Telemark
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This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in the Norwegian Wikipedia. (July 2012)
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| Telemark fylke | ||
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| — County — | ||
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| Country | Norway | |
| County | Telemark | |
| Region | Østlandet | |
| County ID | NO-08 | |
| Official language form | Neutral | |
| Demonym | Teledøl or Telemarking | |
| Administrative centre | Skien | |
| Government | ||
| • Governor | Kari Nordheim-Larsen Arbeiderpartiet (2006–present) |
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| • County mayor | Gunn Marit Helgesen Høyre (2003–present) |
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| Area (#10 in Norway, 4.55% of Norway's land area) | ||
| • Total | 15,299 km2 (5,907 sq mi) | |
| • Land | 13,854 km2 (5,349 sq mi) | |
| Population (2012) | ||
| • Total | 170,643 | |
| • Density | 12/km2 (30/sq mi) | |
| • Change (10 years) | 1.8 % | |
| • Rank in Norway | 13 (3.63% of country) | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+01) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+02) | |
| Income (per capita) | 139,900 NOK | |
| GDP (per capita) | 219,404 NOK (2001) | |
| National Rank: | 12 (2.38% of country) | |
| Website | www.telemark.no | |
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| Historical population | ||
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| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1951 | 136,519 | — |
| 1961 | 149,943 | +9.8% |
| 1971 | 156,778 | +4.6% |
| 1981 | 162,050 | +3.4% |
| 1991 | 162,869 | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 165,595 | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 169,185 | +2.2% |
| 2021? | 180,966 | +7.0% |
| 2031? | 191,552 | +5.8% |
| Source: Statistics Norway.[1] | ||
Telemark (help·info) is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.
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Location [edit]
The county is located in southeastern Norway, extending from Hardangervidda to the Skagerrak coast. The coastline extends from Langesundsfjorden to Gjernestangen at the border to Aust-Agder. Telemark has a very broken and heterogeneous landscape, including many hills and valleys.
Infrastructure [edit]
The international road E18 goes through the southern parts of Telemark, namely Grenland and the municipality of Kragerø. European route 134, another important motorway and the fastest route between Oslo and Bergen, 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 Sørlandsbanen runs through the traditional districts of Vestmar and Midt-Telemark, serving the municipalities of Drangedal, Nome, Bø and Sauherad. Grenland is primarily served by Vestfoldbanen, but also has connections through Bratsbergbanen which runs between Skien and Notodden.
Geiteryggen Airport in Skien offers flights to Bergen and Stockholm.
From Langesund, Kystlink operates ferry services to Sweden and Denmark.
The main bus lines in the county are operated by Telemark Bilruter, serving western and middle parts of the county, and Nettbuss which serves the middle, eastern and southern parts of the county. Drangedal Bilruter serves the Vestmar region.
Population [edit]
The largest population centres are Skien, Porsgrunn, Notodden, Rjukan and Kragerø. Other important places are Bø, Fyresdal and Vinje.
The name [edit]
The Norse form of the name was Þelamǫrk. The first element is the genitive plural case of þelir, the name of an old Germanic tribe. The last element is mǫrk 'woodland, borderland, march'. (See also Hedmark and Finnmark.)
Until 1919 the county was called Bratsberg amt. The amt was named after the farm Bratsberg (Norse Brattsberg), since this was the seat of the amtmann ('governor'). The first element is the genitive case of brattr m 'steep mountain', the last element is berg n 'mountain'. (The name is referring to a steep mountainside behind the farm.)
Telemark lent its name to Telemark skiing, a style invented by Sondre Norheim, and the characteristic Telemark landing of ski jumping.
Coat-of-arms [edit]
The coat-of-arms is from modern times (1970). It shows an old type of battle axe, significant for the county.
History [edit]
Some historians[who?] used to believe that Telemark had been a petty kingdom in the early Viking Age, prior to the reign of Harald Fairhair. This assertion, however, is unfounded[citation needed].
The film The Heroes of Telemark is loosely based on the Norwegian heavy water sabotage, a raid on a heavy water plant at Rjukan during World War II. Ray Mears made a documentary titled The Real Heroes of Telemark as a response to the inaccuracies of the film, giving an account more focused on the outdoor skills that were required for the operation (spending months in the mountains and remote cabins).
Notable people born in Telemark
- Myllarguten (1801–1872) legendary fiddler born in Sauherad
- Aasmund Olavsson Vinje (1818–1870) author born in Vinje
- Sondre Norheim (1825–1897) father of skiing born in Morgedal, Kviteseid
- August Cappelen (1827–1852) national romantic painter born in Skien
- Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906) author born in Skien
- Thorbjorn N. Mohn (1844–1899) American Lutheran church leader and first president of St. Olaf College
- Brynild Anundsen (1844–1913), founder of Decorah Posten
- Marcus Olaus Bøckmann (1849–1942) - Norwegian-American Lutheran theologian
- Herbjørn Gausta ( 1854–1924) American artist. born in Vestfjørddalen
- Theodor Kittelsen (1857–1914) artist born in Kragerø
- Vidkun Quisling (1887–1945) politician, nation leader during World War II Executed as a traitor, born in Fyresdal
- Aslaug Vaa (1889–1965) author born in Rauland
- Tarjei Vesaas (1897–1970) author born in Vinje
- Anne Grimdalen (1899–1961) sculptor born in Skafså, Tokke
- Eivind Groven (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 Rjukan, Tinn
- Hans Herbjørnsrud (1938–) author born in Heddal, Notodden
- Tor Åge Bringsværd (1939–) author born in Skien
- Kåre Nordstoga (1954-) musician born in Notodden
- Gisle Kverndokk (1967-), composer born in Skien
- Odd Nordstoga (1972-) musician born in Vinje.
- Frode Johnsen (1974-) footballer born in Skien.
- Terje Haakonsen (1974-) snowboarder born in Vinje
- Ihsahn (Vegard Sverre Tveitan) (1975-) black/extreme metal musician born in Notodden
Districts [edit]
The county is conventionally divided into traditional districts. These are Grenland, Vest-Telemark, Midt-Telemark, Øst-Telemark and Vestmar.
Municipalities [edit]
| Rank | Name | Inhabitants[4] | Area km2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Skien |
67,999 | 722 |
| 2 |  Porsgrunn |
32,623 | 161 |
| 3 |  Bamble |
14,107 | 282 |
| 4 |  Notodden |
12,390 | 856 |
| 5 |  Kragerø |
10,620 | 289 |
| 6 |  Nome |
6,527 | 389 |
| 7 |  Tinn |
6,022 | 1,858 |
| 8 |  Bø |
5,595 | 260 |
| 9 |  Sauherad |
4,666 | 292 |
| 10 |  Drangedal |
4,159 | 998 |
| 11 |  Vinje |
3,641 | 2,740 |
| 12 |  Seljord |
2,966 | 672 |
| 13 |  Kviteseid |
2,522 | 626 |
| 14 |  Siljan |
2,412 | 203 |
| 15 |  Tokke |
2,337 | 907 |
| 16 |  Hjartdal |
1,587 | 741 |
| 17 |  Nissedal |
1,404 | 789 |
| 18 |  Fyresdal |
1,381 | 1,110 |
| Total |  Telemark |
168,231 | 13,173 |
References [edit]
External links [edit]
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Wikivoyage has travel information related to: Telemark |
Media related to Telemark at Wikimedia Commons- Homepage of Telemark County
- Homepage of Telemarkreiser AL, Destination Marketing Organization for Telemark
- County map
- Rjukan lag av Norske Redningshunder, K9 saves lives
- The reality behind the movie
Media related to
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