Ísafjörður (pronounced , meaning ''ice fjord'', literally ''fjord of ices'') is a town in the northwest 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 ...

. The oldest part of Ísafjörður with the town centre is located on a spit of sand, or ''eyri'', in Skutulsfjörður, a fjord which meets the waters of the larger fjord

Ísafjarðardjúp Ísafjarðardjúp () is a large fjord in the Westfjords region of Iceland. Its name translates to ''Depth of the fjord of sea ice''. Originally named simply Ísafjörður, the semantic run around happened through the -Deep meaning the inner pa ...

. With a population of about 2,600, Ísafjörður is the largest settlement in the peninsula of Vestfirðir (

Westfjords The Westfjords or West Fjords (, ) is a large peninsula in northwestern Iceland and an administrative region, the least populous in the country. It lies on the Denmark Strait, facing the east coast of Greenland. It is connected to the rest of I ...

) and the administration centre of the

Ísafjarðarbær Ísafjarðarbær () is a municipality of Iceland in the Westfjords region, created in 1996 from Flateyrarhreppur, Ísafjarðarkaupstaður, Mosvallahreppur, Mýrahreppur, Suðureyrarhreppur and Þingeyrarhreppur. Geography The principal settl ...

municipality, which includes—besides Ísafjörður—the nearby villages of Hnífsdalur,

Flateyri Flateyri ( Icelandic: ) is a village situated in Iceland's Westfjords. It is part of the municipality of Ísafjarðarbær and has a population of approximately 200, making it the largest settlement in Önundarfjörður. History Flateyri has been ...

, Suðureyri, and Þingeyri.

History

According to the

Landnámabók (, "Book of Settlements"), often shortened to , is a medieval Icelandic written work which describes in considerable detail the settlement () of Iceland by the Norse in the 9th and 10th centuries CE. is divided into five parts and ov ...

(the book of settlement), Skutulsfjörður was first settled by Helgi Magri Hrólfsson in the 9th century. In the 16th century, the town grew as it became a trading post for foreign merchants. Witch trials were common around the same time throughout the Westfjords, and many people were banished to the nearby peninsula of Hornstrandir, now a national nature reserve. The town of Ísafjörður was granted municipal status in 1786. The former Danish trading post ''Neðstikaupstaður'', established in the 18th century, contains the oldest collection of timber frame houses in Iceland. These include ''Krambúð'' (1757), ''Faktorshús'' (1765), now the Danish consulate, ''Tjöruhúsið'' (1781), now a restaurant, and the site of the

Westfjords Heritage Museum The Westfjords Heritage Museum ( ) is a museum in Ísafjörður in the Westfjords of Iceland. The museum is based on maritime heritage and gives an insight into the local Westfjords fisheries and fishing industry as well the life of the fisherm ...

''Turnhúsið'' (1784).

Geography and climate

The Westfjords are known to be the coolest area in Iceland at sea level. Ísafjörður 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 ...

(Köppen climate classification: ET), closely bordering on either a dry-summer

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

(Köppen climate classification: Dsc) or a cold-summer mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csc), depending on using the or the isotherm. The climate is characterised by cold winters and cool summers. The warmest month is July with the mean temperature of ; the wettest is November with of precipitation. The climate has significantly warmed in recent years due to climate change. As the rest of Iceland, Ísafjörður experiences high winds and very few clear days throughout the year.

Overview

The town is connected by road and a road tunnel to Bolungarvík which lies to the northwest, and to the village of

Súðavík Súðavík () is a fishing village and municipality (Súðavíkurhreppur ) on the west coast of Álftafjörður in Westfjords, Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic ...

to the east. The partly one-lane

Vestfjarðagöng Vestfjarðagöng (, regionally also , ) is the longest tunnel in Iceland, located in Westfjords in northwestern Iceland. It has a length of and was opened in September 1996. The tunnel has three entrances and the three arms meet at junction i ...

(Vestfirðir Tunnel), completed in 1996, leads to the towns of

and Suðureyri, and to the western parts of the Westfjords. Ísafjörður has an

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

with regular flights to

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

. Fishing has been the main industry in Ísafjörður, and the town has one of the largest fisheries in Iceland. A severe decline in the fishing industry for a variety of reasons, such as fishing restrictions in the early 1980s, and a decline in the fish population, has led the inhabitants to seek work elsewhere, leading to a decline in the town's population. The harbor also serves ferries to nearby settlements as well as larger cruise ships for tourists visiting the area. The tourist industry is growing; it is a major access point to the nature reserve on the Hornstrandir Peninsula, an uninhabited wilderness area to which ferries run weekly during summer. Despite its size, small population, and historical isolation from the rest of the country, the town has a relatively urban atmosphere. Ísafjörður has a school of music, as well as a hospital. The older former hospital building now accommodates a cultural center with a library and showrooms. Recently, the small town has become known in the country as a center for alternative music outside of Iceland. A yearly festival, Aldrei fór ég suður, provides a platform for local musicians and bands from around Iceland and even from overseas. A university center, Háskólasetur Vestfjarða, which acts as a distance learning center for the 7,000 residents of the Westfjords, was established in March 2005.

Education

Ísafjörður is the home to the University Centre of the Westfjords. The University Centre offers four master's degree programs: Coastal & Marine Management,

Icelandic language Icelandic ( ; , ) is a North Germanic languages, North Germanic language from the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family spoken by about 314,000 people, the vast majority of whom live in Iceland, where it is the national languag ...

, Coastal Communities and Regional Development, and Marine Innovation. Students graduate from the University of Akureyri. The only gymnasium located in the Westfjords, Menntaskólinn á Ísafirði, is in Ísafjörður. The students range from 16 to 20 years of age, as is traditional in Icelandic gymnasia.

Business

Major employers in the region include Arctic Fish, Hraðfrystihúsið-Gunnvör, Íslandssaga, Klofningur, Orkubú Vestfjarða and Skaginn 3X. Ísafjörður is also the base of several noteworthy start-up companies including Fossadalur and Kerecis.

Culture

The town hosts varied and widely popular events, in the realms of both culture and outdoor recreation. These events include, but are not limited to: *The Ski Week Festival * Aldrei fór ég suður music festival * Fossavatnsgangan cross country skiing competition * Við Djúpið Music Festival *European Swampsoccer Championships *Act Alone – a theatre festival dedicated to the art of acting alone, monodrama, held in August every year *

Annual music festivals

Aldrei fór ég suður – Ísafjörður Rock Festival In 2004, Ísafjörður's own Mugison (a.k.a. Örn Elías Guðmundsson) and his father organized the first Aldrei fór ég suður Music Festival as a free concert to support the burgeoning music community in Ísafjörður. The event has been established as an annual festival in mid April. The name ''Aldrei fór ég suður'' (I never went south) is taken from a Bubbi Morthens song of the same name, and may refer to a movement among young Icelanders to establish cultural events outside Reykjavík, and draw attention back to the nation's roots in the countryside. The festival's subtitle is "''rokkhátið alþýðunnar''" or "rock festival for the people." Við Djúpið Music Festival Since its inception in 2003, the Við Djúpið Music Festival has offered master classes and concerts featuring distinguished artists from Iceland and around the world. Notable past participants include renowned cellist Erling Blöndal Bengtsson, pianist Vovka Ashkenazy, and the acclaimed Pacifica Quartet. In 2007, clarinetist and composer Evan Ziporyn, a member of the celebrated group Bang on a Can, led a master class and performed in Ísafjörður. The following year, 2008, saw performances from Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto, pianist Simon Crawford-Phillips, and Norwegian pianist Håkon Austbø. The festival has also hosted unique and collaborative performances by Decoda, an affiliate ensemble of

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

, and the innovative Orchester im Treppenhaus from Germany.

Sports

Ísafjörður is the home of Íþróttafélagið Vestri and Knattspyrnufélagið Hörður multi-sports clubs. Vestri fields departments in

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

and bicycling. Its men's and women's basketball teams have played in the top-tier basketball leagues in the country while its men's volleyball team was promoted to the top-tier division in 2019. Knattspyrnufélagið Hörður was originally a football club but has fielded other departments, most prominently in

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...

track & field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and ...

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

and Icelandic wrestling.

Other sport clubs

*Skíðafélag Ísfirðinga -

Skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

*Golfklúbbur Ísafjarðar -

Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

*Skotíþróttafélag Ísafjarðar -

Shooting sports Shooting sports is a group of competitive sport, competitive and recreational sporting activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in shooting — the art of using ranged weapons, mainly small arms (firearms and airg ...

Notable natives and residents

* Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson –

President of Iceland The president of Iceland () is the head of state of Iceland. The incumbent is Halla Tómasdóttir, who won the 2024 Icelandic presidential election, 2024 presidential election. The president is not involved in the running of the country, bu ...

(1996–2016) * Agnes M. Sigurðardóttir – Bishop of Iceland (since 2012–2024)

Artists

* Helgi Björnsson –

Musician A musician is someone who Composer, composes, Conducting, conducts, or Performing arts#Performers, performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general Terminology, term used to designate a person who fol ...

and

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

* Mugison –

* Árný Margrét – Musician *Jón Ásgeirsson – Composer *Hjálmar H. Ragnarsson – Composer

Athletes

Basketball

* Birgir Örn Birgisson – Former Icelandic national basketball team player * Sigurður Þorsteinsson – Icelandic national basketball team player

Cycling

* Arna Sigríður Albertsdóttir – para-cyclist who competed at the

2020 Summer Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport event, multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the Inte ...

Football

* Stella Hjaltadóttir – former member of the Icelandic women's national football team * Björn Helgason – former member of the Icelandic men's national football team * Jón Oddsson – former member of the Icelandic men's national football team and the Icelandic

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

national team. * Emil Pálsson – caps for the Icelandic men's national football team * Ómar Torfason – former member of the Icelandic men's national football team * Matthías Vilhjálmsson – caps for the Icelandic men's national football team

Skiing

* Arnór Gunnarsson – former Olympic skier * Ásta Halldórsdóttir – former Olympic skier * Daníel Jakobsson – former Olympic skier * Steinþór Jakobsson – former Olympic skier * Jakobína Jakobsdóttir – former Olympic skier * Guðmundur Jóhannsson – former Olympic skier * Sigurður Jónsson – former Olympic skier * Einar Valur Kristjánsson – former Olympic skier * Einar Ólafsson – former Olympic skier * Gunnar Pétursson – former Olympic skier * Oddur Pétursson – former Olympic skier * Árni Sigurðsson – former Olympic skier

References

External links

Town of ÍsafjörðurAldrei fór ég suður Rock Festival
(in Icelandic and English)
More information and photos about Ísafjörður on Hit IcelandVið Djúpið Music FestivalFossavatn Ski Marathon
(in Icelandic, English, French, German, and Norwegian)
Isafjordur Photo CollectionHáskólasetur Vestfjarða
{{DEFAULTSORT:Isafjordur Populated places in Westfjords Populated places established in the 9th century