Bolungarvík (, regionally also ) is a small town and the only built-up area in the municipality of Bolungarvíkurkaupstaður 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 ...

, located on the

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 ...

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

, approximately from the town of

Ísafjörður Ísafjörður (pronounced , meaning ''ice fjord'', literally ''fjord of ices'') is a town in the northwest of Iceland. The oldest part of Ísafjörður with the town centre is located on a spit of sand, or ''eyri'', in Skutulsfjörður, a fjord ...

and from the capital city

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 ...

. Bolungarvík is close to abundant fishing grounds and has been used as an outpost for fishing since the 17th century, making it one of the earliest in Iceland. The village was not accessible by road until 1950, and in 2010 the

Bolungarvíkurgöng Bolungarvíkurgöng (, regionally also ) is a tunnel in northwestern Iceland, located in Westfjords along Route 61. It has a length of and opened on 25 September 2010. One of the main objectives of building the tunnel was to replace one of Icel ...

tunnel was opened under the Óshlíð mountain to bypass the old road, which was frequently subject to avalanches and rock falls. Tourist sites include the Ósvör Maritime Museum, featuring a restored 19th-century fishing hut, a natural history museum, which houses

taxidermied Taxidermy is the art of preserving an animal's body by mounting (over an armature) or stuffing, for the purpose of display or study. Animals are often, but not always, portrayed in a lifelike state. The word ''taxidermy'' describes the process ...

animals including a polar bear and the biggest bird collection in Iceland, and an indoor swimming pool with outdoor hot tubs and a water slide. Skálavík bay can be reached by a gravel road from June through August, and that same road also leads to the top of the Bolafjall mountain (638 m.) with views of the village of Bolungarvík, the Latrar Air Station, the

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 ...

fjord, the

Jökulfirðir The ''Jökulfirðir'' (, "glacier fjords") form a system of five fjords in Westfjords, Iceland, situated north of Ísafjarðardjúp and south of the Hornstrandir peninsula. They are named for '' Drangajökull'', a glacier situated to the south ...

fjords, the

Hornstrandir Hornstrandir () is Iceland's northernmost peninsula, covering at the northern end of the Westfjords, to the north of the Jökulfirðir and to the northwest of Drangajökull glacier. Ecosystem The area covers of tundra, fjord, glacier and alp ...

nature reserve and the Denmark Strait. The surroundings of Bolungarvík are destinations for hiking, horse riding,

sea angling Recreational fishermen usually fish either from a boat or from a shoreline or river bank. When fishing from a boat, or fishing vessel, most fishing techniques can be used, from nets to fish traps, but some form of angling is by far the most comm ...

and birdwatching.

History and folklore

According to , Þuríður Sundafyllir settled in Bolungarvík around 940 along with her brother Þjóðólfur. Folklore says they had a disagreement and put a spell on each other, as they were both skilled sorcerers. Þuríður laid on her brother that he would spend eternity as a monolith on which all birds would defecate. Þjóðólfur in turn hexed his sister that she would forever stand where the wind blows most. The pillar that was said to be Þuríður collapsed in half in 1936. The legend says that same night the cliff "Þjóðólfur" sank in the sea. That night their spell washed away into the sea.

In popular fiction

*Bolungarvík was the location for ''

Nói Albínói ''Noi the Albino'' ( () is an Icelandic film by director Dagur Kári released in 2003. The film explores the life of teenage outsider Nói (played by Tómas Lemarquis) in a remote fishing village in western Iceland. It won multiple awards. ''N ...

'', a

movie A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

Dagur Kári Dagur Kári (born Dagur Kári Pétursson; 12 December 1973) is an Icelandic film director. Early life He was born in Paris, France, to Icelandic parents. The family returned to Iceland when he was 3 years old. After attending local schools as a ...

about a disaffected teenager living in a remote Icelandic village. *

Rúnar Rúnarsson Rúnar Rúnarsson (born 20 January 1977 in Reykjavík) is an Icelandic screenwriter and director. He graduated from the National Film School of Denmark in 2009. His credits include the feature film ''Volcano'' and the short films ''Anna'', ...

's 2015 film ''

Sparrows Sparrow may refer to: Birds * Old World sparrows, family Passeridae ** House sparrow, or ''Passer domesticus'' * New World sparrows, family Passerellidae * two species in the Passerine family Estrildidae: ** Java sparrow ** Timor sparrow * Hed ...

'' was partly filmed in Bolungarvík. *The 2015 film ''

Albatross Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds related to the procellariids, storm petrels, and diving petrels in the order Procellariiformes (the tubenoses). They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Paci ...

'' by

Snævar Sölvi Sölvason Snævar Sölvi Sölvason (born 26 July 1985) is an Icelandic film director and screenwriter. Since 2011 he has directed three films, including the 2019 drama Eden. Biography Snævar was raised in Bolungarvík, Iceland. He studied Financial eng ...

is set in Bolungarvík.

Gallery

File:Faro de Bolungarvík, Vestfirðir, Islandia, 2014-08-15, DD 052.JPG, The lighthouse in Bolungarvík ''Óshólaviti'' File:Museo marítimo Ósvör, Bolungarvík, Vestfirðir, Islandia, 2014-08-15, DD 066.JPG, The

Ósvör Maritime Museum The Ósvör Maritime Museum is a museum in Bolungarvík, Westfjords, Iceland. History The museum was opened in 1988 after it was built in an old ruins of fishing huts. Architecture The museum is a replica of an old fishing village in the count ...

File:TraditionalFisherman1Ice.JPG, Bolungarvík fisherman File:Bolungarvik-bolafjall.jpg, H-4A Air Radar Station atop Bolafjall

Climate

Based on the climate data for the most recent reference period, Bolungarvík has either a

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 Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Dfc'') or a

subpolar oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring co ...

(''Cfc'') bordering very closely on a

Tundra In physical geography, a tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. There are three regions and associated types of tundra: #Arctic, Arctic, Alpine tundra, Alpine, and #Antarctic ...

climate (''ET)'', depending on the isotherm used.

Panoramas

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolungarvik Municipalities of Iceland Populated places in Westfjords Fishing communities Fishing communities in Iceland Populated places established in the 10th century