Leknes (Lofoten)

The Lofoten Islands are still a real insider tip. Picturesque little fishing harbours, red-painted houses – known as “Rorbuer” – and dried fish on wooden racks are typical impressions of this amazing landscape, which includes around 80 islands. The Lofoten Islands lie around 100 to 300 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle in the Atlantic Ocean, separated from the mainland by the Vestfjord. The most important islands are connected by bridges or tunnels. Lofoten has a total population of around 24,000. The distinctive, roof-shaped dried fish racks along the Lofoten coast tower soar upwards, metres high, filled with headless, gutted fish that have been tied together in pairs. They bear witness to a centuries-old tradition that has always been an important economic basis for Lofoten fishermen, namely the preservation of fish by simply drying them in the cold air.