Hellnar () is an ancient
fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...
village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...
, a cluster of old houses and buildings situated close to
Arnarstapi
Arnarstapi () or Stapi is a small fishing village at the foot of Mt. Stapafell between Hellnar village and Breiðavík farms on the southern side of Snæfellsnes, Iceland.
Placenames in the vicinity of Arnarstapi and nearby Hellnar village a ...
on the westernmost part of the
Snæfellsnes peninsula,
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
.
Although Hellnar village used to be a major port of call for fishing vessels and the largest and busiest centre of fishing and fishing vessels in
Snæfellsnes, there were also a few farms in and around Hellnar village along with quite a few semi-permanent and short-stay living quarters for seamen and the migrating workforce. Hellnar village can in all probability trace its function as a major port of call back to the Middle Ages, and the oldest written source of it being describes as a fishing port dates back to 1560.
In earlier times, Hellnar would have been in relatively large part fisheries-related farms and buildings, and in the
national census of 1703, some 194 individuals were registered as being inhabitants of Hellnar. This same year the buildings and farms of Hellnar are listed as numbering 38 altogether, of which 7 farms are listed as agricultural farms, 11 as having fisheries and fisheries-related functions, and 20 as listed as being semi-permanent or short-stay lodgings for the migrating work force and displaced persons.
On the beach some spectacular rock formations are to be seen, one of which is a protruding cliff called Valasnös, which reaches across the ocean front and into the sea. Tunneling into this cliff there is a cave known for colorful changes of lighting and shades that vary in tune with the natural light and the movements of the sea.
Gallery
File:Hellnar local museum.jpg, Local museum in Hellnar
File:Badstofa-pjt.jpg, Baðstofa rock formation
File:Bardarlaug crater lake (1).jpg, Bardarlaug crater lake north of the village
References
Vesturland.is Afþreying og staðir, 14. júlí 2010]
*Þorsteinn Jósepsson , Steindór Steindórsson , Páll Líndal , Landið þitt Ísland, H-K, Örn og Örlygur, 1982
{{Coord, 64, 45, N, 23, 39, W, display=title, region:IS_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki
Populated places in Western Region (Iceland)
Snæfellsnes
Fishing communities
Fishing communities in Iceland
Snæfellsnes Volcanic Belt