Sykkylven


Sykkylven is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre region. The administrative centre is the village of Aure. Other villages in the municipality include Ikornnes, Straumgjerde, and Tusvik.
The municipality is the 252nd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Sykkylven is the 134th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 7,625. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 0.5% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Sykkylven was established on 1 August 1883 when it was separated from Ørskog Municipality. The initial population was 2,029. On 1 June 1955, the Søvik-Ramstad area of Ørskog Municipality on the southern side of the Storfjorden was transferred to Sykkylven Municipality.

Name

The municipality is named after the Sykkylvsfjorden. The first element is sík which means "small lake" or "inlet". The last element is also found in the names Sunnylven and Vanylven and the meaning is probably "fjord". The name was written Søkelven before 1889. From 1889 until 1917, it was spelled Søkkelven, and then since 1918 it has been written Sykkylven.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 30 April 1984 by royal decree. The arms were designed by Kårstein Blindheim. The silver and blue figure represents the landscape of the Sykkylvsfjorden and is reminiscent of a large mountain silhouette from the municipality.

Churches

The Church of Norway has two parishes within the municipality of Sykkylven. It is part of the Austre Sunnmøre prosti in the Diocese of Møre.
Parish Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
SykkylvenSykkylven ChurchAure1990
IkornnesIkornnes ChurchIkornnes1978

Geography

Sykkylven is a part of the Sunnmøre region and is surrounded by the beautiful alpine mountain range Sunnmørsalpene, including the mountain Råna. Most of the people in Sykkylven live along the Sykkylvsfjorden, which is a branch of the Storfjorden. The Sykkylven Bridge crosses the fjord connecting Aure to Ikornnes.
Sykkylven Municipality shares land borders with Stordal Municipality to the east, Stranda Municipality to the southeast, and Ørsta Municipality to the southwest. The Hjørundfjorden forms part of the western municipal border, and the Storfjorden forms the northern border. Across the Storfjorden lie Ålesund Municipality, Skodje Municipality, and Ørskog Municipality.

Economy

Sykkylven is primarily an industrial community where furniture and furnishings manufacturing is the dominant industry. Some of the largest factories in the industry are located here. Major companies in Sykkylven include Ekornes, Scandinor ANS, Hjellegjerde, Brunstad Møbler, Hjelle, and Cylindra. Agriculture is important along the fjord and in the valleys. The farms are small, with emphasis on livestock. There is also some fish farming at Hundeidvik and Søvik, along the Storfjorden. The newspaper Sykkylvsbladet is published in Sykkylven.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Sykkylven, are responsible for primary education, outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor. The municipality falls under the Sunnmøre District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Sykkylven is made up of 29 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayor

The mayors of Sykkylven :