Leksvik
Encyclopedia
Leksvik is a village and a municipality in Nord-Trøndelag
county
, Norway
. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Leksvik. Other villages in Leksvik include Vanvikan
, Seter
, and Dalbygda
. Norwegian County Road 755 is the main road that connects the whole municipality from north to south.
The 1.65 square kilometres (407.7 acre) village of Leksvik has a population (2009) of 1,138. The population density
of the village is 690 PD/km2. Leksvik and Vanvikan
are especially known for their high tech
industries which have developed to become advanced and in demand. Areas with agriculture
are also widespread, but most of the municipality is covered in forest
s and mountain
s where the wildlife
rules with animals such as moose
and reindeer
. The moose go all the way down to the heart of Leksvik and Vanvikan, where modern downtown
areas with commercial
and residential developments are growing.
). It is one of very few municipalities in Norway with unchanged borders since that date.
form of the name was Lexuvík. The first element is the genitive case
of a river name Lexa and the last element is vík which means "inlet
". The river name is, maybe, derived from the word lax which means "salmon
". The name has also, historically, been spelled Lexvigen or Leksviken.
is from modern times; they were granted on 28 September 1990. The arms show the blue Trondheimsfjorden and a silver part representing the land with a clover
at the end of it to represent life and growth.
has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Leksvik. It is part of the Fosen deanery
and the Diocese of Nidaros
.
peninsula along the coast of the Trondheimsfjord
. There are two large lakes located in Leksvik: Storvatnet and Meltingvatnet
.
tools which are now placed in museum
s. But Leksvik does not appear in recorded history
before the Viking Age
when the villages Leksvik and Hindrem became quite important in the local area. In both Leksvik and Hindrem there have been found great tomb
s and ruins
of buildings and longboat
s. On Borgen, there is a hill between Hindrem and Seter
that may have been a great Viking fortress
, but this could also be tracks made by the glacier
s during the last ice age
. After the Black Death
struck Norway in 1349, Leksvik fell into silence for some 300 years.
In more modern history, Leksvik and Hindrem are small and relatively isolated villages, north of the Trondheimsfjorden. Two churches stood here, a church in Leksvik and a stave church
in Hindrem, but this broke down in 1655 and was replaced by a modern wooden church. In the 19th century, the church of Hindrem was demolished, and the new Stranda Church
was built in Vanvikan. Leksvik became well known for its goat
s and had 5,000 of them at their peak number.
During World War II
, Leksvik was settled by German troops
with the main camp on the top of Våttåhaugen, a hill north of the village of Leksvik. But as a small and isolated village, nothing of great importance happened there during the war, and it was mostly peaceful although bomb
s fell over Trondheim
, on the south side of the fjord
. After electric power
first came to Leksvik, Bjørn Lyng founded the first industry in Vanvikan and Leksvik. After the first road was finally finished in the early 1960s, industry
grew rapidly and replaced the goats.
Nord-Trøndelag
is a county constituting the northern part of Trøndelag in Norway. As of 2010, the county had 131,555 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-least populated county. The largest municipalities are Stjørdal, Steinkjer—the county seat, Levanger, Namsos and Verdal, all with between 21,000 and...
county
Counties of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 430 municipalities...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Leksvik. Other villages in Leksvik include Vanvikan
Vanvikan
Vanvikan is a village in the municipality of Leksvik in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located along the Trondheimsfjord in the southwestern part of the municipality, near the border with Rissa in Sør-Trøndelag. The village has a population of 749. The population density is...
, Seter
Seter, Norway
Seter is a village on the Trondheimsfjord in the municipality of Leksvik in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. The Norwegian County Road 755 connects it to Vanvikan to the southwest and to Leksvik and Dalbygda to the northeast....
, and Dalbygda
Dalbygda
Dalbygda is a village in the municipality of Leksvik in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located about to the northeast of the village of Leksvik, along the Norwegian County Road 755. The area had its own school until 1966 when it was closed and the students now go to Leksvik school. The...
. Norwegian County Road 755 is the main road that connects the whole municipality from north to south.
The 1.65 square kilometres (407.7 acre) village of Leksvik has a population (2009) of 1,138. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of the village is 690 PD/km2. Leksvik and Vanvikan
Vanvikan
Vanvikan is a village in the municipality of Leksvik in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located along the Trondheimsfjord in the southwestern part of the municipality, near the border with Rissa in Sør-Trøndelag. The village has a population of 749. The population density is...
are especially known for their high tech
High tech
High tech is technology that is at the cutting edge: the most advanced technology currently available. It is often used in reference to micro-electronics, rather than other technologies. The adjective form is hyphenated: high-tech or high-technology...
industries which have developed to become advanced and in demand. Areas with agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
are also widespread, but most of the municipality is covered in forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s and mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
s where the wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
rules with animals such as moose
Moose
The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
and reindeer
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
. The moose go all the way down to the heart of Leksvik and Vanvikan, where modern downtown
Downtown
Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....
areas with commercial
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
and residential developments are growing.
General information
Leksvik was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistriktFormannskapsdistrikt
Formannskapsdistrikt was the name for a Norwegian local self-government districts put into force in 1838. This system of municipality was created in a bill approved by the Storting and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January 1837...
). It is one of very few municipalities in Norway with unchanged borders since that date.
Name
The Old NorseOld Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
form of the name was Lexuvík. The first element is the genitive case
Genitive case
In grammar, genitive is the grammatical case that marks a noun as modifying another noun...
of a river name Lexa and the last element is vík which means "inlet
Inlet
An inlet is a narrow body of water between islands or leading inland from a larger body of water, often leading to an enclosed body of water, such as a sound, bay, lagoon or marsh. In sea coasts an inlet usually refers to the actual connection between a bay and the ocean and is often called an...
". The river name is, maybe, derived from the word lax which means "salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
". The name has also, historically, been spelled Lexvigen or Leksviken.
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
is from modern times; they were granted on 28 September 1990. The arms show the blue Trondheimsfjorden and a silver part representing the land with a clover
Clover
Clover , or trefoil, is a genus of about 300 species of plants in the leguminous pea family Fabaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution; the highest diversity is found in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, but many species also occur in South America and Africa, including at high altitudes...
at the end of it to represent life and growth.
Churches
The Church of NorwayChurch of Norway
The Church of Norway is the state church of Norway, established after the Lutheran reformation in Denmark-Norway in 1536-1537 broke the ties to the Holy See. The church confesses the Lutheran Christian faith...
has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Leksvik. It is part of the Fosen deanery
Deanery
A Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a Dean.- Catholic usage :...
and the Diocese of Nidaros
Diocese of Nidaros
Nidaros is a diocese in the Lutheran Church of Norway. It covers Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag counties and its cathedral city is Trondheim, which houses the well-known Nidaros Cathedral. The diocese is divided into 12 deaneries . Finn Wagle was the bishop from 1991 to 2008...
.
| Parish (Sokn) | Church Name | Location of the Church | Year Built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leksvik | Leksvik Church | Leksvik | 1670 |
| Stranda | Stranda Church Stranda Church (Leksvik) Stranda Church is a parish church in the municipality of Leksvik in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the village of Vanvikan. The church is part of the Leksvik parish in the Fosen deanery in the Diocese of Nidaros. The wooden church was constructed in 1897 and was consecrated on... |
Vanvikan Vanvikan Vanvikan is a village in the municipality of Leksvik in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located along the Trondheimsfjord in the southwestern part of the municipality, near the border with Rissa in Sør-Trøndelag. The village has a population of 749. The population density is... |
1897 |
Geography
Leksvik is located on the eastern side of the FosenFosen
Fosen is a traditional district in Trøndelag, consisting of the municipalities Osen, Roan, Åfjord, Bjugn, Ørland, Rissa, Agdenes, Snillfjord, Hemne, Hitra and Frøya. The district is dominated by forested valleys, lakes, coastal cliffs but also shallow areas, and in the interior mountains reaching...
peninsula along the coast of the Trondheimsfjord
Trondheimsfjord
The Trondheimsfjord , an inlet of the Norwegian Sea, is Norway's third longest fjord at long. It is located in the west central part of the country, and it stretches from Ørland in west to Steinkjer in north, passing the city of Trondheim on its way...
. There are two large lakes located in Leksvik: Storvatnet and Meltingvatnet
Meltingvatnet
Meltingvatnet is a lake on the border of the municipalities of Leksvik and Mosvik in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. The lake is a reservoir that holds water for the Mosvik power plant. The water flows out of the lake into the Mossa river which flows into the village of Mosvik....
.
History
The first inhabitants are believed to have moved to Leksvik some 3,000 years ago. They left several pieces of cuttingCutting
Cutting is the separation of a physical object, or a portion of a physical object, into two portions, through the application of an acutely directed force. An implement commonly used for cutting is the knife or in medical cases the scalpel...
tools which are now placed in museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
s. But Leksvik does not appear in recorded history
Recorded history
Recorded history is the period in history of the world after prehistory. It has been written down using language, or recorded using other means of communication. It starts around the 4th millennium BC, with the invention of writing.-Historical accounts:...
before the Viking Age
Viking Age
Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the late 8th to 11th centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
when the villages Leksvik and Hindrem became quite important in the local area. In both Leksvik and Hindrem there have been found great tomb
Tomb
A tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...
s and ruins
Ruins
Ruins are the remains of human-made architecture: structures that were once complete, as time went by, have fallen into a state of partial or complete disrepair, due to lack of maintenance or deliberate acts of destruction...
of buildings and longboat
Longboat
In the days of sailing ships, a vessel would carry several ship's boats for various uses. One would be a longboat, an open boat to be rowed by eight or ten oarsmen, two per thwart...
s. On Borgen, there is a hill between Hindrem and Seter
Seter, Norway
Seter is a village on the Trondheimsfjord in the municipality of Leksvik in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. The Norwegian County Road 755 connects it to Vanvikan to the southwest and to Leksvik and Dalbygda to the northeast....
that may have been a great Viking fortress
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
, but this could also be tracks made by the glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
s during the last ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
. After the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
struck Norway in 1349, Leksvik fell into silence for some 300 years.
In more modern history, Leksvik and Hindrem are small and relatively isolated villages, north of the Trondheimsfjorden. Two churches stood here, a church in Leksvik and a stave church
Stave church
A stave church is a medieval wooden church with a post and beam construction related to timber framing. The wall frames are filled with vertical planks. The load-bearing posts have lent their name to the building technique...
in Hindrem, but this broke down in 1655 and was replaced by a modern wooden church. In the 19th century, the church of Hindrem was demolished, and the new Stranda Church
Stranda Church (Leksvik)
Stranda Church is a parish church in the municipality of Leksvik in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the village of Vanvikan. The church is part of the Leksvik parish in the Fosen deanery in the Diocese of Nidaros. The wooden church was constructed in 1897 and was consecrated on...
was built in Vanvikan. Leksvik became well known for its goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s and had 5,000 of them at their peak number.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Leksvik was settled by German troops
Operation Weserübung
Operation Weserübung was the code name for Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign...
with the main camp on the top of Våttåhaugen, a hill north of the village of Leksvik. But as a small and isolated village, nothing of great importance happened there during the war, and it was mostly peaceful although bomb
Bomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
s fell over Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
, on the south side of the fjord
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
. After electric power
Electric power
Electric power is the rate at which electric energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt.-Circuits:Electric power, like mechanical power, is represented by the letter P in electrical equations...
first came to Leksvik, Bjørn Lyng founded the first industry in Vanvikan and Leksvik. After the first road was finally finished in the early 1960s, industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
grew rapidly and replaced the goats.
Attractions
- Bjørnåa
- Borgen
- Leksvik Church
- Munken
- Stranda ChurchStranda Church (Leksvik)Stranda Church is a parish church in the municipality of Leksvik in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the village of Vanvikan. The church is part of the Leksvik parish in the Fosen deanery in the Diocese of Nidaros. The wooden church was constructed in 1897 and was consecrated on...
- VåttåhaugenVåttahaugenVåttahaugen is a small hill. The hill is on Lade and has a beautiful view to the Norwegian city Trondheim, and specially the coast . Lade is an area in Trondheim.- Activities :It is a playground on Våttahaugen that children can have fun with...
External links
- Municipal fact sheet from Statistics NorwayStatistics NorwayStatistics Norway is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876.Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every year on its web site. All releases are published both in Norwegian and English...
- Webcam showing the view from Leksvik in the direction of FrostaFrostaFrosta is the smallest municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. The administrative centre is the village of Frosta. The municipality is located in the middle of the Trondheimsfjord, on a peninsula just north of Trondheim...
- European ash north to Leksvik