Wincentz Thurmann Ihlen

He was born in Holmestrand as the son of Nils Ihlen and Barbara Wincentz Thurmann.

[1] His oldest son Nils Claus Ihlen would become a member of the national parliament and Minister of Foreign Affairs.

[3] During the 1860s Ihlen started as an entrepreneur and bought several local enterprises and real estate.

[4] The background for the establishment was the new railway line that ran past Lørenskog, giving easy access to lumber from the inner parts of the country, as well as to the port in Oslo.

After Wincentz's retirement the Ihlen family retained ownership of the company, with Nils Claus taking over the works in 1883, changing the name to Strømmens Værksted, and his sons Joakim and Alf Ihlen in 1908, who transformed it to a limited company.