Information meeting 13 February: feasibility study

12 February 2025

Foto Kjell Ove Storvik/Museum Nord

Invitation to Information Meeting – open to everyone

When: Thursday 13 February
Time: 18.30 – 19.30
Where: Lofotr Viking Museum (Glassgården/arrival facility)

A rich history

In the area around Buksnesfjorden and Leknes there is a rich history linked to our local Viking history. Director of Museum Nord, Geir Are Johansen, says that the area is unique. There are many cultural monuments in the entire area around the Buksnesfjord, including sites in the center of Leknes. In the Viking Age, the area around the Buksnesfjord was most densely populated in Norway. It was a centre of power with the chieftain of Borg and the chieftain of Holsøya.

“The Maritime Viking”

The purpose of the project is to facilitate participation, experiences and live dissemination of maritime Viking history and coastal culture. Through the use of “actionable knowledge” skills and traditions passed on through practical experience we can communicate our cultural heritage in an engaging and active way. Examples of this are boat building, handicraft techniques and sailing. This can create a living link between the past and the present.

Lofotr Vikingmuseum at Borg will continue to be the centre for the dissemination of Viking Age history on Vestvågøy, while the project at Leknes can supplement by highlighting the maritime part of the history. The museum is already looking for a more optimal location for the Viking ship “Lofotr”. The ship is currently at Ballstad. In the future, the ship can be moved closer to the Leknes area, and linked to other maritime activities. For example, it can be the construction of a new ship, sailing trips and other things.

In order to safeguard and make available the history and the archaeological finds, it will be natural in the study to look at opportunities to connect a possible dissemination centre with an archaeological walk. Along the footpath, you will be able to experience traces from the Iron Age and Viking Age. This can be combined with information about today’s cultural landscape, farming and local traditions.

We hope such a study will be able to shed light on positive ripple effects for public health and participation in the local community, where a universally designed hiking trail can give everyone, regardless of age or functional level, the opportunity to experience cultural heritage and outdoor life.

A balance between conservation, development, local people and industry will be crucial to achieve a successful project in the end.

Feasibility

Museum Nord and Vestvågøy municipality will together initiate a feasibility study to explore how we can strengthen the dissemination of our maritime coastal culture and rich Viking history in line with the development of Leknes town. The purpose of the study is to identify opportunities, needs and considerations. In this way, we hope that we can make good and informed choices before any decisions on further development.

Holsøya and Holsneset, close to the center of Leknes, have great cultural-historical value with many unique archaeological finds that are important to preserve for future generations. Here you will find Northern Europe’s largest boathouse site from the Viking Age, burial grounds and other cultural monuments from the Iron Age and Viking Age. The feasibility study will take a closer look at the areas at Leknessjøen and Holsneset on the opposite side. The study will explore how to contribute to creating a good urban environment from the center of Leknes and a possible dissemination center with a quay promenade in the area by Leknessjøen. It is desirable to look at how the archaeological cultural heritage at Holsneset can be secured and preserved, while at the same time making it accessible through a historical cultural heritage walk.

Through the study, we want to look at facilitation for meetings across generations, with combining dissemination, meeting places and recreational offers. The study will be seen in the context of the development of the town of Leknes with its strategic location. In this way, we hope that the project can create positive ripple effects for vulnerable road users, the desire to live and working life.

cooperation agreement and The way forward

On Tuesday 11 February, a cooperation agreement between Vestvågøy municipality and Museum Nord was presented to the chairmanship of Vestvågøy municipality. The matter will also be discussed by the municipal council on Tuesday 18 February. If the municipal council then adopts a cooperation agreement, public meetings, meetings with landowners, local residents and possibly other actors will be arranged, among other things.

The feasibility study will ensure broad participation from landowners, the local population and other actors. This includes, among other things, open information meetings and public meetings where everyone can provide input. The goal is to assess alternatives, identify advantages and disadvantages, and find the best solution for a development that safeguards both cultural heritage and local belonging.

Information meeting – open to everyone

Museum Nord will present the initiative behind the feasibility study. Museum Nord’s management is present. The mayor of Vestvågøy municipality, Jonny Finstad, represents the municipality.

When: Thursday 13 February
Time: 18.30 – 19.30
Where: Lofotr Viking Museum (Glassgården/arrival facility)

Welcome!