Bíldudalur () is a village situated on the coast of
Arnarfjörður, one of the
Westfjords
The Westfjords or West Fjords ( is, Vestfirðir , ISO 3166-2:IS: IS-4) is a large peninsula in northwestern Iceland and an administrative district, the least populous administrative district. It lies on the Denmark Strait, facing the east coas ...
in
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 ...
.
It is situated in the
Vesturbyggð
Vesturbyggð () is a municipality located in the Westfjords in Iceland.
Geography
In Vesturbyggð, there are Patreksfjörður with 721 inhabitants, Bíldudalur with 238 inhabitants and Krossholt with 19 inhabitants.
Transport
The municipality i ...
municipality and has 238 inhabitants (as of January 2021).
The village prospered in the 19th century thanks to sound business enterprise and the booming fishing industry.
Ólafur Thorlacius (1761–1815) set up business in Bíldudalur following the end of the
Danish trade monopoly. He was one of the most influential businessmen in Iceland at the beginning of the 19th century. He bought and sold fish, traded goods and ran his own small fishing fleet. One of his successors,
Pétur J. Thorsteinsson (1854–1924) successfully continued this operation.
In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the decline of the fishing industry and the imposition of strict quotas by the Icelandic government led the town to diversify its economy. The village is now home to a factory, which provides employment to many residents, processing a mineral-rich algae found in abundance in the fjord. The village is also becoming a popular tourist destination, especially for fishing trips and for artists seeking to gain inspiration from the spectacular scenery.
Close by the town there is also a fjord of literary significance,
Geirþjófsfjörður, where the Icelandic
Gísla saga
''Gísla saga Súrssonar'' (, ''The saga of Gísli the Outlaw'') is one of the sagas of Icelanders. It tells the story of Gísli, a tragic hero who must kill one of his brothers-in-law to avenge another brother-in-law. Gisli is forced to stay on th ...
was played out.
Transport
The village and neighbouring area is served by
Bíldudalur Airport.
References
External links
Bíldudalur - on eaglefjord.is
Populated places in Westfjords
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