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    The other Húsavík

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Vestfirðir of course

Editorial
In a 2021 survey by the Tourism Council, it was evident that eight out of ten tourists who...

Finding Inspiration in Icelandic Nature

Jenna Gottlieb
Elínborg Jóhannesdóttir Ostermann Elínborg will hold her fourth exhibition in Iceland in April at Gallerí Fold on 22...

Beautiful & sparsely populated 

Editorial
The least populated, and also the most remote municipality in Iceland, is Árneshreppur at Strandir, in the Westfjords....

Glorious Dýrafjörður

Editorial
Dýrafjörður lies between Arnarfjörður and Önundarfjörður in the Westfjords. The fjord is over 30 km long, and 9...

Barðastrandasýslur in beautiful weather

Editorial
There are few who travel through the two small Barðastrandar counties (Barðastrandarsýslur), which stretch from Gilsfjörður to Látrabjarg,...

The history, the land and the calm

Editorial
The history, the land and the calm The other day I heard a meteorologist talking about the weather...

Going 100 Years Back in Time

Editorial
Flatey in Breiðafjörður was, for many centuries, a large farm and one of the leading trading places in...

Westernmost part of Europe

Editorial
Patreksfjörður in the Westfjords is the westernmost town in Europe. From Reykjavík it’s 400 km / 240 mi...

Spooky houses

Editorial
Spooky houses In the middle of the Cold War, in 1953, the Americans built a military base and...

Kjaransbraut, the most beautiful road in Iceland?

Editorial
Kjaransbraut, the most beautiful road in Iceland? There is no road in Iceland as rugged as Kjaransbraut. The...

A shallow pool in the deep

Editorial
Hörgshlíðarlaug Pool in the eastern part of Mjóifjörður in Ísafjarðardjúp is a concrete swimming pool that is 6...

The historical Arnarfjörður

Editorial
The land and history in Arnarfjörður Where is the best weather in Iceland? It’s possibly in Arnarfjörður. In...

The Musical Dynjandi

Editorial
The Dynjandi waterfall in Arnarfjörður in the Westfjords is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the country....

Into the Wild Westfjods

Editorial
Discover Iceland “the Westfjords Way” The Westfjords are an unmissable region of Iceland. Here, you will find steep...
Breiðafjörður

Birds in Breiðafjörður

Editorial
Breiðafjörður is an expansive and shallow bay located on the west coast of Iceland. The bay is the...
Icelandic Seaweed

Seaweed Mecca of Iceland

Editorial
Reaping the Health Benefits of Seaweed and Kelp “I have sometimes said that Reykhólar is the seaweed mecca...
Borðeyri revisits its amazing heritage “… to get commerce into the hands of the Icelanders so that the dividend goes to the natives and not out of the country.” By Hrútafjörður – Fjord of Rams – in the North-west of Iceland is the tiny village Borðeyri which literally means Plank at Sea. Borðeyri with sixteen inhabitants in 2018 is rich in history as it was one of Iceland’s busiest anchorage that dates back to the Settlement of Iceland in the 8th century. It was Ingimundur gamli – Old Ingimundur – the Viking settler at Hof in nearby Vatnsdalur who named the Fjord as he saw two Rams running down the hills as well as a huge plank by the sea-side. Hrútafjördur is a long fjord south of Húnaflói – Bay of Bears. Ingimundur gamli fought along with Norwegian king Harald Fairhair in the historical battle at Hafangursfjord 872. The story goes that Ingimundur gamli later gave the King two Polar Bears cubs captured in Iceland. The gift was well appreciated as Polar Bears had never before been seen in Norway. Ingimundur gamli was held in high esteem in the country of his ancestors. Tale of mixed fortunes During Iceland’s Commonwealth era 930-1262, Bordeyri was a quite busy anchorage but as Iceland came under Norse rule 1262 and later Danish rule in the late 1300’s during the Kalmar Union as Norway collapsed, Bordeyri gradually declined. During the dark Monopoly Trade Period 1602-1787 there are no recorded ship arrivals as it was forbidden to trade at Borðeyri with Iceland being a colony sold to highest trading bidders. However Borðeyri got township by law from Althing in 1846 as Iceland started its road to freedom and the tiny village was quite busy well into the 20th century. The first ship to sail to Borðeyri arrived in June 1848. Slowly but surely traffic increased and hundreds of farmers and their spouses gathered in the busy village to trade aboard the ships. Pétur Eggerz (1831-1892) educated in Great Britain is recognized as Borðeyri’s founding father. He was the first merchant to move to Borðeyri. Eggerz built a turf farm in 1858 and two years later warehouse and in 1860’s Eggerz built the faktorshouse. His son Sigurður Eggerz 1875-1945 was Iceland’s Prime Minister 1914-15 and 1922-24. In 1870 Pétur Eggerz along with his brother-in-law Páll Vídalín and farmers in the district established a Community Store at the Faktorshouse. Their vision was clear as to “… get commerce into the hands of the Icelanders so that the dividend goes to the natives and not out of the country.” Eggerz became store manager. The Faktorshouse later became known as the Riis-house named after merchant Richard Riis who later moved to Borðeyri. Quest for sovereignty Iceland’s quest for sovereignty started in the late 1900’s and in 1904 the country got home rule and Sovereignty in 1918 with a Danish King. Iceland declared Independence in 1944 when the Danes were occupied by nazi Germany in World War II while Borðeyri was occupied by the British 1940-1943. Borðeyri was by then well and alive with main actor being Kaupfélag Hrútfirðinga – Fjord of Ramsers Co-Op, member of Iceland’s Co-Operative Society by then far the largest company in Iceland. However the Co-Op crumbled in the early 1990’s when 20th century Iceland started to say farewell, as did Borðeyri. Plássið, in translation The Place, being the old Borðeyri of ten houses with 16 inhabitants, was in April 2019 declared protectorate by Iceland’s Cultural Ministry. The rebuilding is underway as Borðeyri revisits its amazing heritage.

Borðeyri revisits its amazing heritage

Hallur Hallsson
“… to get commerce into the hands of the Icelanders so that the dividend goes to the natives...

WEST TOURS for the Westfjords

Editorial
The expert on travels in the entire Westfjords peninsula The Westfjords are an amazing peninsula characterized by steep,...

Culture and Nature in the Westfjords

Editorial
Þingeyri is an ideal base in the Westfjords, with museums in town and nature nearby. Þingeyri is a...

Enjoy the Culture of the Westfjords

Jenna Gottlieb
  Enjoy the Culture of the Westfjords Explore the region’s history at the Westfjords Heritage Museum while visiting...
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