The 1,467-square-kilometre (566 sq mi) municipality is the 60th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Bykle is the 333rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 995. The municipality's population density is 0.8 inhabitants per square kilometre (2.1/sq mi) and its population has increased by 7.1% over the previous 10-year period.[4][5]
The municipality of Bykle was created when it was separated from the older municipality of Valle on 1 January 1902 after a dispute over the costs of road building (Bykle was the bigger area, while Valle had more people and more money).[6] Initially, Bykle had a population of 476 residents in the new municipality. The boundaries of the municipality have not changed since that time.[7]
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Byklum farm (Old Norse: Byklar) since the first Bykle Church was built there. The farm is named after Lake Bykil, but the meaning of that name is uncertain. The name possibly comes from the word bauka which means "to splash" or "to slosh". Historically, the name has been spelled Bøgle or Bøckle, but the spelling has been Bykle since the 19th century.[8]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 4 April 1986. The official blazon is "Vert, goutte d'eau" (Norwegian: Grøn grunn strødd med sølv dropar). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is droplets of water that are equally spaced all over the shield. The water droplets have a tincture of argent which means they are commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The green color in the field symbolizes the importance of agriculture in the municipality. The water droplets were chosen as a symbol for the water and rivers in the municipality, as well as for the hydropower plant which was founded in 1915. The plant has brought prosperity to the area since then. The arms were designed by Daniel Rike. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[9][10][11]
Bykle sits in the northern part of the Setesdalen valley. It is bordered to the north by Vinje municipality and to the east by Tokke municipality both of which are in Telemark county. It is bordered to the south by Valle and Sirdal municipality, both in Agder county. It is bordered in the southwest by Sandnes municipality and in the west by Hjelmeland and Suldal municipalities–all in Rogaland county.
The Setesdalsheiene mountain range runs through the municipality, including the tallest mountain in that range, Sæbyggjenuten at 1,507 metres (4,944 ft). The Byklestigen pass is a torturous trail up a steep cliff face. Until the 1870s, it was the only route to reach Bykle from the middle Setesdal valley to the south. It runs above the river Otra and was the site of numerous accidents on the hazardous route. The eastern side of the valley (and the municipal/county border) is lined by the mountains Gråsteinsnosi, Brandsnutene, Svolhusgreini, Sæbyggjenuten, and Støylsdalsnutene. The western side of the valley (and the municipal/county border) is lined by the mountains Storhellernuten, Skyvassnuten, Sveigen, and Kaldafjellet. The southern border of the municipality is marked by the mountain Steinheii. The mountains Urevassnutene, Djuptjønnuten, Snjoheinuten, and Kvervetjønnuten mark the highlands in the southwestern part of the municipality, northwest of the village of Bykle.
Bykle has several hydroelectric power generation facilities. The second-largest sector of income for Bykle is the alpine skiing facility in Hovden. Due to its vast amount of hydroelectric power, Bykle is now the wealthiest of the municipalities in Setesdal.
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Bykle is made up of 13 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
Bykle has been run by one mayor, Kai Jeiskelid, from 1985 until 2011. In September 2011, a new mayor was elected: Jon-Rolf Næss. Due to a law implemented for 50 years ago by the Labour Party, the obligation of politicians' residence in this municipality is required.
Mayors
The mayors (Norwegian: ordfører) of Bykle (incomplete list):
At Storhedder, north of the lake Storheddervatnet near the mountain Storheddernuten, there are prehistoricrunic inscriptions dating over 1000 years old.
The Hovden area was interconnected more with the districts to the west of the mountains than communities further down the Setesdal valley. The main mountain plateau trade route led west to Suldal municipality in Rogaland. The Byklestigen pass was the line of divisions between dialects; in Valle to the south the classic Setesdal tongue was spoken while in Bykle the dialect includes a significant mixture from neighboring Telemark county.
Falcons were trapped in the heights above Bykle. From as early as 1203 and as late as 1780 there are reports of English and Dutch trapping of falcons at Breivik in Bykle. One byproduct of the numerous Dutch visits in the 1560s was the discovery that the natives had no natural resistance to syphilis; a state physician had to be dispatched there to stem the disease.
Farm - c. 1885
Farm - c. 1885
Traveling in Bykle - c. 1885
Farming family from Bykle wearing traditional bunads - c. 1885
Farming family from Bykle wearing traditional bunads - c. 1885
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