Garður

64.070555555556 - 22.651111111111Koordinaten: 64 ° 4 ' N, 22 ° 39 ' W

Garður (English Garden, Wall ) is a place and a separate municipality in Iceland at the northern tip of the Reykjanes peninsula, located 10 kilometers north of Keflavik on the road No. 45 On 1 January 2011 Garður had 1,452 inhabitants.

Name

Originally called the place Skagagarður, that is, the Garden / Wall of the peninsula. It has a wall of that name actually discovered on site from the 10th century, ranging from the Útskálakirkja in Garður until after Kirkjubol ( Miðnes ).

History

The town was once an important fishing center and trading center, although the port conditions to date are not particularly good. The peninsula was inhabited by Garður rich and very dense, so lived here in 1910 already 647 inhabitants, a great place for Iceland at that time.But Sandgerði and Keflavík later withdrew the jobs. Traces of ancient settlements have been preserved. So there are three fish factories in the town.

Management and Services

Meanwhile, many people commute to Keflavík or Reykjavík, so that the total population has increased in recent years from 1,065 inhabitants in 1988 to 1,452 inhabitants at the beginning of 2011.

The Grunnskóli one of the oldest schools in the country (founded in 1872). There are also nursery schools, a health center, the local government, a sports center with swimming pool.

For tourists, there is a campground and a pension, in addition serve a post office, a bank and a gas station next to shops to the needs of the inhabitants.

Flora and Fauna

One of the two lighthouses ( the big one) is also used for bird watching. Breed here in early summer V.A. migratory birds like the Canada goose and the arctic tern as well as many species of gulls.

When setting up camp at the lighthouses one has a good view and, if the weather cooperates, sometimes watching whales and dolphins as well as rare and seals.

A hiking trail leads along the coast and Sandgerði, but which can be covered with kelp and peas herb that has broken down from the last storm. Especially the beach of Garður is because it is located at the entrance of the bay Faxaflói, particularly exposed to the force of the open sea.

Kirkjubol

The former farm Kirkjubol near Garður was mostly inhabited by rich peasants and the upper class of the country. So it is understandable that there took place also historically important events.

In 1433, as the Chronicle reports, came a group of men with the bishop Jón of Skálholt to visit. Among them was one who had in vain for the hand of Margaret, daughter of the Danish governor, stopped. At that time, the farm was owned by the governor. The Rejected set fire to the daughter escaped the only one. She vowed to marry the man who would take revenge, and did. There was a man from the north.

In addition, it is reported that the Dane Kristian, who had the execution of the last Catholic bishop of Iceland, Jón Arason passed, was killed with his men here in 1551. It was subsequently reported apparitions. This ended in a rather peculiar way: They dug the bodies out and buried then the heads of the people in the Po of the Danish king ( see also history of Iceland ).

Museums

In the two lighthouses, one of which is from 1897, the other is from the year 1944, is a regional museum with finds from sunken near Garður ships and equipment from the daily life of the inhabitants.