Ólafsfjörður () is a town in the northeast of Iceland located at the mouth 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 ...

Eyjafjörður Eyjafjörður (, ''Island Fjord'') is one of the longest fjords in Iceland. It is located in the central north of the country. Situated by the fjord is the country's fourth most populous municipality, Akureyri. Physical geography The fjord is ...

. The town is connected to

Dalvík Dalvík () is the main village of the Icelandic municipality of Dalvíkurbyggð. Its population is approximately 1,400.

on Eyjafjörður by the 3.5 km one-lane Múli tunnel (the '' Múlagöng'') and to

Siglufjörður Siglufjörður () is a small fishing town in a narrow fjord with the same name on the northern coast of Iceland. The population in 2011 was 1,206; the town has been shrinking in size since the 1950s when the town reached its peak of 3,000 inhabit ...

by the 11 km Héðinsfjörður Tunnels, opened in 2010. Fishing is the main industry in the town; several

trawlers Trawler may refer to: Boats * Fishing trawler, used for commercial fishing * Naval trawler Naval trawlers are vessels built along the lines of a fishing trawler but fitted out for naval purposes; they were widely used during the World War I, Fir ...

make their home in the town's

harbor A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be moored. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is ...

. The municipalities of Ólafsfjörður and Siglufjörður merged in 2006 to form the municipality of Fjallabyggð, which literally means ''Mountain Settlement''.

History

The town grew around the

herring Herring are various species of forage fish, belonging to the Order (biology), order Clupeiformes. Herring often move in large Shoaling and schooling, schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate wate ...

industry that was very strong in the 1940s and 1950s, but the herring are gone now. Ólafsfjörður attained municipal status (''kaupstaðurréttindi'') on 31 October 1944 . The number of inhabitants amounted to 192 in 1910, to 336 in 1920, to 559 in 1930, to 736 in 1940, to 947 in 1950, to 905 in 1960, to 1.086 in 1970 and to 1.181 in 1979. In 1989 the town had 1.191 inhabitants. Ólafsfjörður was connected by road for the first time in 1940, when the horse trail through Lágheiði was improved, enabling cars to cross the heath. Previously, ships, seaplanes, and horses provided the transport. The Múlagöng or Ólafsfjarðargöng tunnel was opened on March 1, 1991, connecting Dalvík and Ólafsfjörður. It has a length of 3,400 m (11,155 ft). On 2 October 2010, the Héðinsfjörður Tunnels opened, providing an all-year rapid connection to Siglufjörður. Ólafsfjarðarkirkja , a comparatively large

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

church with 120 seats, was inaugurated in 1915. Two thirds of the whole population of the town could be seated inside at that time. There is a sight-worthy monument dedicated to drowned seamen in front of the church.

Economy

Tourism has become an important industry in Ólafsfjörður but it still relies heavily on its fishing industry and to name some of the fishing companies there are "norlandia ehf" that dries fish and exports them to

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

Sports

The town offers sports and activities for people of all ages. Some of its sports clubs are: * Golf (Golfklúbbur Ólafsfjarðar) * Equestrian (Hestamannafélagið Gýnari, Ólafsfirði) * Football/Soccer ( Knattspyrnufélag Fjallabyggðar) * Skiing (Skíðafélag Ólafsfjarðar) * Shooting (Skotfélag Ólafsfjarðar) * Snowmobile (Vélsleðafélag Ólafsfjarðar) The Ólafsfjörður swimming pool is heated, like all outdoor pools in Iceland, and is open all year round. There is a helical

water slide A water slide (also referred to as a flume, water chute, or hydroslide) is a type of Playground slide, slide designed for warm-weather or indoor recreational use at swimming pools or water parks. Water slides differ in their riding method and ...

. The Alpine facility in Tindaöxl is right above the town, and is open in the winter when there is enough snow. A lift takes people up the slopes.

References

External links

More information and photos about Ólafsfjörður on Hit Iceland
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olafsfjordur Populated places in Northeastern Region (Iceland) Eyjafjörður