Vopnafjörður

East Iceland

 

Vopnafjörður (VPN)

Location

Vopnafjörður is a beautiful village in Northeast Iceland, located on Tangi Peninsula in the middle of Vopnafjörður bay. It is surrounded by beautiful nature, a scenic coastline, beautiful seacliffs, picturesque mountains and waterfalls. The area is rich of history. Many historical farms are in the area, including Bustarfell, one of the best preserved turf houses in the country.

Vopnafjörður municipality has a population of 660.  The main industries are fishing and processing of the fish, agriculture and tourism.

History

The bay of Vopnafjörður was first settled by Vikings from Norway in the late 9th century. The name Vopnafjördur means Weapon Fjord and comes from the nickname of one of the settlers, Eyvindur vopni. Vopnafjörður has it own Saga, Vopfirðinga Saga, which tells about the conflicts between local chiefs in the 10th century. Little is known about the history of Vopnafjörður in the time Iceland was ruled by Norway (1264-1380). During the monopoly trade in the 17th and 18th centuries, Vopnafjörður served as one of Iceland's major trading places. It was the main port of departure during Icelandic emigration to America from 1870-1914 when about 20% of the nation left the country hoping for a better life in the West.

The Danish trading company Ørum & Wulff started operating in Vopnafjörður in the beginning of the 19th century. It lead to building of a number of beautiful houses and the village of Vopnafjörður starded to form.  One of those houses, Kaupvangur, built in 1882 and completely restored in 2005, is considered to be one of the most beautiful buildings in the town. Today, Kaupvangur serves as a center with various cultural activites.

 

Activites

The beautiful nature surrounding the town offers great variety of outdoor activities. There are several hiking routes to choose from, they vary from being challenging mountain paths to easy walks around the town. Many of the trails lead through natural pearls such as significan rock pillars and beautiful birdcliffs.  A nice way to learn about the history of the area is to walk around the village, where number of signs with historical information have been placed.

Vopnafjörður is known for great salmon rivers, such as Selá and Hofsá. Some fine fishing lakes are also in the area.

12 km from the village of Vopnafjörður is Selárlaug swimming pool, located at the banks of Selá river. It is famouse for the beautiful surroundings.

The 9 hole golf course in Vopnafjörður also boast of beautiful surroundings, it is located on a hillside and can therefore be challenging for players.

The East Iceland Emigration Center is located in Vopnafjörður. This center is an organization of volunteers who are interested in re-establishing contact with the descendants of people to left in the 19th century. Most of these people moved to Canada and every year many descendants of these emigrants visit Iceland to explore their roots and connect with relatives.

Norlandair has 5 scheduled flights per week between Akureyri and Vopnafjörður. For further information see our flight schedule.