The 338-square-kilometre (131 sq mi) municipality is the 252nd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Sykkylven is the 135th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 7,630. The municipality's population density is 23.2 inhabitants per square kilometre (60/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 0.6% over the previous 10-year period.[4][5]
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 (population: 348) on the southern side of the Storfjorden was transferred to Sykkylven Municipality.[6]
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Sykkylvsfjorden (Old Norse: Síkiflir). The first element is sík which means "small lake" or "inlet" (referring to the lake, originally probably an inlet of Fitjavatnet). The last element is iflir which is frequently used in the Sunnmøre area in the names of fjords. It possibly comes from the word viflir which means "low, wet terrain".[7] Historically, the name was spelled Søkelven. In 1889, the spelling was changed to Søkkelven. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Sykkylven.[8]
The coat of arms was granted on 30 April 1984 by royal decree. The official blazon is "Argent, a pileembowed issuant from base azure" (Norwegian: I sølv ein blå spiss laga med bogeliner). This means the arms have a field (background) has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The charge is a pile (triangle) with embowed (curved) sides. The design was chosen to symbolize the landscape of the Sykkylvsfjorden and is reminiscent of a large mountain silhouette from the municipality. The arms were designed by Norbert Hovet and Kårstein Blindheim. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[9][10][11][12]
Sykkylven Municipality shares land borders with the municipalities of: Fjord to the east; Stranda to the southeast; Ørsta to the southwest. The Hjørundfjorden forms part of the western municipal border, and the Storfjorden forms the northern border. Across the Storfjorden lies Ålesund Municipality.
Economy
Sykkylven is primarily an industrial community where furniture and furnishings manufacturing is the dominant industry (78% of manufacturing employment in 2004). Some of the largest factories in the industry are located here. Major companies in Sykkylven include Ekornes AS, Scandinor ANS, Hjellegjerde, Brunstad AS, Hjelle, and Cylindra. Drones are also manufactured.[13]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.[14] The newspaper Sykkylvsbladet is published in Sykkylven.[15]
Ekornes is the largest employer (as of 2020);[16] however, a new round of layoffs was announced in January 2023.[17]
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Sykkylven is made up of 29 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
