Leka, Norway

Leka is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Namdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Leknes on the island of Leka. Other villages in Leka include Sør-Gutvika and Madsøygrenda. The island municipality includes all of the island of Leka and part of the island of Austra as well as hundreds of smaller surrounding islands and skerries.

Leka island has a unique geology
View of the island
This article is about the municipality in Norway. For other uses, see Leka.
Leka kommune
Municipality
Skeisnesset geological reserve
Skeisnesset geological reserve
Flag of Leka kommune
Flag
Coat of arms of Leka kommune
Coat of arms
Official logo of Leka kommune
Trøndelag within
Norway
Leka within Trøndelag
Leka within Trøndelag
Coordinates: 65°05′17″N 11°37′01″E
CountryNorway
CountyTrøndelag
DistrictNamdalen
Established1 Oct 1860
 • Preceded byKolvereid Municipality
Administrative centreLeknes
Government
 • Mayor (2019)Elisabeth Helmersen (Ap)
Area
 • Total110.13 km2 (42.52 sq mi)
 • Land108.34 km2 (41.83 sq mi)
 • Water1.79 km2 (0.69 sq mi)  1.6%
 • Rank#325 in Norway
Population
 (2022)
 • Total570
 • Rank#348 in Norway
 • Density5.3/km2 (14/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
Decrease −0.5%
DemonymLekværing[1]
Official language
[2]
 • Norwegian formNeutral
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-5052
WebsiteOfficial website
Data from Statistics Norway

Primarily a fishing and farming community, Leka is the northernmost municipality in Trøndelag county. The island of Leka has been inhabited for at least 10,000 years, as evidenced by cave drawings in the Solsem cave at the southwest tip of the Leka island.

The 110-square-kilometre (42 sq mi) municipality is the 325th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Leka is the 348th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 570. The municipality's population density is 5.3 inhabitants per square kilometre (14/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 0.5% over the previous 10-year period.[3][4]

General information

The municipality of Leka was established on 1 October 1860 when it was separated from the large municipality of Kolvereid. Initially, the population of Leka was 1,702. On 1 January 1909, the southern district of Leka (population: 881) was separated from Leka to form the new municipality of Gravvik. This left Leka was 1,209 residents. The borders of Leka have not changed since then.[5] On 1 January 2018, the municipality switched from the old Nord-Trøndelag county to the new Trøndelag county.

On 8 June 2017, the Norwegian Parliament, the Storting, voted to merge the municipalities of Leka, Vikna, Nærøy, and Bindal to form one, large municipality effective 1 January 2020.[6] Leka and Bindal municipalities rejected the merger, but Vikna and Nærøy merged on that date to form the new municipality of Nærøysund.[7]

Toponymy

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the island of Leka (Old Norse: Leka) since the island makes up a large portion of the parish and municipality. The meaning of the name is unknown, but it may come from the word lekke which can mean "gravelly ground".[8][9]

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 21 April 1989. The official blazon is "Gules, a winged claw Or" (Norwegian: I rødt en vinget gull klo). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a wing and claw of an eagle. The wing and claw design has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. This is a reference to an incident which supposedly occurred in 1932, in which a three-year-old girl disappeared on the island, and was subsequently discovered beneath the nest of a White-tailed eagle, high up on a cliff where no three-year-old could possibly have climbed. The arms were designed by Einar H. Skjervold.[10][11][12][8][13]

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Leka. It is part of the Namdal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nidaros.

Churches in Leka
Parish (sokn)Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
LekaLeka ChurchLeknes1867

Geography
Geology of Leka

Leka is an island municipality encompassing the main island of Leka, the western part of the island of Austra (with the biggest locality being Gutvik), and many other small islands in the surrounding area. The tiny island groups of Sklinna and Horta lie to the west of the main islands.

Sklinna Lighthouse is located in the westernmost part of the municipality. Leka borders Vikna and Nærøy municipalities to the south and Bindal (in Nordland county) to the north.

History

Dated to the Viking Age, the burial mound Herlaugshaugen is one of the largest (in Norway) from that era.[14]

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Leka, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor.[15] The municipality falls under the Trøndelag District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Leka is made up of 15 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Leka kommunestyre 2020–2023 [16]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 6
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 7
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:15
Leka kommunestyre 2016–2019 [17]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 3
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 9
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
Total number of members:15
Leka kommunestyre 2012–2015 [18]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 4
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 9
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:15
Leka kommunestyre 2008–2011 [17]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 3
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 10
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
Total number of members:15
Leka kommunestyre 2004–2007 [17]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 2
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 4
  Joint list of the Conservative Party (Høyre), Centre Party (Senterpartiet), and Liberal Party (Venstre) 9
Total number of members:15
Leka kommunestyre 2000–2003 [17]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 6
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
  Joint list of the Conservative Party (Høyre), Centre Party (Senterpartiet), and Liberal Party (Venstre) 7
Total number of members:15
Leka kommunestyre 1996–1999 [19]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 5
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Joint list of the Conservative Party (Høyre), Centre Party (Senterpartiet), and Liberal Party (Venstre) 9
Total number of members:15
Leka kommunestyre 1992–1995 [20]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 3
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Joint list of the Conservative Party (Høyre), Centre Party (Senterpartiet), and Liberal Party (Venstre) 9
 Non-party list, Gutvik election area
 (Upolitisk liste, Gutvik valgkret)		2
Total number of members:15
Leka kommunestyre 1988–1991 [21]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 5
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Joint list of the Conservative Party (Høyre), Centre Party (Senterpartiet), and Liberal Party (Venstre) 8
 Local list for Gutvik election area
 (Bygdaliste for Gutvik valgkrets)		1
Total number of members:15
Leka kommunestyre 1984–1987 [22]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 8
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
  Joint list of the Conservative Party (Høyre), Centre Party (Senterpartiet), and Liberal Party (Venstre) 5
Total number of members:15
Leka kommunestyre 1980–1983 [23]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 5
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 5
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
 Local list for Gutvik area (Bygdaliste for Gutvik krets)3
Total number of members:15
Leka kommunestyre 1976–1979 [24]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 4
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 6
 Collaborative List (Samarbeidslista)3
Total number of members:13
Leka kommunestyre 1972–1975 [25]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 7
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) 6
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 1
Total number of members:13
Leka kommunestyre 1968–1971 [26]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 6
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) 7
Total number of members:13
Leka kommunestyre 1964–1967 [27]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 8
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 2
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
Total number of members:13
Leka herredsstyre 1960–1963 [28]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 7
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 2
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 3
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:13
Leka herredsstyre 1956–1959 [29]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 8
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) 5
Total number of members:13
Leka herredsstyre 1952–1955 [30]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 8
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) 4
Total number of members:12
Leka herredsstyre 1948–1951 [31]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 6
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) 6
Total number of members:12
Leka herredsstyre 1945–1947 [32]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 8
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 4
Total number of members:12
Leka herredsstyre 1938–1941* [33]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 2
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) 7
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 3
Total number of members:12
Note: Due to the German occupation of Norway during World War II, no elections were held for new municipal councils until after the war ended in 1945.

Mayor

The mayors of Leka:[34]

  • 1860–1865: N. Henriksen
  • 1866–1871: C. Samuelsen
  • 1872–1877: Otto Bach
  • 1878–1881: Karl August Jensen
  • 1882–1885: Johannes Furre (H)
  • 1886–1887: Otto Bach (H)
  • 1888–1891: Karl August Jensen (H)
  • 1892–1895: Svend Rasmussen (H)
  • 1896–1898: Karl August Jensen (H)
  • 1899–1901: Johannes Furre (H)
  • 1902–1904: Karl August Jensen (H)
  • 1905–1909: Ludvig Bach
  • 1910–1919: Peder Aleksander Furre
  • 1920–1925: Ingvard Hiller (V)
  • 1926–1928: Peder Aleksander Furre (Bp)
  • 1929–1931: Edvard Haug (Bp)
  • 1932–1937: Ingvard Hiller (V)
  • 1938–1942: Edvard Haug (Bp)
  • 1943–1945: Ole Nøstdal (NS)
  • 1945-1945: Edvard Haug (Bp)
  • 1946–1947: Hans Mikal Solsem (Ap)
  • 1948–1951: Anders Leknes (Bp)
  • 1952–1957: Hans Mikal Solsem (Ap)
  • 1957-1958: Egil Hanssen (Ap)
  • 1958-1959: Hans Mikal Solsem (Ap)
  • 1960–1967: Jonas Lund (Ap)
  • 1968–1969: Andreas Hansen (Sp)
  • 1970–1971: Leif Rohnes (V)
  • 1972–1975: Jonas Lund (Ap)
  • 1976–1978: Arne Skillingstad (Sp)
  • 1978–1979: Leif Rohnes (V)
  • 1979-1979: Anders Kolstad (Sp)
  • 1980–1983: Trond Pettersen (Sp)
  • 1984–1987: Inge Aune (Ap)
  • 1988–1995: Arve Haug (Sp)
  • 1995–1999: Margrethe Holmboe Askeland (Sp)
  • 1999–2002: Elisabeth Helmersen (Ap)
  • 2002–2003: Mari-Anne Hoff (SV)
  • 2003–2011: Arve Haug (Sp)
  • 2011–2019: Per Helge Johansen (Sp)
  • 2019–present: Elisabeth Helmersen (Ap)

Politics

In the 2007 municipal elections, Leka had the highest vote for the Centre Party in Norway, at 69.3 per cent.

Transportation

The island part of Leka (Skei) is connected to Gutvik by a ferry line, operated by Lekaferja.

Notable people

References
  1. "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
  4. Statistisk sentralbyrå. "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
  5. Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå.
  6. "Kommunesammenslåing Nærøy, Vikna, Leka, og Bindal" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Leka kommune. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  7. "Navn på ny kommune" (in Norwegian). Vikna kommune. 5 February 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  8. Store norske leksikon. "Leka" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 10 October 2011.
  9. Rygh, Oluf (1903). Norske gaardnavne: Nordre Trondhjems amt (in Norwegian) (15 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 369.
  10. "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  11. "Leka, Nord-Trøndelag (Norway)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  12. "Godkjenning av våpen og flagg". Lovdata.no (in Norwegian). Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet. 9 June 1989. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  13. "Nord-Trøndelag fylke" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2 November 2008.
  14. Mysteriet på Herlaugshaugen fortsetter - Nærmere undersøkelser av Herlaugshaugen på Leka har ikke gitt flere svar på hva som skjuler seg i haugen. De har likevel kartlagt noen nye funn. [The mystery at Herlaugshaugen continues - Closer examinations of Herlaugshaugen at Leka has not given more answers about what is hiding in the mound. They have nevertheless identified some new discoveries.]
  15. Hansen, Tore, ed. (12 May 2016). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  16. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2019 - Trøndelag". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  17. "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.
  18. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2011 - Nord-Trøndelag". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  19. "Kommunestyrevalget 1995" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1996. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  20. "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  21. "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  22. "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  23. "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  24. "Kommunevalgene 1975" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1977. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  25. "Kommunevalgene 1972" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1973. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  26. "Kommunevalgene 1967" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1967. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  27. "Kommunevalgene 1963" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1964. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  28. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  29. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  30. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  31. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  32. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  33. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  34. "Leka 70 år som eget herred". Nidaros (in Norwegian). 24 June 1929. p. 6.
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