Bamble Kommune
Pop. 14,097; Area 282 sq. km. (109 sq. mi.)
The township of Bamble is made up of three small towns, Langesund, Stathelle, and Bamble. The port of Stathelle was separated from the municipality of Bamble in 1851. On January 1, 1964, the municipality of Bamble was merged with the neighboring municipalities of Stathelle and Langesund. The new municipality was named Bamble, with its administrative center at Langesund. The old emblem of Stathelle has been used as the coat-of-arms for Bamble: a ship's wheel on a blue background. It is a vacation coast with old shipping towns with many of the original buildings still intact but also has a 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 is a large neo-gothic wooden structure designed and decorated by its vicar, G. A. Lammers. It served as 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, mementos 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.
Bygdebok 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 Wilhelm Swensen. Stathelle 1974.
Bamble historielag. Årsskrift. 1/1980-