Bykle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bykle kommune | |||
| — Municipality — | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country | Norway | ||
| County | Aust-Agder | ||
| District | Setesdal | ||
| Municipality ID | NO-0941 | ||
| Administrative centre | Bykle | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor (2004) | Kay Arne Jeiskelid (H) | ||
| Area (Nr. 55 in Norway) | |||
| - Total | 1,467 km² (566.4 sq mi) | ||
| - Land | 1,262 km² (487.3 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2008) | |||
| - Total | 919 | ||
| - Density | 1/km² (2.6/sq mi) | ||
| - Change (10 years) | 10.2 % | ||
| - Rank in Norway | 410 | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Official language form | Nynorsk | ||
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| Website: www.bykle.kommune.no | |||
Bykle is a municipality in the county of Aust-Agder, Norway.
Bykle was separated from Valle January 1, 1902.
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[edit] The name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old farm Bykle (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.
[edit] Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from modern times (1986). The eleven drops of water symbolize water power, and the colour green agriculture.
(See also the coat-of-arms of Samnanger and Tinn.)
[edit] Geography
It 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, 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.
[edit] Economics
Bykle has several hydroelectric power generation facilities.
[edit] 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 as of Jan.1, 1903, after a dispute over the costs of road building (Bykle was the bigger area, while Valle had more people and more money.)
[edit] What to see
- The Bykle church, built in 1619, is found in Bykle center. It stands on the site of an older stave church
- There are open air museums at Huldreheimen and Lislestog.
- Hovden ski resort is found in the north.
- There is a viking era bog iron museum, which recognizes the industry in the area over 1000 years ago, located at Hovden
- At Storhedder there are prehistoric runic inscriptions.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- South Norway by Frank Noel Stagg, George Allen & Unwin, Ltd., 1958.
[edit] External links
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