{{Short description|Town in Vestvågøy Municipality, Norway}} {{Other places}} {{Infobox settlement |official_name = Leknes |other_name = |native_name = |nickname = |settlement_type = Town/City<ref name="town">In the Norwegian language, the word ''by'' can be translated as "town" or "city".</ref> |image_skyline = Leknes-winter.jpg |image_caption = View of Leknes in winter (Bulitinden and Guratinden mountains in background) | mapframe = yes | mapframe-zoom = 11 | mapframe-marker = village |pushpin_map = Nordland#Norway |pushpin_label = Leknes |pushpin_label_position = left |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = Norway |subdivision_type1 = Region |subdivision_name1 = Northern Norway |subdivision_type2 = County |subdivision_name2 = Nordland |subdivision_type3 = District |subdivision_name3 = Lofoten |subdivision_type4 = Municipality |subdivision_name4 = Vestvågøy Municipality |timezone1 = CET |utc_offset1 = +01:00 |timezone1_DST = CEST |utc_offset1_DST = +02:00 |established_title = Established as |established_date = |established_title1 = Town ({{lang|no|By}}) |established_date1 = 2002 |area_footnotes = <ref name="ssb" /> |area_total_km2 = 2.7 |population_as_of = 2023 |population_footnotes = <ref name="ssb" /> |population_total = 3763 |population_density_km2 = 1394 |postal_code_type = Post Code |postal_code = 8370 Leknes |coordinates = {{coord|68.1475|13.6115|region:NO_type:city|display=inline,title}} |elevation_m = 10 |elevation_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web |title=Leknes, Vestvågøy (Nordland) |url=https://www.yr.no/place/Norway/Nordland/Vestv%C3%A5g%C3%B8y/Leknes/ |access-date=2018-12-13 |publisher=yr.no}}</ref>}}
'''Leknes''' ({{pronunciation|Leknes.ogg}}) is a town<ref name="town" /> in Vestvågøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The town is also the administrative centre of Vestvågøy Municipality (with 11,619 inhabitants, it is the most populous municipality in Lofoten and Vesterålen). Leknes was designated a "town" ({{langx|no|by}}) in 2002.<ref name="snl">{{Cite web |last=Store norske leksikon |author-link=Store norske leksikon |title=Leknes – tettsted i Vestvågøy |url=http://snl.no/Leknes/tettsted%20i%20Vestv%C3%A5g%C3%B8y |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130223101356/http://snl.no/Leknes/tettsted%20i%20Vestv%C3%A5g%C3%B8y |archive-date=2013-02-23 |access-date=2012-06-25 |language=Norwegian}}</ref> The {{convert|2.7|km2|acre|adj=on}} town has a population (2023) of 3,763 and a population density of {{convert|1394|PD/km2}}.<ref name="ssb">{{Cite web |last=Statistisk sentralbyrå |author-link=Statistics Norway |date=2023-12-23 |title=Urban settlements. Population and area, by municipality |url=https://www.ssb.no/en/befolkning/folketall/statistikk/tettsteders-befolkning-og-areal}}</ref>
thumb|left|Main street of Leknes by night [[File:Leknes-skottinden-winter.jpg|thumb|left|Leknes in winter: view towards Skottinden]]thumb|left|Gravdal, which together with Fygle have grown together with Leknes, creating an urban area with over 5,400 inhabitants. The town is situated in the geographical middle of the Lofoten archipelago on the island of Vestvågøya. It is approximately {{convert|68|km}} west of the town of Svolvær and {{convert|65|km}} east of the village of Å in Moskenes Municipality. 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 fishing villages in Lofoten. 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 and the neighboring villages of Fygle and Gravdal have grown together over the years through conurbation. One branch of the Nordland Hospital is located in Gravdal, which is located about {{convert|4|km}} southwest of the centre of Leknes. In Leknes, the sun (midnight sun) is above the horizon from May 26 to July 17, and in the winter, the sun does not rise in Leknes from December 9 to January 4.
==Transportation== 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.{{cn|date=December 2020}} The town has a small bus terminal that is a hub with bus links to the rest of Lofoten.
==Climate== The weather station is located at the small Leknes Airport. The all-time high is {{convert|29.9|°C}} recorded July 2018, and the all-time low is {{convert|-15.8|°C}} from February 2019. Winters get abundant precipitation in Leknes. Summers are much drier with only 25 % of the winter precipitation. The weather station started up in 1972; records available since 2002. {{Weather box |metric first = yes |single line = yes |location = Leknes Airport 1991-2020 <!-- Mean daily temperature --> |Jan mean C=0 |Feb mean C=-0.6 |Mar mean C=0 |Apr mean C=2.8 |May mean C=6.5 |Jun mean C=9.9 |Jul mean C=12.8 |Aug mean C=12.2 |Sep mean C=9.4 |Oct mean C=5.2 |Nov mean C=2.6 |Dec mean C=1 |year mean C= <!-- Total precipitation, this should include rain and snow. --> |precipitation colour=green <!-- Enter "green" for green precipitation colours, remove this line for blue colouring. --> |Jan precipitation mm=203 |Feb precipitation mm=174 |Mar precipitation mm=161 |Apr precipitation mm=93 |May precipitation mm=74 |Jun precipitation mm=45 |Jul precipitation mm=38 |Aug precipitation mm=78 |Sep precipitation mm=123 |Oct precipitation mm=161 |Nov precipitation mm=173 |Dec precipitation mm=223 |year precipitation mm= <!-- Mandatory fields, source --> |source 1= Norwegian Meteorological Institute<ref>{{Cite web |title=Norwegian Meteorological Institute |url=http://sharki.oslo.dnmi.no/portal/page?_pageid=73,39035,73_39080&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL}}</ref> }}
==Media== The newspaper ''Lofot-Tidende'' has been published in Leknes since 1987.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Skarby |first=Karen |date=2022-01-26 |title=Lofot-Tidende er 35 år i år: – Det Kent og gjengen har fått til er svært imponerende |url=https://www.lofot-tidende.no/lofot-tidende-er-35-ar-i-ar-det-kent-og-gjengen-har-fatt-til-er-svart-imponerende/s/5-28-364085 |access-date=2024-08-08 |language=no}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{nordland}} {{authority control}}
Category:Vestvågøy Municipality Category:Cities and towns in Norway Category:Populated places in Nordland Category:Populated places of Arctic Norway Category:Administrative centres of municipalities of Norway