| Leirvík | |
|---|---|
| — Village — | |
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Leirvík
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| Coordinates: | |
| State | Kingdom of Denmark |
| Autonomous country | Faroe Islands |
| Island | Eysturoy |
| Population (January 2011) | |
| • Total | 876 |
| Time zone | GMT |
| • Summer (DST) | EST (UTC+1) |
| Postal code | FO 520 |
Leirvík (Danish: Lervig) is a town on the Faroe Islands and was an important regional ferry harbour at the east coast of the second largest island Eysturoy. Leirvík has 867 inhabitants (December 31, 2002.)
It was the only town in the municipality of Leirvík (Leirvíkar kommuna), however on 1 January 2009, it merged with Gøtu kommuna to make the new municipality called Eysturkommuna.
Archaeological excavations have shown that the town was first settled the 9th century by the Vikings. It is said that all inhabitants died in 1349 because of the Black Death.
Apart from the important ferry connection to Klaksvík, Leirvík is also important for its fishing industry.
The Norðoyatunnilin, a submarine tunnel to Klaksvík was opened in April 2006.