Telemark is not only a political and a geographical region, it is a feeling and an experience. It is history and traditions. Telemark is our ancestors who have paved the way and worked their fingers to the bone to create our county. Telemark is the generations to come, ready to bear the county onwards with pride.

Telemark has always been open for new impulses from all areas. People come to Telemark not only to work, but to live. For hundreds of years trade ships have anchored alongside our coastal towns. Workers streamed to the mountains from Northern Norway and Sweden and some chose to stay. They found soul mates with whom to share their lives and remained in Telemark, becoming a part of the region. This in turn led to Telemark's wealth and variety, not only in terms of goods, but also in terms of culture. Versatility, foreign impulses and strong roots in regional traditions, put all of these together and that is what defines Telemark.

Telemark boasts untamed, steep mountains and impenetrable valleys as one would expect to find on the west coast. Telemark also has dark forests as do the inland regions of Norway. The fact that Europe's tallest mountain plain the Hardangervidda with its 6,500 km2 is located in Telemark County, and the fact that the coastline of eastern Norway is one of the best loved vacation areas in the summer makes the area simply perfect.