Þorlákshöfn (, ) is a town on the southern coast 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 ...

in the Municipality of

Ölfus Ölfus () is a municipality located in Iceland. The major town is called Þorlákshöfn. The bottled water brand Icelandic Glacial is manufactured in this area, at the Ölfus spring. Geography In Ölfus several lava tubes can be visited. ''Raufa ...

. The town is named after

Saint Thorlak Thorlak Thorhallsson ( Icelandic: ''Þorlákur Þórhallsson''; 1133 – 23 December 1193) is the patron saint of Iceland. He was Bishop of Skálholt from 1178 until his death. Thorlak's relics were translated to the Cathedral of Skalholt in 1 ...

who was a bishop at

Skálholt Skálholt (Modern Icelandic: ; ) is a historical site in the south of Iceland, at the river Hvítá, Árnessýsla, Hvítá. History Skálholt was, through eight centuries, one of the most important places in Iceland. A bishopric was established ...

. Its main importance is as a port as it has the only harbour on Iceland's southern coastline between

Grindavík Grindavík () is a fishing town in the Southern Peninsula district of Iceland, not far from Þorbjörn, a tuya (a type of flat-topped, steep-sided volcano). It is one of the few towns with a harbour on this coast. Most of the inhabitants work ...

in the west and

Höfn Höfn () or Höfn í Hornafirði (, ) is an Icelandic fishing town in the southeastern part of the country. It lies near Hornafjörður fjord. The town, the second largest in the southeastern part of Iceland, offers scenic views of Vatnajökull ...

in the east. The port serves direct weekly cargo ferries to

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

and Hirtshals operated by Faroese

Smyril Line Smyril Line is a Faroese shipping company, linking the Faroe Islands with Denmark, Iceland, the Netherlands and Lithuania. It previously also served Norway and the United Kingdom. is the Faroese word for the merlin. History Since 1983, ...

. It is also one of two departure points for ferries to the

Vestmannaeyjar Vestmannaeyjar (, sometimes anglicized as Westman Islands) is a municipality and archipelago off the south coast of Iceland. The largest island, Heimaey, has a population of 4,414, most of whom live in the archipelago's main town, Vestmannaeyja ...

archipelago. Services include restaurants, tourism, a golf course,

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...

field, camping, a sports complex, and a swimming pool. The town has several fish processing enterprises (Hafnarnes, Lysi). Several salmon farms (Arnarlax, GeoSalmo, Landeldi, LaxEldi) are among the biggest in the country are west of town.

History and Culture

The construction of ''Þorlákskirkja'', a modern Protestant church, was started in 1979. The church was consecrated in 1985. There are various historical places near Þorlákshöfn, e.g., a wooden church dating from 1909 on the farm ''Kotströnd''.

Infrastructure

Þorlákshöfn has a hotel, a camping area, a golf course, various restaurants, and a sports centre with a public swimming pool. The town hall of the municipality of Ölfus (''Ráðhús Ölfuss'') is in Þorlákshöfn. There are various shops, a supermarket, primary school, kindergarten, public library, health care centre (''Heilsugaelustöð''), pharmacy, a gas station and several car repair shops.

Sports

As of 2023, local football club

Ægir Ægir (anglicised as Aegir; Old Norse 'sea'), Hlér (Old Norse 'sea'), or Gymir (Old Norse less clearly 'sea, engulfer'), is a jötunn and a anthropomorphism, personification of the sea in Norse mythology. In the Old Norse record, Ægir hosts the ...

plays in the second tier of Iceland's football pyramid. They play their home games at the Þorlákshafnarvöllur.

Tourist attractions

In the vicinity of the town, one finds several tourist attractions and sightseeing spots: * The Black Sand Beaches of Hafnarskeid, east of town * Basaltic seacliffs and cliff arches, west of town * The Lava Tunnel of

Raufarhólshellir Raufarhólshellir () is the fourth-longest lava tube in Iceland. The cave's proximity to Reykjavík made it popular with visitors, who caused damage to the cave. In late 2016 the cave was closed to the public to clear accumulated garbage and insta ...

(1,5 km) * Arnarker Lava Tube (0,5 km) * Stori Meitill Crater (one of the biggest in the southwest of Iceland) * Hnúkar Volcanic Dwarf Cones of Selvogsheidi shiled volcano * Geitafell Table Mountain (local landmark as it is visible in the background of the town) * The peak of Litli Meitill with Votaberg tectonic wall-cliff on its slopes

Notable people from Þorlákshöfn

* Bergþóra Árnadóttir Folk Singer *

Birgitta Jónsdóttir Birgitta Jónsdóttir (born 17 April 1967) is an Icelandic politician, anarchist, poet, and activist. She was a Member of the Althing (MP) for the Southwest Constituency from 2013 to 2017, representing the Pirate Party, having been elected at t ...

Politician, Poet and Activist *

Jón Guðni Fjóluson Jón Guðni Fjóluson (born 10 April 1989) is an Icelandic former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He played for Beerschot, GIF Sundsvall, IFK Norrköping, FC Krasnodar, Brann and Hammarby IF. Jón Guðni had represented ...

: Footballer currently playing for

IFK Norrköping Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna Norrköping, more commonly known as IFK Norrköping or simply Norrköping, is a Swedish professional association football, football club based in Norrköping. The club is affiliated to Östergötlands Fotbollför ...

* Jónas Sigurðsson: (Jónas Sig) musician

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thorlakshofn Populated places in Southern Region (Iceland)