful examples of traditional blue-and-white designs.
The city sits at the southern end of the Telemark Canal, one of Norway's great nineteenth-century engineering achievements, which stretches 105 kilometres inland through a series of locks and lakes to Dalen. In summer, vintage canal boats make the journey, and it is one of the more scenic and relaxing day trips in southern Norway. Porsgrunn itself is pleasant enough, with a waterfront promenade along the river, a compact centre, and the annual Porsgrunn International Theatre Festival, which brings street performers and circus acts to town every June. Its twin city Skien, just upstream, was the birthplace of Henrik Ibsen — the Ibsen Museum in Skien makes an easy half-day excursion — and together the two towns make a reasonable base for exploring the Telemark region.