Telemark (fylke), Norway — Towns & Travel Guide

What is Telemark known for?

It is known as one of the larger inland fylker of south-eastern Norway, a broad sweep of country in the Østlandet region rather than a coastal strip. The county reaches across the western part of Norway's south-east, away from the open sea. Inland Norway through and through.

Where is Telemark?

Telemark is a large inland county in the western part of Norway's south-east, set back from the coast in the Østlandet region. The interior defines it. The county spreads across a broad sweep of country away from the open sea, one of the more expansive fylker of south-eastern Norway, its land reaching westward across the southern interior rather than fronting any single shoreline.

Big country, little coast. It is firmly an inland fylke. Telemark occupies the western edge of the Østlandet region, where the south-eastern part of Norway gives way toward the higher country of the interior, and the county stretches across that transition between the lowlands of the south-east and the rougher land to the west.

Position places it inland. The reach of the county is its defining trait, a wide expanse of the western south-east rather than a narrow coastal band. Interior, breadth, and distance: that is the geography of Telemark.

What is Telemark like?

Telemark carries the character of inland Norway. The culture of the county belongs to the interior of the south-east, an Østlandet fylke whose communities grew in the valleys and uplands of the western part of Norway's south-eastern country rather than along any coast. Inland through and through.

Distance shapes the temperament. The county's settlements lie spread across a large inland expanse, giving Telemark a rural, interior cast distinct from the fjord-side counties of south-eastern Norway. The Østlandet region frames its identity, and the reach of the county lends it the unhurried feel of inland country.

Between valley and upland, Telemark holds the quiet interior character of this stretch of Norway.

What is the history of Telemark?

Telemark is one of Norway's historic landskap names. The county sits in the western part of the country's south-east, an inland fylke of the Østlandet region whose identity has long been tied to the interior rather than the coast. Its name is old.

Through changes in Norway's administrative map the Telemark name has endured, marking this broad inland stretch of the south-east as a distinct county once again.

What is the climate of Telemark?

Telemark's weather is shaped inland. Lying back from the sea in the western part of Norway's south-east, the county runs to colder, snowier winters and warmer summers than the coastal fylker of the Østlandet region, with the interior position driving the seasonal swing. The sea is far off.

Away from any moderating shoreline, Telemark feels the continental rhythm of inland Norway across its broad expanse. Snow settles deep in the interior.

How do you get to Telemark?

Telemark sits inland. Most travellers reach the county overland from the rest of south-eastern Norway, since this is an interior fylke of the Østlandet region rather than a coastal arrival point. Roads carry you in.

Because the county spreads across a large expanse of the western south-east, the way in depends on which part of Telemark you are bound for. Plan the approach to inland Norway.