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27-523: The Lofotr museum in Borg shows a reconstructed Iron Age Viking chieftain's residence, with a house measuring 80 metres (262 ft), built of stone and turf. The 424-square-kilometre (164 sq mi) municipality is the 231st largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Vestvågøy is the 99th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 11,619. The municipality's population density

54-569: A tincture of argent which means they are commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. This was chosen since the municipality is one of the main Norwegian exporters of (dried) cod or stockfish and has been since the Middle Ages . The arms were designed by Kjell Kvivesen. The Church of Norway has five parishes ( sokn ) within Vestvågøy Municipality. It

81-590: A century. It docks in Stamsund twice every night, one heading south towards Bodø the other heading north towards Svolvær . The European route E10 highway crosses the municipality (and island) with the Sundklakkstraumen Bridge connecting to Vågan Municipality in the north and the Nappstraumen Tunnel connecting to Flakstad Municipality in the south. Vestvågøy has sister city agreements with

108-421: A film theatre. The exhibition halls displays through videos and unique artifacts, the finding and excavation of Borg. Quite a few of the archeological artifacts are of remarkable character. The extensive museum outdoor area is tied together with gravel walking paths, inviting the visitors to explore the history in a greater content than the exhibition halls alone - to see the reconstructed Chieftain´s house on top of

135-461: A planned enlargement of Lofotr, the building of a large amphitheater into the ground between the reception building and the Chieftain House, was postponed because of the archeological findings of some 2,000-year-old cooking sites and pole holes at the site. Today, the area is excavated and new buildings have been built on the site. This part of the museum comprises 2 permanent exhibition halls and

162-570: Is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Salten og Lofoten District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal . The municipal council ( Kommunestyre ) of Vestvågøy is made up of 33 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party . The mayor ( Norwegian : ordfører ) of Vestvågøy

189-621: Is 27.4 inhabitants per square kilometre (71/sq mi) and its population has increased by 5.7% over the previous 10-year period. The municipality of Vestvågøy was created on 1 January 1963 when the four municipalities on the island of Vestvågøya were merged into one municipality for the whole island. The old municipalities on the island were Borge Municipality (population: 4,056), Buksnes Municipality (population: 4,416), Hol Municipality (population: 3,154), and Valberg Municipality (population: 662). Initially, Vestvågøy had 12,288 residents. The borders have not changed since. The municipality

216-433: Is best viewed from the western beaches, such as Uttakleiv and Eggum . There is an official weather station at Leknes Airport. Vestvågøy has the rare cold-summer mediterranean climate ( Köppen Csc ). Autumn and winter is much wetter than spring and summer. The driest month (July) get less than one fifth of the precipitation in the wettest month (December), fitting the mediterranean category with only 38 mm of rain, under

243-442: Is for smaller aircraft, with 7 daily scheduled flights to Bodø Airport and some daily flights to Svolvær and Røst Airport with Widerøe airlines. There is a small bus terminal which serves as a hub with bus links to the rest of Lofoten. The Leknes Havn ( harbor ) is one of Norway's most important and visited harbors for cruise ships . The Hurtigruten boats have been an important means of communication and transportation for

270-414: Is named after the island of Vestvågøya . The Old Norse name of the island was Lófót (see Lofoten ), but when Lofoten became the name of the whole archipelago , the island became known as Vestvågøy . The first element of the name is the prefix vest which means "west". The middle element derives from the word vágr which means " bay " or " inlet ". The last element is the definite form of

297-605: 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 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) southwest of

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324-639: Is part of the Lofoten prosti ( deanery ) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland . Vestvågøy Municipality is among the most scenic in Norway. It encompassed the whole island of Vestvågøya with the Norwegian Sea to the north and the Vestfjorden to the south. The island has rugged cliffs and peaks facing the southeastern coast. Towards the northwest, however, the land is flat, with extensive farmlands. Most people are found in

351-535: Is part of the Museum Nord consortium. In 1983, archaeologists uncovered the Chieftain House at Borg ( På Borg på Vestvågøya i Lofoten ), a large Viking Age building believed to have been already established around the year 500 AD. A joint Scandinavian research project was conducted at Borg from 1986 until 1989. Excavations revealed the largest building ever to be found from the Viking period in Norway. The foundation of

378-477: Is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position: Leknes is the municipal and administrative centre and is situated in the geographical middle of Lofoten, approximately 68 kilometres (42 mi) west of the town of Svolvær and 65 kilometres (40 mi) east of the village of Å . Leknes is the trading and shopping centre of Lofoten, only rivaled by Svolvær. Leknes Airport

405-403: The 40 mm required for such a classification. Vestvågøy Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services , senior citizen services, welfare and other social services , zoning , economic development , and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor

432-534: The British newspaper The Times , and the neighbouring Hauklandsstranden is ranked by the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet as the best beach in Norway. The highest point in the municipality is the 955.91-metre (3,136.2 ft) tall mountain Himmeltindan. In Leknes , the sun ( midnight sun ) is above the horizon from May 26 until July 17, and in winter the sun does not rise from December 9 until January 4. The midnight sun

459-423: The Chieftain House at Borg measured 83 metres (272 ft) long and 9.5 metres (31 ft) wide, and the reconstructed building is 9 metres (30 ft) high. The seat at Borg is estimated to have been abandoned around AD 950. After the excavation ended, the remains of what had once been the long-house remained visible. The long-house has been reconstructed slightly to the north of the excavation site. In 1995,

486-750: The European Museum of the Year Award 2013. The Longhouse served as the Pit Stop of the fourth leg in The Amazing Race 23 . Leknes Leknes is a 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

513-589: The Lofotr Viking Museum was opened. The museum includes a full reconstruction of the 83-metre (272 ft) long chieftain's house, a blacksmith's forge, two ships (replicas of the Gokstad ship, one in full scale size) and their boathouses, and various reenactments intended to immerse the visitor in life at the time of the Vikings. The main building was designed by Norwegian architect, Gisle Jakhelln. In September 2006,

540-454: The airline Widerøe . The town has a small bus terminal that is a hub with bus links to the rest of Lofoten. The weather station is located at the small Leknes Airport. The all-time high is 29.9 °C (85.8 °F) recorded July 2018, and the all-time low is −15.8 °C (3.6 °F) from February 2019. Winters get abundant precipitation in Leknes. Summers are much drier with only 25 % of

567-529: 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. 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

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594-410: The following places: Lofotr The Lofotr Viking Museum ( Norwegian : Lofotr Vikingmuseum ) is a historical museum based on a reconstruction and archaeological excavation of a Viking chieftain's village on the island of Vestvågøya in the Lofoten archipelago in Nordland county, Norway . It is located in the small village of Borg , near Bøstad , in Vestvågøy Municipality . It

621-627: The hill, to go on board the Viking ship, to see the surrounding views and try to grasp the value of the landscape and what it offered in the Viking Age - it all adds to the experience. The museum is open every day from 1 May to 15 September. The administration of Lofotr Viking Museum is located in the former parsonage of the Borge Church. Lofotr Viking Museum is nominated for Museum of the Year 2011 (in Norway) and

648-548: The town of Leknes and its suburb Gravdal, where Nordland Hospital Lofoten is located. Along the southeastern coast, one finds picturesque fishing villages like Ballstad and Stamsund, where the Hurtigruten (coastal ferry) stops. The coastline is dominated by high mountains, such as the 671-metre (2,201 ft) tall Skottinden , and on the west coast also sandy white beaches . Uttakleiv the most romantic beach in Europe , according to

675-605: 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

702-404: The word øy which means "the island ". Thus it means "the west bay island". The coat of arms was granted on 7 September 1984. The official blazon is " Azure , two stockfish addorsed " ( Norwegian : I blått to opprette og motstilte sølv tørrfisker ). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is two dried codfish (also known as stockfish . The fish have

729-445: Was designated a " town " ( Norwegian : by ) in 2002. The 2.7-square-kilometre (670-acre) town has a population (2023) of 3,763 and a population density of 1,394 inhabitants per square kilometre (3,610/sq mi). The town is situated in the geographical middle of the Lofoten archipelago on the island of Vestvågøya . It is approximately 68 kilometres (42 mi) west of the town of Svolvær and 65 kilometres (40 mi) east of

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