Ísafjördur in Skutulsfjördur, the capital of the Westfjords, is a unique town. Bright in the summer, pitch dark in the winter. About three thousand people live there, out of the eight thousand who inhabit the entire Westfjords. Ísafjördur Municipality, which was formed in 1996, when Flateyri, Þingeyri, and Sudureyri, along with the sparsely populated areas in Önundarfjördur, Súgandafjördur, and Dýrafjördur merged with Ísafjördur, creating a municipality where over half of the Westfjords’ population resides. In 1900, Ísafjördur was the second-largest town in the country, with just over twelve hundred residents, home to the largest saltfish processing facility in Iceland, at a time when saltfish was Iceland’s largest export product. Remnants of this history can be seen when walking around the town. Large, beautiful houses, built as stately homes over a hundred years ago. Icelandic Times visited the capital and enjoyed capturing on film a town that is exceptionally picturesque, especially in the summer. Ísafjördur is close to Reykjavík, just half an hour by plane, and nearly five hours by car.
Ísafjörður 29/07/2024 : RX1R II, A7C R, A7R IV – 2.0/35mm Z, FE 1.8/20mm G, FE 1.2/50mm GM, FE 2.8/100m GM – Photo & text : Páll Stefánsson
