Seyðisfjörður () is a town in the Eastern Region of

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

at the innermost point of the

fjord In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, the Arctic, and surrounding landmasses of the n ...

of the same name. The town is located in the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Múlaþing Múlaþing () is a municipality in eastern Iceland which was formed in 2020 from the merger of Fljótsdalshérað, Seyðisfjörður, Borgarfjarðarhreppur and Djúpavogshreppur. It is the second largest municipality in the country by area (th ...

. A road over Fjarðarheiði mountain pass (elevation ) connects Seyðisfjörður to the rest of Iceland; to the

Ring Road A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist in reducin ...

and

Egilsstaðir Egilsstaðir () is a town in east Iceland on the banks of the Lagarfljót river. It is part of the municipality of Múlaþing and the largest settlement of the Eastern Region (Iceland), Eastern Region with, as of 2024, a population of 2,632 inha ...

. Seyðisfjörður is surrounded by mountains with the most prominent Mt. Bjólfur to the west (1085 m) and Strandartindur (1010 m) to the east. The fjord itself is accessible on each side from the town, by following the main road that leads through the town. Further out the fjord is fairly remote but rich with natural interests including

puffin Puffins are any of three species of small alcids (auks) in the bird genus ''Fratercula''. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crev ...

colonies and ruins of former activity such as nearby Vestdalseyri , from where the local church was transported.

History

Settlement in Seyðisfjörður traces back to the early period of settlement in Iceland. The first settler was Bjólfur, who occupied the entire fjord. The ruin of a burned-down stave church at Þórunnarstaðir was excavated in 1998-1999 and carbon-dated to the 11th century. The town settlement in the Seyðisfjörður area started in 1848. The town was settled by Norwegian fishermen. These settlers also built some of the wooden buildings which still exist in the town. Another now-deserted settlement nearby in the fjord, Vestdalseyri was the site for the world's first modern industrialized whaling station. It was established in 1864 by American whaler Thomas Welcome Roys and run by him and his workforce until 1866. Both settlements served primarily as fishing and trading posts. The first telegraph cable connecting Iceland to Europe made landfall in Seyðisfjörður in 1906, making it a hub for international telecommunications well past the middle of last century. In 1913, a dam was made in the main river, harnessing power for the country's first high-voltage AC power plant together with a distribution network for street lighting and home use, also the first of its kind in Iceland. Seyðisfjörður was used as a base for British/American forces during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and remnants of this activity are visible throughout the fjord, including a landing strip no longer in use and an oil tanker that was bombed and sunk. It remains a divers' wreck at the bottom of the fjord. With the recent demise of the local fish-processing plant, the village has shifted its economy to

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

. It still remains a significant fishing port on the east coast of Iceland, with harbours, ship construction facilities and a slip. In December 2020, a series of

mudflows A mudflow, also known as mudslide or mud flow, is a form of mass wasting involving fast-moving flow of debris and dirt that has become liquified by the addition of water. Such flows can move at speeds ranging from 3 meters/minute to 5 meters/se ...

hit the town after days of heavy raining, destroying several houses. After 10 houses where damaged on 18 December, including the headquarters of the local SAR team, a complete evacuation of the town was ordered. A month after the mudflow had hit the town, the damage was fully estimated. In all, 39 houses had been damaged, twelve of which being completely destroyed and five more significantly damaged. The total damage was estimated by the Government of Iceland at over 1 billion Icelandic Króna (US$7.5m). Residents were allowed to return to their homes (if not destroyed) in October 2021 after protections were installed.

Overview

The town of Seyðisfjörður is well known for its old wooden buildings and has remnants of urban street configurations within its urban fabric. There is a camping ground, facilities for campers, hotels, a swimming pool, a library, hospital, post office, liquor store, and other retail activity. There are several waterfalls in the town. A popular hiking path starts at the town center, following the East bank of the Fjarðará, the river that flows through the center of town. Further up the river there are 25 waterfalls. During the winter, a skiing area is used in Fjarðarheiði mountain pass. Skálanes nature and heritage centre can be found east of the town. The nature reserve is home to a diverse range of wildlife, as well as catering for visitors and anyone wanting to explore the south side of the fjord. Seyðisfjörður also has a vibrant cultural scene. The renowned Swiss artist Dieter Roth had a residence and art studio in Seyðisfjörður and, with others, created a visual art collective in the town in 1996. The Skaftfell Center for Visual Art was later established in 1998. It is the principal center for visual art in the eastern region of Iceland. The center is open to the public and houses an exhibition space, a library of artist books, and a bistro. The town also houses the Technical Museum of East Iceland as well as LungA School, an independent art school that runs outside of the summer months, and the Herðubíó, the only cinema in the east of Iceland. From 2000 to 2024 the town also was host to the LungA Art Festival. The 2015 Icelandic mystery television series '' Trapped'' () is set in the town, and was partially filmed there. The series aired on BBC4 in the UK in early 2016.

Transport

Port

Every week the car ferry MS ''Norröna'' of Smyril Line comes to Seyðisfjörður from Hirtshals in

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

and

Tórshavn Tórshavn (; ; Danish language, Danish: ''Thorshavn''), usually locally referred to as simply Havn, is the capital and largest city of the Faroe Islands. It is located in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the northwest of th ...

in the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...

. It is the only car ferry between Iceland and other countries.

Roads

Seyðisfjörður is connected to the Icelandic ring road Route 1 at

, via Route 93 which departs west from Seyðisfjörður. Route 951 travels east along the northern side of Seyðisfjörð and Route 952 also travels east, but along the southern side of the

Sports

The local football club Huginn play in Iceland's third tier (3rd Division). The colours of their kit are yellow and black.

Climate

Seyðisfjörður has a

tundra climate The tundra climate is a polar climate sub-type located in high latitudes and high mountains. It is classified as ET according to the Köppen climate classification. It is a climate which at least one month has an average temperature high enough ...

(

Koppen Koppen is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Dan Koppen (born 1979), American football offensive lineman * (1929–1990), German literary scholar * (1855–1922), German author * Otto C. Koppen (1901–1991), American aircraf ...

''ET''), bordering on subpolar oceanic (''Cfc''). However, the high annual precipitation over and the drying trend in summer are very atypical for tundra areas, which are normally very dry and peak in precipitation in summer.

Twin towns – sister cities

Seyðisfjörður is the twin town of Sandur in the

References

External links

Official website
(engl./is.)
Skaftfell Art Center
*
Skálanes Nature & Heritage Centre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seydisfjordur Former municipalities of Iceland Populated places in Eastern Region (Iceland) Fjords of Iceland