Vest-Telemark () is a traditional district in Norway. The area comprises the western areas of the larger region 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 Vestfold og Telemark county. The region consists of six municipalities: Fyresdal,

Tokke Tokke is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Vest-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Dal ...

Vinje Vinje is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Vest-Telemark which is part of Øvre Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Åmot. Other villages in the muni ...

, Nissedal,

Kviteseid Kviteseid is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional districts of Vest-Telemark and Upper Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Kviteseidbyen. Other villages in Kviteseid ...

, and

Seljord Seljord is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional districts of Upper Telemark and Vest-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Seljord. Other villages in the municipalit ...

. In 2020, there were 13,903 residents in the region. The area of Vest-Telemark was historically called . The region is known for its folk traditions within music, clothing, handcrafts, food, and architecture. The region is also distinctly marked by its dialects of Norwegian. This form of Norwegian is among those containing the most traces of the

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 ...

language and grammar. This area uses the

Nynorsk Nynorsk (; ) is one of the two official written standards of the Norwegian language, the other being Bokmål. From 12 May 1885, it became the state-sanctioned version of Ivar Aasen's standard Norwegian language (''Landsmål''), parallel to the Da ...

written form of Norwegian. Vest-Telemark is also the home of slalom (slalåm) skiing,

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 ...

, and

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 ...

(with its characteristic Telemark landing). "The Cradle of Modern Skiing" is found in Morgedal.

Municipalities

Notable people from Vest-Telemark

* Aslaug Vaa, author from

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 ...

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 ...

, politician from Fyresdal * Aasmund Olavsson Vinje, author from Vinje * Tarjei Vesaas, author from Vinje * Odd Nordstoga, musician from Vinje * Sondre Norheim, skier from Morgedal * Ivar Peterson Tveiten, politician from Fyresdal * Anne Grimdalen, sculptor from Skafså in

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 ...

, composer from Lårdal in

* Dyre Vaa, sculptor from

* Halldis Moren Vesaas, author from

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 ...

, snowboarder from

* Sven Erik Kristiansen, musician from

References

{{use dmy dates, date=January 2023 Districts of Telemark