Midt-Telemark (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈmɪt·ˈteːləmɑɾk]; locally [ˈmɪt·ˈteːɽmɑɾk]) is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Midt-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bø i Telemark. Other villages in the municipality include Akkerhaugen, Folkestad, Gvarv, Holtsås, Nordagutu, Nordbøåsane, and Sauherad.
The 518.51-square-kilometre (200.20 sq mi) municipality is the 203rd largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Midt-Telemark Municipality is the 104th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 11,157. The municipality's population density is 22.9 inhabitants per square kilometre (59/sq mi) and its population has increased by 6.9% over the previous 10-year period.
Contents
General information
Administrative history
In 2020, there were many municipal and county mergers across Norway due to the work of the Solberg cabinet. The municipality of Midt-Telemark was established on 1 January 2020 when Bø Municipality (population: 6,630) and Sauherad Municipality (population: 4,293) were merged to form the new Midt-Telemark Municipality. Also on the same date, the Hjukse area of Sauherad Municipality was transferred to the neighboring Notodden Municipality.
Name
The municipality is named after the traditional district of Midt-Telemark. The first element is the prefix midt which means "middle". The last element is Telemark which is the historic name for the county. 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.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was approved for use starting on 1 January 2020 when the new Midt-Telemark municipality was established. The new arms were a combination of the arms for the two preceding municipalities that formed Midt-Telemark. The colors of the coat of arms of Sauherad and the design of the coat of arms of Bø were used. The official blazon is "Azure, three fiddles Or" (Norwegian: I blått tre gull feler, 2-1). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a set of three fiddles (two over one). The charge has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. Bø is historically known for its musical tradition, as well as the production of fiddles (similar to the hardingfele). The fiddle was thus chosen as an appropriate symbol for the municipality. The original design of the Bø arms were designed by Halvor Holtskog, Jr.
Churches
The Church of Norway has two parishes (sokn) within Midt-Telemark Municipality. It is part of the Øvre Telemark prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.
Government
Midt-Telemark Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Øvre Telemark District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.
Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Midt-Telemark Municipality is made up of 29 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
Mayors
The mayor (Nynorsk: ordførar) of Midt-Telemark Municipality is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:
2020–present: Siri Blichfeldt Dyrland (Sp)
Geography
The highest point in the municipality is the 1,273.46-metre (4,178.0 ft) tall mountain Jøronnatten, a tripoint on the border with Notodden Municipality, Seljord Municipality, and Midt-Telemark Municipality.
Notodden Municipality is located to the north, Kongsberg Municipality (in Buskerud county) is located to the northeast, Skien Municipality is located to the east/southeast, Nome Municipality is located to the south, and Seljord Municipality is located to the west.