In the Middle Ages, the agricultural society of Upper Telemark was considered the most violent region of Norway.[7] Today, half of the buildings from medieval times in Norway are located here.[8] The dialects spoken in Upper Telemark also retain more elements ofOld Norse than those spoken elsewhere in the country.[9] Upper Telemark is also known as the birthplace ofskiing.[9]
Telemark has been one of Norway's most important industrial regions for centuries, marked in particular by theNorske Skog Union paper mills inGrenland and theNorsk Hydro heavy water and fertilizer production inUpper Telemark.[10]
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.
Telemark county was established as the fief Bratsberg in the late Middle Ages, duringNorway'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 townSkien, 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 calledUpper Telemark, but which was historically simply called Telemark. Telemark is named for theThelir (Þilir in Old Norse), the ancient North Germanic tribe that inhabited what is now known as Upper Telemark since theMigration Period and during theViking Age. The Norse form of the name wasÞelamǫrk. The first element is the genitive plural case ofÞilir while the last element ismǫrk "woodland, borderland,march".
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.[11] It retainedNorse 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.[12] The dialects of Upper Telemark are also the dialects of Norwegian that are closest toOld Norse. 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 bothOld Norse religion and later ofCatholicism 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 calledMidt-Telemark, 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,Skien, was historically one of Norway's most important cities, although its importance declined after the Napoleonic Wars. The playwrightHenrik Ibsen 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, particularlyKviteseid, is known as the birthplace ofskiing as a modern sport. Telemark lent its name toTelemark skiing, a style invented bySondre Norheim, and the characteristicTelemark landing ofski jumping. Telemark is also known as the centre of theBunad movement. Telemark has more buildings from medieval times than any other Norwegian region.
Telemark is located in southeastern Norway, extending from theHardangervidda mountain plateau in the North to theSkagerrak coast in the South. Telemark has a varied and scenic landscape, including a rugged coastline, valleys, lakes, hills mountains, and mountain plateaus.[9]
The international roadE18 goes through the southern parts of Telemark, namelyGrenland and the municipality ofKragerø.E134, another important motorway and the fastest route betweenOslo andBergen, goes through the municipalities ofVinje,Tokke,Kviteseid,Seljord,Hjartdal andNotodden.RV36, stretching fromPorsgrunn to Seljord, links the E18 and E134 motorways.
Telemark is well served by railways. TheSørlandet Line runs through the traditional districts of Vestmar and Midt-Telemark, serving the municipalities ofDrangedal,Nome,Bø andSauherad. Grenland is primarily served by theVestfold Line, but also has connections through theBratsberg Line which runs betweenSkien andNotodden.
The main bus lines in the region are operated byTelemark Bilruter, serving western and middle parts of the region, andNettbuss which serves the middle, eastern and southern parts of the region.Drangedal Bilruter serves theVestmar region.
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.
Telemark county withUpper Telemark (traditional Telemark) in red
The county is conventionally divided into traditional districts. Traditionally the county is mainly divided intoUpper Telemark (historically called simply Telemark or more recently Telemark proper) andGrenland. Upper Telemark is sometimes subdivided intoVest-Telemark andAust-Telemark. The nameLower Telemark traditionally refers to Grenland andMidt-Telemark, 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.
^Selland, Svein-Gunnar; Lundbo, Sten; Nilsen, Jan Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir (2020-01-29),"Telemark – tidligere fylke",Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian Bokmål), retrieved2020-06-04
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