The weather was incredible in Siglufjörður this Sunday when the Icelandic Times passed through the town in over 20 ° C / 68 ° F heat and blazing sun. Siglufjörður, which is in Eyjafjörður to the west, has a remarkable history. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Norwegians started fishing for herring in the north, and in a short time Siglufjörður, then a village of 20 people, became one of the country’s main herring farms. By 1950, Siglufjörður had become the fifth largest town in the country, with close to 4,000 inhabitants and another equal number of migrant workers at the height of the summer season. The herring then disappeared due to overfishing in 1968, and the population decreased rapidly. 1165 people live in this beautiful historic town now, and the population is increasing. One of the reasons for that are improved transportation but Héðinsfjarðargöng tunnel, which were opened in 2021, changed transport to Siglufjörður for the better. Both for tourists and locals. The Herring Museum in Siglufjörður is one of the most prestigious museums in the country and the only museum in Iceland to have received the European Museum Prize.
Siglufjörður 18/07/2021 16:58 35mm
Photograph and Text : Páll Stefánsson
