Caption
Directly above Skien town centre is the beautiful Brekkeparken park and the Telemark Fylkemuseum. Brekkeparken is an old landscaped park laid out in the English style by cabinet minister Nils Aall in about 1815. It is difficult to find anywhere with a more harmonious blend of urban and rural than the Brekkeparken. In the park the paths, ponds and flower beds create a beautiful background to the other attractions such as the Fylkemuseet with its various collections. The centrepiece of the museum is the old Søndre Brekke manor house which dates from about 1810 while the open-air museum, with buildings from different parts of Telemark, occupies other parts of the park. The entrance ticket is valid for both the park and the museum. Join a guided tour of the museum, which takes you past examples of Telemark folk art, wander through an exhibition of the history of fashion and style, from Baroque to Empire, visit Henrik Ibsen in private or see some maritime history and church art. To relive the past, pay a visit to the old shop, the old tea-rooms or the old post office in the park.