Bykle

Infobox_Kommune
name = Bykle
idnumber = 0941
county = Aust-Agder
landscape = Setesdal
capital = Bykle
demonym = Byklar (N)
Bykler (B)
language = Nynorsk


munwebpage = www.bykle.kommune.no
governor = Kay Arne Jeiskelid (H)
governor_as_of = 2004
arearank = 55
area = 1467
arealand = 1262
areapercent = 0.45
population_as_of = 2008
populationrank = 410
population = 919
populationpercent = 0.02
populationdensity = 1
populationincrease = 10.2
lat_deg = 59 | lat_min = 26 | lat_sec = 35 | lon_deg = 7 | lon_min = 15 | lon_sec = 18
utm_zone = 32V | utm_northing = 6590701 | utm_easting = 0401056 | geo_cat = adm2nd

Bykle is a municipality in the county of Aust-Agder, Norway. It is located in the traditional region of Setesdal. Bykle was separated from the municipality of Valle on 1 January 1902.

General information

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old "Bykle" farm (Old Norse: "Byklar"), since the first church was built there. The farm is named after the lake Bykil, but the meaning of that name is unknown.

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 4 April 1986. The arms show water droplets 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 green color of the background symbolizes agriculture. [cite web|url=http://www.ngw.nl/int/nor/b/bykle.htm|author=Norske Kommunevåpen|date=1990|title=Nye kommunevåbener i Norden|accessdaymonth=3 October|accessyear=2008] see also|Samnanger|Tinn

Geography

Bykle is bordered in the north by Vinje municipality, in the east by Tokke both in Telemark county. It is bordered in the south by Valle in Aust-Agder county and also bordered by Sirdal in Vest-Agder county. It is bordered in the southwest by Forsand and in the west by Hjelmeland and Suldal--all in Rogaland county.

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.

Economy

Bykle has several hydroelectric power generation facilities.

History

At "Storhedder" north of the lake "Storheddervatnet" prehistoric runic inscriptions dating over 1000 years old can be found.

The Hovden area was interconnected more with the districts to the west of the mountains than communities 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 Telemark.

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.

It was split off from the older municipality of Valle on 1 January 1903 after a dispute over the costs of road building (Bykle was the bigger area, while Valle had more people and more money.) [cite book|title=South Norway|first=Frank Noel|last=Stagg|publisher=George Allen & Unwin, Ltd.|date=1958]

Attractions

* Bykle church, built in 1619, is found in Bykle center. It stands on the site of an older stave church
* Open air museums at Huldreheimen and Lislestog.
* Hovden ski resort is found in the north.
* Viking era bog iron museum, which recognizes the industry in the area over 1000 years ago, located at Hovden
* Prehistoric runic inscriptions at Storhedder

ee also

*Botsvatn

References

External links

* [http://www.kulturnett.no/geografisknavigering/geografisknavigering_visning.jsp?fylke=T921062&kommune=T943666 Culture in Bykle on the map (Norwegian)]