Followed by Stavanger and Sandnes, Bryne is the third-largest town at Jæren and an important traffic hub as well as a trade and educational centre. Bryne is among Norway's 50 largest cities and received city status in 2001, and is thus one of the youngest cities in Norway. In addition to being an agriculture-related town, Bryne has become an education centre with a dairy school and a high school. At Bryne, you experience the typical hospitality of the area, the typical cuisine, interesting cultural monuments and beautiful natural areas.
Has fostered musicians, artists and writers
In recent times, Bryne has been put on the map through the anonymous street artist Pøbel, who often has a habit of surprising the surroundings with works of art painted in the gloom and darkness of the night. An increasingly well-known work is the corona artwork "The lovers" which depicts a couple in a lover's embrace wearing face masks. It is painted onto a busy underpass at Bryne in the street Arne Garborgsvei. The work became world-famous when it was shown as the main picture in an article in the New York Times which dealt with corona artwork that had appeared in the wake of the pandemic in several corners of the world. Pøbel has also made a tribute to the famous football player Erling Braut Haaland with a large mural on a business building in the city centre.
Another artist from Bryne is the sculptor Fritz Røed (1928-2002). His most famous work is perhaps the monument Sverd i fjell (Swords in rock) standing at Hafrsfjord, however at Bryne, there's an entire park with his sculptures at Fritz Røed Skulpturpark.
If you're interested in cultural and literary history, you'll have the opportunity to learn more about the couple Hulda (1862-1934) and Arne Garborg (1851-1924) during a visit to Bryne. Arne Garborg is Bryne's great son of literature. Among other things, you can visit the Garborg Centre, a visitor's centre to depict the couple's writing. Garborgheimen at Undheim, Arne's childhood home, is a museum today, as is the case for the house of Knudaheio, the couple's holiday home and writing space.
Moreover, if music ticks your box, Bryne has some famous artists to pull out of the hat. Janove Ottesen, who was the frontman in the band Kaizers Orchestra, grew up at Bryne. Today, he composes film music, and he has also released a solo album. Several metal bands have seen the light of day at Bryne, in addition to the pop artist, Hilde Selvikvåg.
Stunning nature
The lake Frøylandsvatnet is popular for walks along the water, and in 2016, a bridge was constructed connecting the area of Sandtangen and the hiking trails on the west side with the forest Njåskogen on the east side. The bridge runs from the islet Lalandsholmen to the forest Njåskogen. The bridge itself was named the Midgardsormen (the Midgard Serpent), after the sea monster from Norse mythology, an appropriate name as the bridge is shaped in the form of a winding snake gently stroking the water surface.
