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The Customs House ((ノルウェー語:Tollboden)) is a historic building in Porsgrunn, Telemark, Norway. It was built in 1891 by architect Haldor Larsen Børve and used as a liquor store and restaurant until 1903, when the city took it over for use as a customs house. The building, which now holds offices for Statsbygg Sør, is located on Storgata 162, along the banks of the Porsgrunn River and just across from Porsgrunn City Hall. ==History== In 1848, a consortium of shipowners and captains bought a plot of land between Storgata and the Porsgrunn River and built a shipyard there, which they named "Reform." Starting a new shipyard at the time was a risky proposition, and initially their investment paid off, with six ships launched from the facility over a period of just five years. However, their luck soon ran out, and in 1853 all operations stopped entirely, the workforce was laid off and the warehouses, near modern-day Reynoldsparken, were closed.〔 In order to cut down on seedy bars and liquor stores, the Norwegian parliament passed a law in 1871 that gave local governments permission to establish an organization (''"samlag"'') with exclusive rights to sell and serve liquors in a municipality. The idea of having a government-sanctioned monopoly of alcohol sales in a city was inspired by the Swedish system and was a precursor to the modern Vinmonopolet, with the difference being that most of the profits went to local governments rather than the state government.〔 In the spring of 1873, ''Porsgrunds Brændevinssamlag'' was created to capitalize on the new law, and in 1887 they received a licence to become the sole alcoholic beverage retailer in Porsgrunn. The samlag was very successful, and over the 24 years that it was in operation, it raised a total of 105,000 kroner for the city.〔 The profits went towards road maintenance, social services, and above all, construction, funding in part the construction of a local library, swimming hall, and rail line between Porsgrunn and Larvik.〔 In the 1880s, the city announced their plans to build a new wharf, called ''Østre Porsgrunn Dampskipsbrygge'', on the plot of the old "Reform" shipyard. Porsgrunds Brændevinssamlag acted quickly, purchasing a neighboring property in anticipation of the resulting influx of passengers. In 1891 they enlisted local architect Haldor Larsen Børve to build on their new centrally-located property. This was Børve's first major project as part of his newly formed architectural firm, which would later go on to build the new Porsgrunn City Hall across the street as well as many other local buildings, such as the Vår Frue Church. The resulting Neo-Gothic brick building, referred to colloquially as "Samlagsgården" or "Reformgården," contained three restaurants and a liquor store.〔 However, by the end of the 1800s, public attitudes had turned against the samlag due to a growing temperance movement in the city. The movement, which objected to the samlag on moral grounds, was especially strong in Porsgrunn due to the efforts of local resident Carl Reynolds, founder of the Norwegian chapter of the International Organisation of Good Templars. Their efforts paid off on 10 April 1897, when a local referendum to break up the samlag and prohibit all sale and serving of liquor in the city passed with a 124 vote majority.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Customs House, Porsgrunn」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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