Mysen is a Norwegian town in Indre Østfold municipality in Viken. The town has 6,729 inhabitants as of 1 January 2020, and around Mysen are the villages Hærland and Eidsberg, as well as the settlements Trømborg and Slitu. Mysen was previously its own municipality. Mysen was granted city status in 1997.
As in many other places in Eastern Norway, Mysen has grown around
a railway station, after the Østfold line's Eastern line was opened
in 1882. Today, the station is the terminus for most local trains on
the Eastern line. Thus, Mysen has become a communication center for
inner Østfold, with bus routes to most of the surrounding area, also
to Töcksfors in Sweden. In 1997, the municipality decided that the
place should take the city name.
From the very beginning, the
economy was based on trade and small industry, and this still leaves
its mark on the city. Today, it is especially the graphic industry
that marks the economic life, in addition to the food and workshop
industry. In Monaryggen just north of Mysen, there are large sand
and gravel roofs with associated concrete industry. In the old
Trollull factory, the Østfold museums have arranged a central
magazine for the local museums in the county. Mysen is the seat of
Heggen and Frøland District Court, and Mysen upper secondary school,
formerly Indre Østfold upper secondary, is located here. Mysen also
has Momarken trotting track, prison, frisbee golf park and a
football team in the 3rd division (Mysen IF). For a number of years
after the war, the annual Red Cross fair Momarkedet was also here.
Directly above and east of the built-up area is Høytorp fort, which
is now municipal open space.
The name Mysen comes from the
old farm Mysen (Norse Mysin, from Mosvin). Mosi means "bog", and
wine means "meadow".
The former municipality of Mysen
After first being a so-called building municipality, Mysen became an
independent municipality on 1 July 1920 when it was separated from
Eidsberg. On January 1, 1961, Mysen was merged again with Eidsberg.
The development of the station town was largely due to Anton Hamil
Mysen who was mayor in the early years of the municipality. Mysen
was Norway's second smallest municipality, only Grip in Møre og
Romsdal was smaller. Anton Hamil Mysen was the owner of northern
Mysen and paid for the construction of Mysen church in 1903,
designed by Hjalmar Welhaven.