Patreksfjörður (, ) is a

fishing village A fishing village is a village, usually located near a fishing ground, with an economy based on catching fish and harvesting seafood. The continents and islands around the world have coastlines totalling around 356,000 kilometres (221,000 ...

in 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 ...

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 ...

. It was an important fishing and trading post until the Icelandic government's introduction of a fishing quota in 1990. Administratively, it is part of the municipality of

Vesturbyggð Vesturbyggð () is a municipality located in the Westfjords in Iceland. The municipality includes the towns of Patreksfjörður, with 721 inhabitants; Tálknafjörður, with 261 inhabitants; Bíldudalur, with 238 inhabitants; and Krossholt, wi ...

. It is the westernmost settlement of Iceland.

Etymology

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 Settlements'')a medieval record of Norse settlements in IcelandPatreksfjörður was named after Bishop Patrick of the Hebrides who was the spiritual guide of Örlygur Hrappson, the first settler of the area who also came from the

Hebrides The Hebrides ( ; , ; ) are the largest archipelago in the United Kingdom, off the west coast of the Scotland, Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Ou ...

History

Patreksfjörður has been settled by farmers since at least the 9th century. However, like most coastal villages, it did not grow to the size of a village until the late 18th century, when Iceland experienced a fishing boom. The village became an important fishing and trading post and experienced another finishing boom at the turn of the 20th century. In 1990, the introduction of a national fishing quota by the Icelandic government prompted many residents of the historically self-sufficient village to leave.

Geography

Patreksfjörður is located in the south of the

peninsula, from the Icelandic capital

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 ...

. Administratively, Patreksfjörður is part of the municipality of

, along with Tálknafjörður and Bíldudalur. It is the westernmost settlement of Iceland. The Látrabjarg cliffs, Rauðisandur beach, and Dynjandi waterfalls are situated nearby. Natural

hot spring A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring produced by the emergence of Geothermal activity, geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow ...

s and an outdoor swimming pool are also within driving distance of the village center.

Climate

Patreksfjörður has a

tundra climate The tundra climate is a polar climate sub-type located in high latitudes and high mountains. It is classified as ET according to the Köppen climate classification. It is a climate which at least one month has an average temperature high enough ...

Architecture

Most houses in Patreksfjörður were built in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.

Demographics

The population of Patreksfjörður declined following the imposition of a national fishing quota by the Icelandic government. In 1981, the village had about 1,000 residents; , the population was approximately 720 people.

Economy

Despite the fishing quota, fishing and fish processing are still the primary economic activities of Patreksfjörður. Salmon fishing in particular has grown in popularity. Tourism is also a growing industry in the village, with many residents working in the service sector.

Education

Snæfellsnes Peninsula High School has a small branch in Patreksfjörður.

Transport

The nearest airport with scheduled flights is

Bíldudalur Airport Bíldudalur Airport is an airport serving Bíldudalur, a village in the Vesturbyggð municipality in the Westfjords of Iceland. The runway is south-southeast of the village. Flights that land in Northern direction, which is common, have to pas ...

, from Patreksfjörður. There are scheduled buses from Patreksfjörður to Bíldudalur Airport, as well as to the nearby villages of Bíldudalur and Tálknafjörður. Patreksfjörður Airport was an airport located across the fjord, about south of the town; it closed in 2011 after being non-operational since 2000.

Notable people

* Leiknir Jónsson, Olympic swimmer

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Patreksfjordur Populated places in Westfjords