Leavenworth is a city located in Chelan County within the state of Washington, United States. It sits in the Cascade Mountains at an elevation of 1,168 feet above sea level, positioned along the Wenatchee River near its confluence with Icicle Creek. The town center is entirely modeled on a Bavarian village, a distinctive civic initiative that began in the 1960s to revitalize the area. Administratively, Leavenworth is part of the Wenatchee–East Wenatchee metropolitan area and lies within the traditional territories of the indigenous Wenatchi and Yakama peoples.

The area was originally inhabited by the Wenatchi and Yakama tribes before non-native settlers arrived in the late nineteenth century. John Emig and Nicholas Kinscherf staked homestead claims near Icicle Creek in 1885, followed by the establishment of Icicle Flats in 1891. The Great Northern Railway purchased land on the north side of the river in October 1892, prompting the creation of a new town in 1893 named Leavenworth for Charles Leavenworth, a Portland-based land investor. The city was officially incorporated on September 5, 1906, evolving from a timber community into a regional railway office before the railroad relocated to Wenatchee in 1925.

The city is defined by its Bavarian-Swiss alpine theme, which was adopted through the Project LIFE committee formed in 1962. Architects and designers worked to transform the town center, with the Chikamin Hotel becoming the first building rebuilt in this style in 1965. Leavenworth is surrounded by mountains ranging from 5,000 to 8,000 feet in height and sits on the terminal moraine of an ancient alpine glacier. The geography includes glacial erratics and fault lines, such as the Leavenworth fault, which runs through the western edge of town.

Tourism and recreation have been central to the city's economy since a ski jump opened in 1929. Annual festivals, including the Washington Autumn Leaf Festival introduced in 1966, draw visitors to the area. The city hosts holiday lights and the Christmastown festival, which were rescheduled in December 2025 following a major flood and power outage. A design review board enforces the architectural standards set by Project LIFE, ensuring the Bavarian aesthetic remains consistent across the town's buildings and districts.

The population of Leavenworth was 2,263 as of the 2020 census. The city is connected to the Seattle metropolitan area by U.S. Route 2, which also provides access to the Stevens Pass Ski Area. Leavenworth experiences a continental Mediterranean climate with hot, sunny summers and cold, snowy winters. Rainfall is limited by the Cascade rain shadow, and the area has historically faced challenges from wildfires and flooding, including significant events in 1994 and 2025.