Bykle is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Agder Agder is a counties of Norway, county () and districts of Norway, traditional region in the southern part of Norway and is coextensive with the Southern Norway region. The county was established on 1 January 2020, when the old Vest-Agder and Au ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. It is located in the traditional district of

Setesdal Setesdal (; older name: Sætersdal) is a valley and a traditional district in Agder County in southern Norway. It consists of the municipalities of Bykle, Valle, Bygland, Iveland, and Evje og Hornnes. The Otra river flows through the val ...

. The

administrative centre An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgi ...

of the municipality is the village of

Bykle Bykle is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Setesdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bykle (vil ...

. Other villages in Bykle municipality include

Berdalen Berdalen is a village in Bykle municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located in the Setesdalen valley, along the river Otra and the Norwegian National Road 9. It is about north of the village of Bykle and the same distance south ...

, Bjåen, Breive,

Hoslemo Hoslemo is a village in Bykle municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located in the Setesdalen valley, along the river Otra and the Norwegian National Road 9. It is about north of the village of Bykle and about south of the village ...

, Hovden, and Nordbygdi. Bykle was established as a municipality on 1 January 1902 when it was separated from the municipality of

Valle Valle may refer to: * Valle (surname) Geography *"Valle", the cultural and climatic zone of the dry subtropical Interandean Valles of the Andes of Peru, Bolivia, and northwest Argentina * University of Valle, a public university in Cali, Colomb ...

. The 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 Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

is and its population has increased by 7.1% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Bykle was created when it was separated from the older municipality of

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). Initially, Bykle had a population of 476 residents in the new municipality. The boundaries of the municipality have not changed since that time.

Name

The municipality (originally the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

) is named after the old '' Byklum'' farm () 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 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.

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

was granted on 4 April 1986. The official

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...

is ''"

Vert Vert or Verts may refer to: * Vert (heraldry), the colour green in heraldry * Vert (music producer) (born 1972), pseudonym of Adam Butler, an English music producer * Vert (river), in southern France * Vert (sport), a competition in extreme versio ...

, goutte d'eau"'' (). This means the arms have a green

field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grass ...

(background) and the

charge Charge or charged may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary Music * ''Charge'' (David Ford album) * ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album) * '' Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...

is droplets of water that are equally spaced all over the shield. The water droplets have a

tincture A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...

argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...

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 Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

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 Hydropower (from Ancient Greek -, "water"), also known as water power or water energy, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, ...

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.

Churches

The

Church of Norway The Church of Norway (, , , ) is an Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. Christianity became the state religion of Norway around 1020, and was established a ...

has one parish () within the municipality of Bykle. It is part of the Otredal prosti (

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of ...

) in the

Diocese of Agder og Telemark The Diocese of Agder og Telemark () is a diocese of the Church of Norway, covering all of Agder county and Telemark county in Norway. The cathedral city is Kristiansand, Norway's fifth largest city. Kristiansand Cathedral serves as the seat of t ...

Geography

Bykle sits in the northern part of the

Setesdalen Setesdal (; older name: Sætersdal) is a valley and a traditional district in Agder County in southern Norway. It consists of the municipalities of Bykle, Valle, Bygland, Iveland, and Evje og Hornnes. The Otra river flows through the valley o ...

valley. It is bordered to the north by

Vinje Vinje is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Vest-Telemark which is part of Øvre Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Åmot. Other villages in the muni ...

municipality and to the east by

Tokke Tokke is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Vest-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Dal ...

municipality both of which are in

Telemark Telemark () is a Counties of Norway, county and a current electoral district in Norway. Telemark borders the counties of Vestfold, Buskerud, Vestland, Rogaland and Agder. In 2020, Telemark merged with the county of Vestfold to form the county o ...

county. It is bordered to the south by

and

Sirdal Sirdal is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the northwestern part of the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Lister Region, Lister. The administrative centre of the mun ...

municipality, both in

county. It is bordered in the southwest by

Sandnes Sandnes () is a city and municipality in Rogaland, Norway. It lies immediately south of Stavanger, the 4th largest municipality in Norway, and together the Stavanger/Sandnes area is the third-largest urban area in Norway. The urban city of Sand ...

municipality and in the west by

Hjelmeland is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Ryfylke. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hjelmelandsvågen. Other villages in the municipality include Fister, Årdal, ...

and

Suldal Suldal is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in the northeast corner of Rogaland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is located in the Districts of Norway, traditional district of Ryfylke. Since 1965, the administrative centre of ...

municipalities–all in

Rogaland Rogaland () is a Counties of Norway, county in Western Norway, bordering the North Sea to the west and the counties of Vestland to the north, Telemark to the east and Agder to the east and southeast. As of 1 January 2024, it had a population of 49 ...

county. There are many

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

s that are located within the mountainous municipality including Blåsjø,

Botsvatn Botsvatn or Bossvatn is a lake in the municipality of Bykle in Agder county, Norway. The long, narrow reservoir is located just to the southeast of the large lake Blåsjø and northeast of the lake Ytre Storevatnet. The lake holds water for t ...

Hartevatnet Hartevatnet or Hartevatn is a lake in the municipality of Bykle in Agder county, Norway. It is located along the river Otra, on the south side of the village of Hovden. The lake is a good fishing spot and contains many brown trout. The Norwegian ...

, Holmavatnet,

Ormsavatnet Ormsavatnet is a lake in the municipality of Bykle in Agder county, Norway. The lake flows into the Vatndalsvatnet via a dam and canal. The lake is located in the Setesdalsheiene mountains near the lakes Store Urevatn, Holmevatnet, and Hartev ...

, Reinevatn,

Skyvatn Skyvatn is a lake in the northern part of the municipality of Bykle in Agder county, Norway. The lake is located south of the lake Holmavatnet and northwest of the lake Hartevatnet. The village of Hovden in Bykle is the nearest village, locat ...

Store Urevatn Store Urevatn or Urevatn is a lake in the municipality of Bykle in Agder county, Norway. The lake lies about west of the village of Hoslemo and about northwest of the municipal centre of Bykle. The lake sits at an elevation of above sea le ...

, Svartevatnet, and

Vatndalsvatnet Vatndalsvatnet or Vatnedalsvatnet is a lake in the municipality of Bykle in Agder county, Norway. The lake lies about west of the village of Berdalen and the river Otra. The nearby lakes Ormsavatnet and Store Urevatn flow into the lake through ...

, and

Ytre Storevatnet Ytre Storevatnet is a lake in the municipality of Bykle in Agder county, Norway. The lake makes up the northernmost part of the Svartevatnet reservoir that empties into the Sira River system. The lake is located just south of the lake Blås ...

. The

Setesdalsheiene Setesdalsheiene () is the collective term for the mountains to the west and east of the Setesdalen valley in Agder county in Southern Norway. The river Otra flows through the valley between the mountains. This area is primarily located in the m ...

mountain range runs through the municipality, including the tallest mountain in that range,

Sæbyggjenuten Sæbyggjenuten is a mountain on the border of Agder and Telemark counties in southern Norway. The tall mountain is the highest point in Bykle municipality as well as for all of Agder county, and in the whole region of Southern Norway (Sørlandet ...

at . The Byklestigen pass is a torturous trail up a steep

cliff In geography and geology, a cliff or rock face is an area of Rock (geology), rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. ...

face. Until the 1870s, it was the only route to reach Bykle from the middle

valley to the south. It runs above the river

Otra The Otra is the largest river in the Sørlandet region of Norway. It begins in Setesdalsheiene mountains at the lake Breidvatnet in Bykle municipality in Agder county, just south of the border with Vinje municipality in Telemark county. The r ...

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 Gråsteinsnosi is a mountain on the border of Agder and Telemark counties in southern Norway. The tall mountain has a prominence of , making it the 3rd highest mountain in Agder of all the mountains with a prominence of more than . Gråsteinsno ...

Brandsnutene Brandsnutene or Brandsnutane is a tall mountain on the borders of Agder and Telemark counties in southern Norway. It is the second highest mountain of the mountains in Agder with a prominence of at least . The mountain is located on the borders ...

Svolhusgreini Svolhusgreini is a mountain on the border of Agder and Telemark counties in southern Norway. The tall mountain is the 14th highest mountain in Agder county. The mountain has a topographic prominence of . The mountain sits on the border of the mu ...

, and Støylsdalsnutene. The western side of the valley (and the municipal/county border) is lined by the mountains Storhellernuten,

Skyvassnuten Skyvassnuten is a mountain in the municipality of Bykle in Agder county, Norway. The tall mountain sits just east of the municipal/county border with Rogaland. The lake Skyvatn lies at the eastern foot of the mountain and the mountain Sveigen ...

Sveigen Sveigen is a mountain in the municipality of Bykle in Agder county, Norway. The tall mountain sits just east of the municipal/county border with Rogaland. The mountain Skyvassnuten lies to the north of Sveigen and the lake Skyvatn lies to t ...

, and

Kaldafjellet Kaldafjellet is a mountain on the border of Agder and Rogaland counties in southern Norway. The mountain lies on the border of the municipality of Suldal (in Rogaland county) and the municipality of Bykle (in Agder county). The mountain has tw ...

. The southern border of the municipality is marked by the mountain

Steinheii Steinheii is a mountain in the municipality of Bykle in Agder county, Norway. The tall mountain has a topographic prominence of which makes it the 10th highest mountain in Agder county. The mountain sits in the southwestern part of the munic ...

. The mountains Urevassnutene, Djuptjønnuten, Snjoheinuten, and Kvervetjønnuten mark the highlands in the southwestern part of the municipality, northwest of the village of

Climate

Economy

Bykle has several

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

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

Government

Bykle Municipality is responsible for

primary education Primary education is the first stage of Education, formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary education. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first schools and middle s ...

(through 10th grade), outpatient

health services Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...

senior citizen Old age is the range of ages for people nearing and surpassing life expectancy. People who are of old age are also referred to as: old people, elderly, elders, senior citizens, seniors or older adults. Old age is not a definite biological sta ...

services,

welfare Welfare may refer to: Philosophy *Well-being (happiness, prosperity, or flourishing) of a person or group * Utility in utilitarianism * Value in value theory Economics * Utility, a general term for individual well-being in economics and decision ...

and other

social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. Also available amachine-converted HTML They may be provided by individuals, private and i ...

zoning In urban planning, zoning is a method in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into land-use "zones", each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for ...

economic development In economics, economic development (or economic and social development) is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and object ...

, and municipal

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

s and utilities. The municipality is governed by a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough cou ...

of directly elected representatives. The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

indirectly elected An indirect election or ''hierarchical voting,'' is an election in which voters do not choose directly among candidates or parties for an office ( direct voting system), but elect people who in turn choose candidates or parties. It is one of the o ...

by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Agder District Court and the

Agder Court of Appeal The Agder Court of Appeal () is one of six courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the town of Skien. The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Vestfold og Telemark and Agder (except for Sirdal Municipality which ...

Municipal council

The

() 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 A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a Hospitality, host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will oft ...

Politics

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 In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

() of Bykle (incomplete list): *1985-2011: Kay Jeiskelid ( Ap/ H) *2011-2023: Jon-Rolf Næss ( Ap) *2023-present: Hans Blattmann ( Ap)

History

At ''Storhedder'', north of the lake ''Storheddervatnet'' near the mountain Storheddernuten, there are

prehistoric Prehistory, also called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use o ...

runic Runes are the letters in a set of related alphabets, known as runic rows, runic alphabets or futharks (also, see '' futhark'' vs ''runic alphabet''), native to the Germanic peoples. Runes were primarily used to represent a sound value (a ...

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 In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...

trade route led west to Suldal municipality in Rogaland. The Byklestigen pass was the line of divisions between

dialects A dialect is a variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standardized varieties as well as vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardized varieties, such as those used in developing countries or iso ...

; in Valle to the south the classic Setesdal tongue was spoken while in Bykle the dialect includes a significant mixture from neighboring Telemark county.

Falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Some small species of falcons with long, narrow wings are called hobbies, and some that hover while hunting are called kestrels. Falcons are widely distrib ...

s were trapped in the heights above Bykle. From as early as 1203 and as late as 1780 there are reports of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

and

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

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 Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms depend on the stage it presents: primary, secondary, latent syphilis, latent or tertiary. The prim ...

; a state physician had to be dispatched there to stem the disease. 2183. Sætersdalen, Mellem Valle og Bykle (6934554401).jpg, Farm - c. 1885 2182. Sætersdalen, Mellem Valle og Bykle (6788440874).jpg, Farm - c. 1885 2184. Sætersdalen, Mellem Valle og Bykle (6934554861).jpg, Traveling in Bykle - c. 1885 Byklar Lindahl.jpeg, Farming family from Bykle wearing traditional

bunad ''Bunad'' (, plural: ''bunader''/''bunadar'') is a Norwegian umbrella term. In a broader sense, the term encompasses household, householding equipment, and livestock as well as both traditional rural clothes (mostly dating to the 18th and 19th ...

s - c. 1885 Byklar med slipestein Lindahl.jpeg, Farming family from Bykle wearing traditional

s - c. 1885 File:Bykle - no-nb digifoto 20160225 00071 NB MIT FNR 05954.jpg, View of the village of Bykle and the

Old Bykle Church Old Bykle Church (; historically known as ''Bykle kyrkje'') is a former parish church of the Church of Norway in Bykle Municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the village of village of Bykle. It is one of the churches for the Bykl ...

- 1948

Attractions

, built in 1619, is found in the village of

. It stands on the site of an older

stave church A stave church is a medieval wooden Christian church building once common in north-western Europe. The name derives from the building's structure of post and lintel construction, a type of timber framing where the load-bearing ore-pine posts ...

* Open air museums at Huldreheimen and Lislestog. * Hovden

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area–a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North Am ...

and village is found in the north along

Norwegian National Road 9 Norwegian National Road 9 (, ) is often called the ''Setesdal Road'' () and it is the main thoroughfare through the Setesdalen valley. It runs from the city of Kristiansand in the southern coast of Norway, through the Torridal and Setesdal v ...

. *

Viking Age The Viking Age (about ) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonising, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. The Viking Age applies not only to their ...

bog iron Bog iron is a form of impure iron deposit that develops in bogs or swamps by the chemical or biochemical oxidation of iron carried in solution. In general, bog ores consist primarily of iron oxyhydroxides, commonly goethite (FeO(OH)). Iron-beari ...

museum, which recognizes the industry in the area over 1000 years ago, located at Hovden * Prehistoric runic inscriptions at Storhedder

Notable people

Tore Segelcke Tore Dyveke Segelcke (23 April 1901 – 22 September 1979) was a Norwegian actress. Biography Tore Løkkeberg was born at Fredrikstad (town), Fredrikstad in Østfold, Norway. Her parents were Georg Løkkeberg (1872–1951) and Hulda Marie Hansen ...

(1901–1979), an actress. Retrieved 31 December 2020. who bought and restored Huldreheimen in Bykle with her husband, Anton Raabe

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from

Statistics Norway Statistics Norway (, abbreviated to ''SSB'') is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876. Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every year on its web site. All rele ...

Visiting Bykle and Hovden

Municipal website
{{use dmy dates, date=December 2020 Setesdal Municipalities of Agder 1902 establishments in Norway