Hofsós () is one of the oldest trading ports in northern

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

dating back to the 16th century. The tiny village Hofsós in the Northern Region in Iceland was a rather busy trading post in the 17th and 18th century, but despite the merchant activities this small village did not develop into a larger village or a town in the 20th century. Hofsós had all the historical prerequisites to become a large town. It was a trading post for the Danish Trade Monopoly, it was not far away from the fishing grounds, it was central in the region, and it had a relatively good landing spot for boats. The

Drangey Drangey () or Drang Isle is an island in the Skagafjörður fjord in northern Iceland. It is the remnant of a 700,000‑year‑old volcano, mostly made of volcanic palagonite tuff, forming a massive rock fortress. The island was first mentioned ...

Exhibition is in Pakkhús, the Hofsós warehouse built in 1777, during the time of the trading monopoly. Massacre hill farm (''Mannskaðaholl'') at the south end of Lake

Höfðavatn Höfðavatn () is a lagoon-like lake in northern Iceland. It is located in the municipality of Skagafjörður. Geography Höfðavatn lies at the fjord of Skagafjörður about 7 km north of the village of Hofsós Hofsós () is one of the oldest ...

, is named for the massacre of English marauders, which took place there in 1431. Other services offered are accommodation in guesthouses, a restaurant, coffee-house, and a camping site. There are also pleasant walks along the shore with good examples of hexagonal basalt columns. Thorðarhöfði headland rises like an island some distance from the main shore. It is connected to land by low sandpits impounding a considerable lake with rich bird life and good trout fishing.

Overview

Hofsós, with a population of about 200 individuals, is located 37 km east from

Sauðárkrókur Sauðárkrókur () is a town on the Skagafjörður in northern Iceland. It is the seat of both the Sveitarfélagið Skagafjörður ('Municipality of Skagafjörður') and the Northwestern Region. Sauðárkrókur is the largest town in Northw ...

. The economy has been based mainly on the fishing industry as well as services to the neighboring farms. This was largely due to its natural harbor. In recent years Hofsós has built itself up as a tourist attraction and has

The Icelandic Emigration Center ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

(''Vesturfarasetrið á Hofsósi''), dedicated to the westward migration to North America of Icelanders that reached its peak at the start of the 19th century.

References

External links

More information and photos about Hofsós on Hit IcelandVesturfarasetrið á Hofsósi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hofsos Populated places in Northwestern Region (Iceland)