Húsavík () is a town in

Norðurþing Norðurþing () is a municipality located in northern Iceland. Norðurþing was formed in 2006 when the municipalities of Húsavík, Öxarfjörður, Raufarhöfn, and Kelduneshreppur were merged after special elections in January 2006 and the regi ...

municipality on the northeast 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 ...

on the shores of

Skjálfandi Skjálfandi (; also known as Skjálfandaflói ) is a bay in northern Iceland, with some of the characteristics of a fjord. The Icelandic word ''Skjálfandi'' literally translates to ''trembling'' which may refer to earthquakes in the area. The ...

bay with 2,485 inhabitants. The most famous landmark of the town is the wooden church

Húsavíkurkirkja The Húsavíkurkirkja () is an early 20th century church in Húsavík, 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 ...

, built in 1907. Húsavík is served by

Húsavík Airport Húsavík Airport ( , regionally also ) is an airport serving Húsavík, Iceland. The runway is southwest of the town. As of March 2025, there are no scheduled services to Húsavík Airport. The opening of the Vaðlaheiðargöng, Vaðlaheiðarg ...

Overview

Here income is derived from tourism and fishing, as well as from retail and small industries. Until 2004, Húsavík was the export harbour for

silica Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , commonly found in nature as quartz. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is one of the most complex and abundant f ...

that was extracted from nearby lake

Mývatn Mývatn () is a shallow lake situated in an area of active volcanism in the north of Iceland, near Krafla volcano. It has a high amount of biological activity. The lake and the surrounding wetlands provides a habitat for a number of waterbirds, ...

. 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 ...

'' ("Book of Settlement"), Húsavík was the first place in Iceland to be settled in by a Norseman. The Swedish

Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

Garðar Svavarsson stayed there for one winter around 870 A.D. When he left the island in spring of 870, after a winter's stay, he left behind a man named

Náttfari Náttfari (Old Norse: ; Modern Icelandic: ; fl. 835–870) was a crew member who escaped his master, Garðar Svavarsson, and may have become the first permanent resident of Iceland in the 9th century. The earliest account of his story is found in ...

and two slaves, a man and a woman, and they established a farm there. The name of the town means "bay of houses", probably referring to Garðar's homestead, which was probably the only houses then in Iceland.

Tourism

Húsavík has become a centre of

whale watching Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and dolphins (cetaceans) in their natural habitat. Whale watching is mostly a recreational activity (cf. birdwatching), but it can also serve scientific and/or educational purposes.Hoyt, E. ...

in Iceland due to whales of different species that frequently enter the bay. The

Húsavík Whale Museum The Húsavík Whale Museum is a non-profit organization established in 1997. The Húsavík Whale Museum is situated in Húsavík, a small town in north east Iceland, on the shores of Skjálfandi Bay, just below the Arctic Circle at 66° N. It b ...

is located in the town centre by the harbour. In the town there is also a civic museum of culture and biology. Among other things, it shows a stuffed

polar bear The polar bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is a large bear native to the Arctic and nearby areas. It is closely related to the brown bear, and the two species can Hybrid (biology), interbreed. The polar bear is the largest extant species of bear ...

(arrived in

Grímsey Grímsey () is a small Icelandic island, off the north coast of the main island of Iceland, where it straddles the Arctic Circle. Grímsey is also known for the puffins and other sea birds which visit the island for breeding. The island is a ...

in 1969) and ancient boats. Each year in mid July, Húsavík holds a festival called ''Mærudagar'' , which translates to “Candy Days”. Thousands of people from all over Iceland come to the tiny town to enjoy this occasion which consists of music, colourful decorations, and an array of food and drink. Húsavík is also home to

The Exploration Museum The Exploration Museum ( ) is dedicated to the history of human exploration, from the early explorers to the exploration of space. The museum is located in the center of Húsavík in North Iceland, from the Arctic Circle. The museum was founded ...

, a museum of the history of human exploration. A monument honouring the Apollo astronauts who got trained up around Húsavík during the 1960s is located outside the museum.

The Eurovision Museum The Húsavík Eurovision Song Contest Exhibition (commonly referred to as the Eurovision Museum) is a museum exhibition located on the ground floor of the Cape Hotel in the town of Húsavík, Iceland. The exhibition tells the story of the Eurovis ...

, dedicated to the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...

, had its soft opening in October 2021, with the official grand opening in 2022. The region of Mývatn, with its interesting geology and diverse animal life, is nearby. Jökulsárgljúfur National Park with the horseshoe-shaped canyon

Ásbyrgi Ásbyrgi () is a Glacial landform, glacial canyon and forest in the north of Iceland, located approximately east of Húsavík on the Diamond Circle road. The horseshoe-shaped depression is part of the Vatnajökull National Park and measures ...

and the waterfalls

Dettifoss Dettifoss () is a waterfall in Vatnajökull National Park in Northeast Iceland, and is reputed to be the second most powerful waterfall in Europe after the Rhine Falls. Dettifoss is situated on the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river, which flows from ...

, Hafragilsfoss and Selfoss are also not far from the town.

is located close to the town. Until 2024, there were regular flights to

Reykjavík Airport Reykjavík Airport ( Icelandic: ''Reykjavíkurflugvöllur'') is the main domestic airport serving Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland. The airport is located about from the city centre. It is the domestic hub of Icelandair flights and has two r ...

. The Vaðlaheiðargöng tunnel opened in 2019 which shortened the travel time to

Akureyri Akureyri (, ) is a town in northern Iceland, the country's fifth most populous Municipalities of Iceland, municipality (under the official name of Akureyrarbær , 'town of Akureyri') and the largest outside the Capital Region (Iceland), Capital R ...

to within an hour. Flights from Húsavík Airport have therefore ceased.

Sports

ÍF Völsungur is the local football club. They last played in Iceland's top tier in the 1988 season. The town also offers many opportunities for recreational sports. A 9 hole golf course, hiking and walking paths, two gym facilities and an outdoor public swimming pool.

Popular culture

Húsavík served as the setting of the 2020

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

film '' Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga'', a comedic story of two Húsavík natives representing Iceland in the

, with one of the film's songs named after the town. The song itself was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the Film industry, motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who h ...

at the

93rd Academy Awards The 93rd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released from January 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021, at Union Station in Los Angeles. The ceremony was held on April 25, 2021 ...

. The song's taped Best Original Song performance was filmed on location in Húsavík. In a break with Oscar tradition, all five songs had their performances pre-taped due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

instead of being performed live. "Húsavík" was the only one of the five nominated songs to have its pre-taped performance taking place outside of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. On 25 April 2021, the performance was aired along with pre-taped performances of the other four nominated songs in that year's category. All five song performances were shown during the red carpet pre-show special that took place just before the main ceremony began. Residents of the town reported a significant jump in tourism following the film's release. In 2021,

opened in Húsavík telling the story of the song contest and the film.

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Karlskoga Karlskoga () is a urban areas of Sweden, locality and the seat of Karlskoga Municipality, Sweden. It is located within Örebro County, 45 km (28 mi) west of Örebro, and 10 km (6 mi) north of Degerfors. With a 2020 population o ...

, Sweden *

Fredrikstad Fredrikstad (; previously ''Frederiksstad''; literally "Fredrik's Town") is a List of cities in Norway, city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Østfold Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipal ...

, Norway *

Riihimäki Riihimäki (; ) is a town and municipality in the south of Finland, about north of Helsinki and southeast of Tampere. An important railway junction is located in Riihimäki, since railway tracks from Riihimäki lead to Helsinki, Tampere and La ...

, Finland *

Aalborg Aalborg or Ålborg ( , , ) is Denmark's List of cities and towns in Denmark, fourth largest urban settlement (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an Urban area, urban populati ...

, Denmark *

Qeqertarsuaq Qeqertarsuaq (, historically known as Godhavn) is a port and town in Qeqertalik municipality, located on the south coast of Disko Island on the west coast of Greenland. Founded in 1773, the town is now home to a campus of the University of Cop ...

, Greenland *

Fuglafjørður Fuglafjørður () is a village on Eysturoy's east coast in the Faroe Islands. Its name means "fjord of birds". The village is at the edge of a bay and expands into the surrounding steep hills. The town centre is located close to the harbour a ...

, Faroe Islands * Eastport, Maine, USA

Climate

Húsavík has either a

warm-summer humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(

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 ...

: ''Dfb'') or an oceanic climate (

: ''Cfb'') depending on the isotherm used, or , similar to much of coastal Iceland.

Daylight hours

Húsavík experiences

midnight sun Midnight sun, also known as polar day, is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the summer months in places north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle, when the Sun remains visible at the local midnight. When midnight sun is see ...

from 11 June until 29 June. Although Húsavík doesn't experience polar night in

December solstice The December solstice, also known as the southern solstice, is the solstice that occurs each December – typically on 21 December, but may vary by one day in either direction according to the Gregorian calendar. In the Northern Hemisphere, the ...

, the shortest daylight hours in Húsavík are 2 hours 45 minutes, from 11:45

UTC Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...

until 14:30

on 21 December.

Gallery

File:Husavik Harbor 2006.jpg, Húsavík harbour File:Husavik1.jpg, Church of Húsavík,

File:Husavik whales.JPG, Whales in Skjalfandi near Húsavík

References

External links

Official tourist information website Official website

Whalewatching and information about whalesHúsavík whale watching
{{DEFAULTSORT:Husavik Populated places in Northeastern Region (Iceland)