Víkingaheimar

NJARDVÍK, NAVEL OF THE UNIVERSE?

It is an exaggeration to call Njarðvík the navel of the universe, but Innri-Njarðvík, which Icelandic Times / Land & Saga visited, probably receives more tourists than any other settlement in Iceland. It’s a pity that most people don’t stop at all, just drive straight ahead along the Keflavík road to Reykjavík. Njarðvík is a part of Reykjanesbær, the fourth largest municipality in the country, but most travelers continue from the international airport in Keflavík, to Gullfoss, Skógafoss, Dettifoss or east to Dyrhóley. Yes, and to Reykjavík, where Hallgrímskirkja, the Icelandic Museum of Art, and a wide variety of restaurants attract tourists. Ytri and Innri-Njarðvík together with Keflavík form Reykjanesbær, after the towns merged exactly thirty years ago. There is and was a lot of music and basketball that characterize Reykjanesbær and with Keflavík Airport located in the municipality, almost all tourists who come to the country first set foot on the Icelandic ground. After a long flight, it’s good to rest your bones and enjoy, even if it’s only for a moment in Innri-Njarðvík.

Hrafna-Flóki, which gave Iceland its name, by the American sculptor Mark J. Ebbert outside Víkingheimar, a gift from the Americans on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Republic
Hrafna-Flóki, which gave Iceland its name, by the American sculptor Mark J. Ebbert outside Víkingheimar, a gift from the Americans on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Republic
Víkingaheimar
On Víkingatorg by Víkingabraut, an enlarged replica of Kaldárshöfðasverð that was found at Úlfljótsvatn in 1946, supposedly a possession of a great ruler in the ninth century..
Stapakot, in the front, built around 1850 by fishermen, opened as a renovated museum in 1993, Víkingaheimar in the distance
Monument to Jón Þorkelsson born in Innri-Njarðvík in 1697, by Ríkaður Jónsson unveiled in 1965. Jón fought for improvements in the nation’s education, being a great man of education himself, and bequeathed all his possessions, after his day, to the education of children in the southwest corner. He died rich in Kaupmannahöfn, the capital of Iceland in 1759
Innri-Njarðvíkur church consecrated in 1886

Inni-Njarðvík 16/03/2024 : A7R IV, RX1R II : FE 2.8/100mm GM, FE 1.2/50mm GM, 2.0/35mm Z
Photographs & text: Páll Stefánsson