Hólmavík () is a

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 ...

in the western part of

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 ...

, by Steingrímsfjörður. It is the largest settlement in

Strandir Strandir () is the eastern coastal region of Iceland's Westfjords. It encompasses 3,500 square kilometers and is considered remote and difficult to access. It has a population of around 800 people, with the largest community being Hólmavík. ...

and serves as a centre of commerce for the county. Hólmavík is part of the

Strandabyggð Strandabyggð () is a municipality located in northwestern 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. Icel ...

municipality and has 375 inhabitants (2011 census). Hólmavík is home to the Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft and the Holmadrangur shrimp processing plant. The modern church was built in 1968. Well-known people from Hólmavík include the poet Stefán frá Hvítadal and the musician Gunnar Þórðarson of the band Hljómar. The artist

Einar Hákonarson Einar Hákonarson (born 14 January 1945, in Reykjavík, Iceland) is one of Iceland's best known artists. He is an expressionistic and figurative painter who brought the figure back into Icelandic painting in 1968. He is a pioneer in the Icelandi ...

has a studio and a home in Hólmavík. Hólmavík boasts a swimming pool constructed in 2004. It is the only pool in the region not geothermally heated. Near Húsavík and Tröllatunga, two farms in the South of Hólmavík, lignite and iron ore were exploited in former times, and some fossils from the

Tertiary Tertiary ( ) is a widely used but obsolete term for the geologic period from 66 million to 2.6 million years ago. The period began with the demise of the non-avian dinosaurs in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, at the start ...

period were found there as well.Örlygur Hálfdánarson: ''Iceland Roadguide'', p.256. Reykjavík 1981.

Transportation

Hólmavík is served by Hólmavík Airport. There have not been any scheduled flights to Hólmavík since 1997. Bus schedule is provided by Strætó, Reykjavík City Bus.

References

Populated places in Westfjords {{Iceland-geo-stub