Telemark () is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

and a current electoral district in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. Telemark borders the counties of

Vestfold Vestfold () is a county and a current electoral district in Norway. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it borders Buskerud and Telemark counties. The county administration is located in Tønsberg, Norway's oldest city, and the larg ...

Buskerud Buskerud () is a Counties of Norway, county and a current electoral district in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Innlandet, Vestland, Telemark and Vestfold. The region extends from the Oslofjord and Drammensfjorden in the southeast to Hardanger ...

Vestland Vestland is a Counties of Norway, county in Norway. The county is located in Western Norway, and its administrative centre is Bergen, where the executive and political leadership is based. The County governor (Norway), County Governor is based in ...

Rogaland Rogaland () is a Counties of Norway, county in Western Norway, bordering the North Sea to the west and the counties of Vestland to the north, Telemark to the east and Agder to the east and southeast. As of 1 January 2024, it had a population of 49 ...

and

Agder Agder is a counties of Norway, county () and districts of Norway, traditional region in the southern part of Norway and is coextensive with the Southern Norway region. The county was established on 1 January 2020, when the old Vest-Agder and Au ...

. In 2020, Telemark merged with the county of

to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. On 1 January 2024, the county of Telemark was re-established after Vestfold og Telemark was divided again. The name ''Telemark'' means the " mark of the Thelir", the ancient North Germanic tribe that inhabited what is now known as

Upper Telemark Upper Telemark () is a traditional district in Telemark county in Norway. The area includes the inland areas of Telemark. More than two-thirds of the total area of Telemark—more than —belong to the traditional region of Upper Telemar ...

in the

Migration Period The Migration Period ( 300 to 600 AD), also known as the Barbarian Invasions, was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories ...

and the

Viking Age The Viking Age (about ) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonising, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. The Viking Age applies not only to their ...

. In the Middle Ages, the agricultural society of Upper Telemark was considered the most violent region of Norway. Today, half of the buildings from medieval times in Norway are located here. The dialects spoken in Upper Telemark also retain more elements of

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

than those spoken elsewhere in the country. Upper Telemark is also known as the birthplace of

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

. The southern part of Telemark, Grenland, is more urban and influenced by trade with the

Low Countries The Low Countries (; ), historically also known as the Netherlands (), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower Drainage basin, basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern "Bene ...

northern Germany Northern Germany (, ) is a linguistic, geographic, socio-cultural and historic region in the northern part of Germany which includes the coastal states of Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Lower Saxony and the two city-states Hambur ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

and the

British Isles The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...

. Telemark has been one of Norway's most important industrial regions for centuries, marked in particular by the Norske Skog Union paper mills in Grenland and the Norsk Hydro heavy water and fertilizer production in

. Telemark county was re-established on 1 January 2024, following a vote of the county council of Vestfold og Telemark on 15 February 2022 to split the newly established county into its respective counties that existed before the merger took place; Telemark and Vestfold.

History

Telemark county was established as the fief Bratsberg in the late Middle Ages, during Norway's union with Denmark. With the introduction of absolute monarchy in 1662 it became a county, and it was renamed Telemark in 1919 and was a county until 2020. The county administration was in the port town

Skien Skien () is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Grenland, although historically it belonged to Grenmar/Skiensfjorden, while Grenland referred the Norsjø area and Bø. The administrative ...

, which was in the early modern period Norway's most important city, ahead of Christiania. Telemark consists of several distinct historical regions. It takes its name from the largest of them, which is now called

, but which was historically simply called Telemark. Telemark is named for the Thelir (Þilir in Old Norse), the ancient North Germanic tribe that inhabited what is now known as Upper Telemark since the

and during the

. The Norse form of the name was ''Þelamǫrk''. The first element is the genitive plural case of ''Þilir'' while the last element is ''mǫrk'' "woodland, borderland,

march March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20 or 2 ...

". Traditional Telemark, i.e. Upper Telemark, is located in the inland and comprises more than two thirds of it according to its traditional definition. Both in medieval times and later (Upper) Telemark was the region of Norway with the most self-owning farmers. It retained Norse culture to a larger degree than any other region in Norway, with respect to its more egalitarian organisation of society, religion, traditional values and language. Thus the people of Telemark were often described during the Middle Ages and early modern era as the most violent in Norway. The dialects of Upper Telemark are also the dialects of Norwegian that are closest to

. The farmers of Telemark were marked by a strong-willed conservatism and belief in their traditional values that often defied the central authorities of Denmark-Norway; for example they held on to aspects of both

Old Norse religion Old Norse religion, also known as Norse paganism, is a branch of Germanic religion which developed during the Proto-Norse period, when the North Germanic peoples separated into distinct branches. It was replaced by Christianity and forgotten ...

and later of

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

longer than other regions in Norway. (Upper) Telemark traditionally lacks cities entirely. Grenland and the Skien fjord are flatter regions located closer to or at the coast. Historically Grenland referred to what is now called

Midt-Telemark Midt-Telemark is a Districts of Norway, traditional district of Norway situated in Telemark county. It is made up of two municipalities: Midt-Telemark (municipality), Midt-Telemark and Nome, Norway, Nome. The largest population centres in the regio ...

, but over time the name Grenland has come to refer to the Skien fjord area. The latter is traditionally characterized by its cities and its involvement in seafaring and trade. It also includes several larger agricultural properties and estates, as well as industry. The culture and social structure are more urban, far less traditional, more influenced by contact with continental Europe and far less egalitarian. The most important city of the region,

, was historically one of Norway's most important cities, although its importance declined after the Napoleonic Wars. The playwright

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...

was a native of Skien, and many of his plays are set in places reminiscent of the city and area. During the Dano-Norwegian union the traditional regions of Telemark and Grenland/the Skien fjord became the fief (''len'') and later county ('' amt'') of Bratsberg (Bradsberg). The fief and county was named after the farm Bratsberg, since this was the seat of the governor. In 1919 Bratsberg county was renamed Telemark. Despite this, Grenland retains a separate identity that is distinct from Telemark proper; the minority in the Storting voted for the name Grenland–Telemark in 1918. Upper Telemark, particularly Kviteseid, is known as the birthplace of

as a modern sport. Telemark lent its name to

Telemark skiing Telemark skiing is a skiing technique that combines elements of Alpine skiing, Alpine and Nordic skiing, Nordic skiing, using the rear foot to keep balance while pushing on the front foot to create a carving turn on downhill skis with toe-only ...

, a style invented by Sondre Norheim, and the characteristic Telemark landing of

ski jumping Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the final ...

. Telemark is also known as the centre of the '' Bunad'' movement. Telemark has more buildings from medieval times than any other Norwegian region.

Geography

Telemark is located in southeastern Norway, extending from the

Hardangervidda Hardangervidda () is a mountain plateau ( Norwegian: ''vidde'') in central southern Norway, covering parts of Vestland, Telemark, and Buskerud counties. It is the largest plateau of its kind in Europe, with a cold year-round alpine climate, and o ...

mountain plateau in the North to the

Skagerrak The Skagerrak (; , , ) is a strait running between the North Jutlandic Island of Denmark, the east coast of Norway and the west coast of Sweden, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea. The Skagerrak contains some of the busiest shipping ...

coast in the South. Telemark has a varied and scenic landscape, including a rugged coastline, valleys, lakes, hills mountains, and mountain plateaus. Southern Telemark is the location of the Gea Norvegica UNESCO Global Geopark (UGG), established in 2006. The UGG carries significance to Norway with an abundance of larvikite along the Oslo Rift,

Paleozoic The Paleozoic ( , , ; or Palaeozoic) Era is the first of three Era (geology), geological eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. Beginning 538.8 million years ago (Ma), it succeeds the Neoproterozoic (the last era of the Proterozoic Eon) and ends 251.9 Ma a ...

fossils, geological artifacts of glacial retreat from the

last glacial maximum The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), also referred to as the Last Glacial Coldest Period, was the most recent time during the Last Glacial Period where ice sheets were at their greatest extent between 26,000 and 20,000 years ago. Ice sheets covered m ...

, and rocks from the

Sveconorwegian Orogeny The Sveconorwegian orogeny was an orogenic system active 1140 to 960 million years ago and currently exposed as the Sveconorwegian orogenic belt in southwestern Sweden and southern Norway. In Norway the orogenic belt is exposed southeast of the f ...

. It is the first UGG in Scandinavia.

Infrastructure

The international road E18 goes through the southern parts of Telemark, namely Grenland and the municipality of Kragerø. E134, another important motorway and the fastest route between

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

and

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

, goes through the municipalities of Vinje, Tokke, Kviteseid, Seljord, Hjartdal and Notodden. RV36, stretching from Porsgrunn to Seljord, links the E18 and E134 motorways. Telemark is well served by railways. The Sørlandet Line runs through the traditional districts of Vestmar and Midt-Telemark, serving the municipalities of Drangedal, Nome, Bø and Sauherad. Grenland is primarily served by the Vestfold Line, but also has connections through the Bratsberg Line which runs between

and Notodden. From Langesund, Fjordline operates ferry services to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

and

. The main bus lines in the region are operated by Telemark Bilruter, serving western and middle parts of the region, and Nettbuss which serves the middle, eastern and southern parts of the region. Drangedal Bilruter serves the Vestmar region.

Population

The largest population centres are

, Porsgrunn, Notodden,

Rjukan Rjukan () is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town in Tinn Municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The town is also the administrative centre of Tinn Municipality. The town is located in the Vestfjorddalen valley, between the lakes Møsvatn ...

and Kragerø. Other important places are Bø, Seljord, Fyresdal and Vinje.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms of Telemark is from modern times (1970). It shows an old type of battle axe, significant for the county. The county coat of arms valid from 1 January 2024 is a redesigned version of the county coat of arms for Telemark county from 1970 until the county merger in 2020.

Notable telemarkinger/teledølar

* Myllarguten (1801–1872), legendary fiddler born in Sauherad * Aasmund Olavsson Vinje (1818–1870), author born in Vinje * Sondre Norheim (1825–1897), father of

born in Morgedal, Kviteseid * August Cappelen (1827–1852), national romantic painter born in

* Snowshoe Thompson (Jon Torsteinson-Rue) (1827–1876),

American pioneer American pioneers, also known as American settlers, were European American,Asian American, and African American settlers who migrated westward from the British Thirteen Colonies and later the United States of America to settle and develop areas ...

and father of

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

(1828–1906), author born in

* John Anders Johnson (1832–1901), American politician *

Thorbjorn N. Mohn Thorbjorn Nelson Mohn, born Torbjørn Nilsen Moen (July 15, 1844 - November 18, 1899) was an American Lutheran church leader and the first president of St. Olaf College. Background Torbjørn Nilsen Moen was born in Sauherad, Saude, Norway on Ju ...

(1844–1899), American Lutheran church leader and first president of St. Olaf College * Brynild Anundsen (1844–1913), founder of '' Decorah Posten'' * Marcus Olaus Bockman (1849–1942), Norwegian-American Lutheran theologian * Herbjørn Gausta (1854–1924), American artist. Born in Vestfjørddalen * Theodor Kittelsen (1857–1914), artist born in Kragerø * George Awsumb (1880–1959), architect born in

Vidkun Quisling Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling (; ; 18 July 1887 – 24 October 1945) was a Norwegian military officer, politician and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, Nazi collaborator who Quisling regime, headed the government of N ...

(1887–1945), politician, collaborationist leader during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Executed as a traitor, born in Fyresdal * Aslaug Vaa (1889–1965), author born in

Rauland Rauland is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1860 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Vinje Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Raulandsgrend (also known ...

* Tarjei Vesaas (1897–1970), author born in Vinje * Anne Grimdalen (1899–1961), sculptor born in Skafså, Tokke *

Eivind Groven Eivind Groven (8 October 1901 – 8 February 1977) was a Norwegian composer and music-theorist. He was from the traditional region of Vest-Telemark and had a background in the folk music of the area. Biography Groven was born in the village ...

(1901–1977), composer born in Lårdal, Tokke * Dyre Vaa (1903–1980), sculptor born in Vinje * Klaus Egge (1906–1979), composer born in Gransherad, Notodden * Gunnar Sønsteby, (1918–2012), war hero born in

, Tinn * Hans Herbjørnsrud (1938–), author born in Heddal, Notodden * Tor Åge Bringsværd (1939–), author born in

Agnes Buen Garnås Agnes Buen Garnås (23 October 1946 – 12 November 2024) was a Norwegian folk singer from the county of Telemark. She came from a famous musical family from the town of Jondal, and was known particularly for her singing of ancient unaccompanied ...

(1946–), musician born in Jondal * Kåre Nordstoga (1954–), musician born in Notodden * Bugge Wesseltoft (1964-), musician born in Porsgrunn * Gisle Kverndokk (1967–), composer born in

* Jørn Lande (1968–), hard rock / heavy metal singer born in

* Bård Tufte Johansen (1969–), comedian born in

* Odd Nordstoga (1972–), musician born in Vinje * Frode Johnsen (1974–), footballer born in

Terje Haakonsen Terje may refer to: *Terje (name), a form of the Scandinavian name Torgeir *Tria (), a village in the commune of Derna, Bihor, Romania {{Dab ...

(1974–), snowboarder born in Vinje *

Ihsahn Vegard Sverre Tveitan (born 10 October 1975), better known by his stage name Ihsahn ( ), is a Norwegian musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and composer who is best known for his work with the black metal band Emperor (Norwegian band ...

(Vegard Sverre Tveitan) (1975–), black/extreme metal musician born in Notodden * Julie Bergan (1994-) Norwegian singer and songwriter born in

Districts

The county is conventionally divided into traditional districts. Traditionally the county is mainly divided into

(historically called simply Telemark or more recently Telemark proper) and Grenland. Upper Telemark is sometimes subdivided into Vest-Telemark and Aust-Telemark. The name Lower Telemark traditionally refers to Grenland and

, but was more of an administrative region than a cultural one. Regardless of definition, Upper Telemark constitutes the largest part by far. For example, the modern provostship of Upper Telemark comprises 12 municipalities and more than 80% of Telemark, also including Midt-Telemark. An additional district, Vestmar is disputed. The district borders of this county are highly overlapping and to a certain extent undefined and/or disputed.

Municipalities

Cities

* Brevik * Kragerø * Langesund * Notodden * Porsgrunn *

* Stathelle

Parishes

* Atrå * Austbygdi * Bamble * Brevik * Brunkeberg * Bø * Dal * Drangedal * Eidanger * Eidsborg * Flatdal * Fyresdal * Gjerpen * Gransherad * Grungedal * Heddal * Helgen * Herre * Hitterdal, see Heddal * Hjartdal * Holla (Hollen) * Hovin * Hægland * Høydalsmo * Kilebygda * Kragerø * Kroken, see Drangedal * Kviteseid (Hvidesøe) * Old Kviteseid (Hvidesøe) * Langesund * Lisleherad (Lilleherred) * Lunde * Lårdal * Mo * Moland * Mæl * Mælum * Møsstrand * Nes * Nesland * Nissedal * Notodden * Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, Porsgrunn * Porsgrunn * Rauland * Rjukan * Sannidal (Sannikedal) * Saude * Sauherad (Saude) * Sauland * Seljord * Siljan * Skafså *

* Skåtøy * Slemdal, see Siljan * Solum * Stathelle * Tinn * Treungen * Tuddal * Tørdal (Tørrisdal) * Vestre Porsgrunn * Veum * Vinje * Vrådal * Ytre Flåbygd * Østre Porsgrunn * Øyfjell * Åmotsdal * Brevik Branch (LDS, 1852–1864) * Langesund Branch (LDS, 1852–1907) * Skien (Frie Apostoliske, 1856–1892) * Porsgrunn and Skien (Great Britain Consulate Birth Register, 1876–1891) * Kragerø (Great Britain Death Register), 1895

Villages

* Akkerhaugen * Arabygdi * Austbygdi * Bjervamoen * Bolkesjø * Bostrak * Brevik * Brunkeberg * Bø * Dalen * Edland *

Eidanger Eidanger is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Porsgrunn Municipality. The administrative centre wa ...