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Telemark County
Telemark fylke | |
|---|---|
 Scenery of Rjukan and Gaustatoppen in Upper Telemark district | |
 Flag | |
 Telemark within Norway | |
| Coordinates: 59°30′00″N 8°42′00″E / 59.500°N 8.700°E | |
| Country | Norway |
| County | Telemark |
| District | Østlandet |
| Established | 1662 |
| Disestablished | 1 Jan 2020 |
| • Succeeded by | Vestfold og Telemark |
| Re-established | 1 Jan 2024 |
| • Preceded by | Vestfold og Telemark |
| Administrative centre | Skien |
| Government | |
| • Body | Telemark County Municipality |
| • Governor | Fred-Ivar Syrstad (Ap) |
| • County mayor (2023) | Sven Tore Løkslid (Ap) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 15,298.2 km2 (5,906.7 sq mi) |
| • Land | 13,832.4 km2 (5,340.7 sq mi) |
| • Water | 1,465.7 km2 (565.9 sq mi) 9.6% |
| • Rank | #8 in Norway |
| Population (2023) | |
| • Total | 175,546 |
| • Rank | #13 in Norway |
| • Density | 12.7/km2 (33/sq mi) |
| • Change (10 years) |  +2.7% |
| Demonyms | Teledøl Telemarking[1] |
| Official language | |
| • Norwegian form | Neutral |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | NO-40[3] |
| Income (per capita) | 139,900 kr |
| GDP (per capita) | 219,404 kr (2001) |
| GDP national rank | #12 in Norway (2.38% of country) |
| Website | Official website |
Telemark (pronounced [ˈtêːləmɑrk] ) is a county and a current electoral district in Norway. Telemark borders the counties of Vestfold, Buskerud, Vestland, Rogaland and Agder.[4] In 2020, Telemark merged with the county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark.[5][6] 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 in the Migration Period and the Viking Age.
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 of Old Norse than those spoken elsewhere in the country.[9] Upper Telemark is also known as the birthplace of skiing.[9]
The southern part of Telemark, Grenland, is more urban and influenced by trade with the Low Countries, northern Germany, Denmark and the British Isles.
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 Upper 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.
- ^ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
- ^ "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
- ^ Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (2023-01-26). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget.
- ^ Nikel, David (2019-04-30). "This Is Telemark, Norway". Life in Norway. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
- ^ Selland, Svein-Gunnar; Lundbo, Sten (8 June 2018). "Telemark" – via Store norske leksikon.
- ^ "Nå er Telemark og Vestfold slått sammen". ta.no. 8 June 2017.
- ^ Norgeshistorie, Om; Institutt for arkeologi, konservering og historie (IAKH) ved UiO. "De voldelige telemarksbøndene - Norgeshistorie". www.norgeshistorie.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2020-06-04.
- ^ "Best på gamle teknikker". www.telen.no (in Norwegian). 1999-01-20. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
- ^ a b "Telemark". www.visitnorway.com. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
- ^ Selland, Svein-Gunnar; Lundbo, Sten; Nilsen, Jan Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir (2020-01-29), "Telemark – tidligere fylke", Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian Bokmål), retrieved 2020-06-04