Leksand is an urban area at shores of Lake Siljan. With around 6.400 inhabitants, Leksand is famous for maintaining old traditions. Such traditions include the local folk costume and the annual maypole raising.
A Short History
The Leksand parish had two localities establishing themselves in the second half of the 19th century. One of these was originally the village Leksands-Noret, which would develop into what is today Leksand. The parish existed as early as the early Middle Ages.
It was the many lakes and rivers that acted as transportation routes for Leksand. Lake Siljan was the largest of these. The local people lived mostly on small homesteads and had parts in the surrounding shielings. A shieling is a hut or a collection of huts in the mountain region that are used when taking the cattle to their summer pasture. The men in the parish were also known to travel far for work and then, especially within the timber and construction businesses. Many of the men who stayed were working with local manufacturing, especially furniture, tools, and tiles.
Things to Do and See
There are many things to do and see in Leksand. Here we list some of the most interesting attractions.
Leksands hembygdsgårdar
The local heritage museum is an open-air museum displaying old buildings from the area. It is the oldest of its kind in the province of Dalarna and it dates back to 1899. Several homesteads have been moved here during the years after and some of them date back to the 18th century.
Sammilsdal / Gropen
Gropen is a hollow near the center of Leksand. This has been the location of the local maypole since 1939. It is a natural amphitheater that is not only used for midsummer celebrations but also for other events such as concerts.
Leksand’s Church
The church in Leksand is one of the largest countryside churches in Sweden. The oldest parts of the church date back to the 13th century and it received its current shape during the reconstruction after a fire in 1709.
Leksands Sommarland
Leksands Sommarland is an amusement park located a bit outside of Leksand. Here you will find a water park, a tivoli with many rides, and several other attractions.
Siljanleden
There are several hiking routes in and around Leksand. One of the longer ones is Siljanleden. This route will take you 340 kilometers around Lake Siljan and Lake Orsa. The trail passes several of the local sights, villages, and localities.
Leksands IF and Tegera Arena
Leksands IF is one of the classical Swedish ice hockey teams. The team was founded in 1919, the hockey section in 1938, and has since won the Swedish championships four times. Leksand’s last victory came in 1975 and the team has been alternating between the two top Swedish leagues in the last decades. The team is currently playing in SHL, the top league, since 2019.
Leksands IF plays their home games at Tegera Arena, earlier known as Ejendals Arena. It was inaugurated in 2005 and has a capacity of 7650, making it the 8th largest ice hockey arena in Sweden. You would fit the whole population of the locality in the arena and still have a few thousand seats available.
How to Get to Leksand
- Flights: The closest airports are Mora–Siljan Airport (MXX) located 55 kilometers away and Dala Airport (BLE) located 54 kilometers away. They both connect the area with the Stockholm-Arlanda Airport (ARN) for connections around the globe.
- Car: Leksand is along road 70 between Rättvik and Borlänge.
- Train: There are long-distance trains connecting Leksand with Borlänge, Mora, and Stockholm.
- Bus: There are regional buses connecting Leksand with the surrounding area.
The driving distance from 5 major Swedish cities, according to Google Maps:
- Stockholm – 260 kilometers (3 h 4 min)
- Gothenburg – 459 kilometers (5 h 42 min)
- Malmö – 694 kilometers (8 h 1 min)
- Linköping – 319 kilometers (4 h 18 min)
- Kiruna – 1152 kilometers (13 h 39 min)
Find out more about other destinations in Sweden by visiting our page Exploring Sweden
