| World / Iceland / Vestfirdir / Isafjordur, 1 km from center | Coordinates: 66°4'14"N 23°7'46"W |
Small town in West Fjords with economy based on cod fishing. One of the most scenic areas of Iceland surround a lively town with good food, beer, and cheap accomodation.
There's a pizza place on the main road in town that serves a local awesome treat, fiskur pizzur... Fish pizza, you won't be disappointed.
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Ísafjörður (ice fjord in Icelandic) is the capital of the Westfjords (Vestfirðir) region of Iceland. With a population of about 3,000, Ísafjörður is the largest town in the Westfjords. It is located on a spit of sand, or eyri, in the Skutulsfjördur fjord which meets the waters of the larger Isafjarðardjúp fjord.
The town is connected via road to Bolungarvík which lies 15 km to the northwest of Ísafjörður, and to the small town of Suðavik to the east. The one-lane Vestfirðir Tunnel, completed in 1996, leads to the small towns Flateyri and Suðureyri, as well as the more southern parts of the Westfjords. Ísafjörður also has an airport with regular flights to Reykjavík.
Fishing has been the main industry in Ísafjörður, and the town has one of the largest fisheries in Iceland. A vast decline in the fishing industry, due to many reasons such as political fishing restrictions in the early eighties and natural causes, has lead the inhabitants to seek work elsewhere making the population numbers decreasing with every year. There is also an electronics company based in the town which is related to the fishing industry. The harbor also serves ferries to nearby settlements as well as larger cruise ships for tourists visiting the area.
The town has a rather urban atmosphere despite its small number of inhabitants. Ísafjörður has a school of music as well as a hospital. The older former hospital building now accommodates a cultural center with a library and showrooms. In the Aðalstræti (main street) is the art gallery Slunkariki, where international works are shown, as well as those by Icelandic artists.
History
According to the Landnámabók (the Icelandic book of settlement), Skutulsfjördur was first settled by Helgi Magri Hrólfsson in the 9th century. In the 16th century the town grew in size due to its establishment as a trading post for foreign merchants. Witch trials were common around the same time throughout the Westfjords, and many people were banished to the nearby peninsula of Hornstrandir, now a national nature reserve. The town of Ísafjörður was granted municipal status in 1786.
The local folk museum contains the oldest house in Iceland, built in 1734. The largest collection of old timber frame houses in Iceland is in this area. The houses were mostly contructed by foreign traders in the late 18th century. These include Tjöruhús (completed in 1742), Krambúð (1761), and Turnhús (1744) which now contains a maritime museum.
Category: pizza fish iceland city
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