Leknes
is a town in Nordland county, Norway. The town is also the administrative centre of the municipality of Vestvågøy (with 10,764 inhabitants, it is the most populous municipality in Lofoten and Vesterålen). Leknes was designated a "town" (by) in 2002. The 2.52 km2 town has a population (2018) of 3,556 which gives the town a population density of 1411 PD/km2.
The town is situated in the geographical middle of the Lofoten archipelago on the island of Vestvågøya. It is approximately 68 km west of the town of Svolvær and 65 km east of the village of Å in Moskenes. Leknes is one of the few towns in Lofoten that does not depend on fisheries and does not have its town centre by the sea. Because of this, and because of its rapid growth in recent years, it does not have the same traditional wooden architecture as most other towns in Lofoten, and may thus not be as picturesque as its neighbouring fishing villages. However, the natural surroundings are among the most stunning in Norway, with mountains, peaks, cliffs, and white sandy beaches.
The town's harbour Leknes Havn is one of Norway's most important and visited harbours for cruise ships. The old school in the Fygle neighborhood has been converted into a museum. Hol Church is located on the eastern edge of the town. Leknes is a "twin town" with nearby village of Gravdal, where one branch of the Nordland Hospital is located. Gravdal is located about 4 km southwest of Leknes. In Leknes, the sun (midnight sun) is above the horizon from May 26 to July 17, and in winter the sun does not rise from December 9 to January 4.
Leknes is the trading and shopping centre of Lofoten, only rivaled by Svolvær. The European route E10 highway runs through the town connecting all the main islands of Lofoten to the mainland. Leknes also has an airport, Leknes Airport, for regional aircraft, with 7 daily scheduled flights to Bodø and 1 daily flight to Tromsø with the airline Widerøe. The town has a small bus terminal that is a hub with bus links to the rest of Lofoten.
The town is situated in the geographical middle of the Lofoten archipelago on the island of Vestvågøya. It is approximately 68 km west of the town of Svolvær and 65 km east of the village of Å in Moskenes. Leknes is one of the few towns in Lofoten that does not depend on fisheries and does not have its town centre by the sea. Because of this, and because of its rapid growth in recent years, it does not have the same traditional wooden architecture as most other towns in Lofoten, and may thus not be as picturesque as its neighbouring fishing villages. However, the natural surroundings are among the most stunning in Norway, with mountains, peaks, cliffs, and white sandy beaches.
The town's harbour Leknes Havn is one of Norway's most important and visited harbours for cruise ships. The old school in the Fygle neighborhood has been converted into a museum. Hol Church is located on the eastern edge of the town. Leknes is a "twin town" with nearby village of Gravdal, where one branch of the Nordland Hospital is located. Gravdal is located about 4 km southwest of Leknes. In Leknes, the sun (midnight sun) is above the horizon from May 26 to July 17, and in winter the sun does not rise from December 9 to January 4.
Leknes is the trading and shopping centre of Lofoten, only rivaled by Svolvær. The European route E10 highway runs through the town connecting all the main islands of Lofoten to the mainland. Leknes also has an airport, Leknes Airport, for regional aircraft, with 7 daily scheduled flights to Bodø and 1 daily flight to Tromsø with the airline Widerøe. The town has a small bus terminal that is a hub with bus links to the rest of Lofoten.
Map - Leknes
Map
Country - Norway
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| Flag of Norway | |
Norway has a total area of 385,207 km2 and had a population of 5,425,270 in January 2022. The country shares a long eastern border with Sweden at a length of 1,619 km. It is bordered by Finland and Russia to the northeast and the Skagerrak strait to the south, on the other side of which are Denmark and the United Kingdom. Norway has an extensive coastline, facing the North Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea. The maritime influence dominates Norway's climate, with mild lowland temperatures on the sea coasts; the interior, while colder, is also significantly milder than areas elsewhere in the world on such northerly latitudes. Even during polar night in the north, temperatures above freezing are commonplace on the coastline. The maritime influence brings high rainfall and snowfall to some areas of the country.
Currency / Language
| ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| NOK | Norwegian krone | kr | 2 |
| ISO | Language |
|---|---|
| FI | Finnish language |
| SE | Northern Sami |
| NO | Norwegian language |
| NN | Nynorsk |