the regional centre in middle part of Troms, and a centre of trade and service for about 35,000 people. Every summer, the town prepares for the one-week summer festival, "Finnsnes i Fest", aiming to put Finnsnes on the map. Finnsnes has two hotels. Good transportation connections make Finnsnes an attractive place for conferences. Trade and service provides employment for many people, but Lenvik also has major companies for fish processing and fishing tackle, and a melting work. Fishing and agriculture is still very important, and fish farming is of increasing importance for the employment of people. Prospects of education are good in the municipality. Gateway to Senja The town has become known as the Gateway to Senja: the land of contrasts, which brands itself being the Fairytale Island (Eventyrøya). There are several attractions in Finnsnes and the nearby island of Senja and for tourists Finnsnes is the reference point when sightseeing in the region. The island is also called the Island of Adventure, and is a Norway in miniature with mountains and fjords, small communities, nature, culture and people, hospitality and go-ahead spirit, and all kinds of weather. Sports and culture Finnsnes has several indoor halls for sports and facilities for both alpine and cross-country skiing. There is also a variety of cultural activities. The Finnsnes House of Culture, which opened in 1995, is the cultural centre of the region. It contains a 400 seats hall for theatre and concerts, and provides a varied menu of local, national and international performers and stars. The public library of Lenvik is also situated in this building. “Midt-Tromshallen” is an indoor soccer centre for the region, and at the same time a hall made for a variety of activities. There are also two major outdoor football stadiums at Finnsnes and Silsand. The local museum at Bjorelvnes is located about north of Finnsnes. There are three soccer clubs in the town, Finnsnes IL playing in the second division, IL Pioner playing in the fifth division, and FK Senja also playing in the second division. Over the years there has been an extensive rivalry between the clubs Finnsnes IL and FK Senja, this being largely due to the geography of the town. References External links Senja Populated places in Troms og Finnmark Cities and towns in Norway Populated places of Arctic Norway