Bryne

History

The village of Bryne was founded as Thime Stasjon, since this was the location of the Thime Station along the Jærbanen railroad going from Stavanger to Egersund. The small village, which grew up around an old farm of the same name (Time parish farm #1), was one of many popping up around the new stations on the railroad that was completed in 1878. A new chapel was soon built, as well as a store, a wool-processing factory and a dairy farm. Several industries related to agriculture also emerged, producing ploughs, mowers and harvesting equipment. Many years later in 1949, the first excavator in Europe with complete hydraulic transmission of power, the Brøyt, was introduced by the two brothers Kristian and Ingebret Søyland. Also the company Tralfa developed the world's first spray-paint robot. Today, Tralfa is part of ABB. Gradually, Bryne developed into a regional education center, with a dairy school established in 1906, the National Grammar School (Rogaland Landsgymnas) in 1924, and later a vocational school was also established. In 1921, the name of Thime Station was changed to Bryne by referendum. Bryne has since grown rapidly to become Jæren's most densely populated rural area and a regional trade center. On 1 January 2001, the municipality granted Bryne town status, the 49th largest settlement in Norway at the time.