The Municipality of Leksand is beautifully situated by Lake Siljan’s south shore and the Dala River. Around 15,300 people live here.
Leksand and the villages
Leksand comprises the urban areas Leksand, Insjön, Tällberg, Siljansnäs, and Djura, plus ninety-four genuine villages.
Leksand
There is something for everyone in Leksand. Like Sommarland adventure park, with activities for all the family, and Tegera Arena where Leksands IF ice hockey club plays its home matches. The arena also offers a wide variety of entertainment, including concerts.
Close to Tegera Arena is a large sports complex with tennis, curling, an artificial football pitch, baseball, athletics, a gymnasium and more.
Situated by Limsjön bird lake is the eighteen-hole Leksand golf course.
At Gropen (Sammilsdal), a natural amphitheatre, the maypole for the whole of Sweden is raised every year at midsummer. Many artists also come here to perform during the summer.
Leksand has many different cultural attractions to offer, such as Hildasholm Estate, Leksand Culture Centre, and the folk museum where the medieval market is held on the last weekend in May.
At the House of Genealogy, you can search for your ancestors.
There’s good shopping in central Leksand (Noret) and in Insjön, with various stores selling, among other things, crafts, sporting goods, clothes, electronics, home furnishings, gifts, and flowers.
You can choose from a number of restaurants and cafes.
The MS Gustaf Vasa and the steamship Engelbrekt operate on Lake Siljan during the summer. Here you can also see the annual boat race between church boats.
Insjön
One of Insjön’s attractions is the Hjultorget shopping centre. Here you will find the very first Clas Ohlson hardware store, which today is one of Dalarna’s main attractions, with around 650,000 visitors per year. Adjacent to the store is a museum dedicated to the history of Clas Ohlson. Next to the museum is Åhlén Pavilion. Åhlén & Holm (now Åhléns department store) was founded in Insjön in 1899.
Several charming stores offer a variety of shopping at Hjultorget. Here you can find clothes, foods, gifts, optical goods, cosmetics, kitchenware, textiles, electronics and more. There are also a few restaurants and a bank.
Insjön is also home to Insjöns Hotel, which opened in 1922. Lunches are served daily here.
Siljansnäs
Björkberget in Siljansnäs has hotels and holiday cottages, as well as Buffils Annas coffeehouse, and Naturum visitor centre with its viewing tower. The view has been awarded three stars in Guide Michelin. MasOlles Open-Air Museum is situated on the slope below Björkberget’s festival ground.
Siljan Air Park is situated in Siljansnäs.
Granberget offers a ski slope with different levels of difficulty, and cross-country skiing tracks starting from the top of the mountain. Here there is a snack bar and a ski rental shop.
Tällberg
Tällberg has enchanting views over pastures, flower meadows, and Lake Siljan. Here you will find hotels, coffeehouses, shops, craft workshops, a nine-hole golf course, and a bathing place with camping.
Djura
Visit Djura church, which dates back to 1648. Djura Hembygdsgård is a square-built farm consisting of old timber houses from around the Djura area. (The houses were put there during the 1930s by Djura Local History Society.) A dozen or so of the timber houses demonstrate traditional building methods used in the area between 1600 and 1800. One of the houses, Nisesstugan, was decorated at the beginning of the 1800s by a Dala painter.
Djupbäckarna is a group of three deep gullies that carry water from the high mountains in the west to the East Dala River. The dramatic topography offers a wide range of flora and rich bird life.
Sjöbotten is the site of a prehistoric lake that was drained during medieval times to provide fertile grassland and arable land.
Hiking along the river Djura. Our ancestors have frequently exploited the power of the water in streams and rivers. Dams, canals, and waterwheels enabled the running of all kinds of small industries, such as mills, sawmills, forges, and cloth presses. You can see remains of these activities along the hiking trails.
Siljan Tourism, Leksand Tourist Office
Main industries
The main industries are trade, timber, and tourism.
Major businesses
Major businesses in the area include Clas Ohlson (hardware), Leksandsbröd (crispbread), Bergkvist-Insjön (sawn timber), Ejendals (protective gloves and shoes), Tomoku Hus (houses for the Japanese market), Äventyret Sommarland (adventure park), Nils Skoglund AB (building and real estate management), and Leksands IF (ice hockey club).
Leksand - Japan
A very special feature of Leksand is its contacts with Japan. The Municipality of Leksand has been twinned with the town of Tobetsu in northern Japan for more than twenty years. Japan is also an important export market for many Leksand-based companies, and around 400 jobs in the area are linked to the Japanese market.