is a town in Norway in the municipality

Municipalities of Norway

Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...

 of Bamble

Bamble

Bamble is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Langesund.-Name:...

 in the county

Counties of Norway

Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 430 municipalities...

 of Telemark

Telemark

is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...

, Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

.

History

Stathelle was a former municipality in Telemark. It was separated from Bamble as a municipality of its own in 1851. In 1964, the municipalities of Stathelle and Langesund

Langesund

is the administrative centre of the municipality of Bamble, Norway.The town of Langesund was established as a municipality January 1, 1838...

 merged with Bamble municipality. With a population of about 8000, Stathelle is situated at the junction of the Langesundsfjord

Breviksfjord

Breviksfjorden is a stretch of fjord between the islands of Sandøya, Bjørkøya and Siktesøya in Porsgrunn municipality and the mainland of Bamble municipality, both in Telemark county, Norway.-Location:...

, Frierfjord

Frierfjord

Frierfjorden is a fjord in the Grenland traditional district in the county of Telemark, Norway. It stretches from Brevik, and Gunneklevfjord, to the mouth of the Porsgrunn river . At the fjord mouth, Breviksstrømmen, it is about 300 m across and is crossed by the Brevik bridge...

 and Eidangerfjord

Eidangerfjord

Eidangerfjord is a fjord located in Porsgrunn municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is 6 km long, and stretches between Brevik and the island village of Sandøya. The largest island located in the fjord is Kattøya, located at the head of Eidangerfjord.The shipping harbor for the cement...

.

Stathelle is an old trading town

Market town

Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...

. In the middle of the 1800s, Stathelle was an enterprising seaport, characterized by the trading house established by Albert Blehr on Kjellestad, which was one of the nation's largest timber exporters. Today there is a marina and a park in the same area.

Brevik bridge was constructed during 1962. Previously travelers along the southern highway between Oslo

Oslo

Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

 and Stavanger

Stavanger

Stavanger is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.Stavanger municipality has a population of 126,469. There are 197,852 people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the fourth largest city, but the third largest urban area, in Norway...

 had to take the ferry between the towns of Brevik and Stathelle.

Hansen & Arntzen Co AS is a traditional shipyard in Stathelle that specializes in the restoration of vessels. Hansen & Arntzen AS Ekstrand Co. was established in 1929 as a family business. The company is known for its significant repair and restoration projects. Many famous ships have been restored there, including the Norwegian Royal Yacht HNoMY Norge

HNoMY Norge

One of only two remaining Royal Yachts in Europe, HNoMY Norge is the Royal Yacht of the King of Norway. The ship's name Norge is Norwegian for Norway....

.

The name

The first element could be the Old Norse

Old Norse

Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....

 word staðr m 'place; town', the last element is hella f 'flagstone

Flagstone

Flagstone, is a generic flat stone, usually used for paving slabs or walkways, patios, fences and roofing. It may be used for memorials, headstones, facades and other constructions. The name derives from Middle English flagge meaning turf, perhaps from Old Norse flaga meaning slab.Flagstone is a...

, slab of rock'.

Notable residents

• Ella Gjømle Berg - Skier
• Gunnar Sem - Author
• Ella Gjømle
  Ella Gjømle
  Ella Gjømle is a cross country skier from Stathelle, Bamble, Norway. She competes for Lyn ski club, Oslo.- Results :Gjømle competed in the 2005 World Championship in Oberstdorf, finishing 9th at the Sprint competition...
  
   - Cross country skier
• Turid Thomassen
  Turid Thomassen
  Turid Thomassen is a Norwegian politician who since 2010 has been the party leader of the Norwegian left-wing party Red following Torstein Dahle....
  
  - Politician

External links

• Hansen & Arntzen Co AS website