Ólafsvík

Ólafsvík is a city in the nordwestisländischen Snæfellsbær community with 991 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2009).

Geography

Ólafsvík is located on the western tip of the Snæfellsnes peninsula on Breiðafjörður and is dominated by the 415 meter high volcano Ólafsvíkurenni panel.

Southwest of Ólafsvík is the stratovolcano Snæfellsjökul. To the east of Ólafsvík the pass road leads across the plateau Fróðárheiði after Búðir ​​in southern Snæfellsnes.

History

Beginnings as a trading and fishing center

As the first settlers of Ólafsvík applies belgur in accordance with the land acquisition Ólafur book.

Early on, formed a settlement at this point. This was because of the excellent fishing grounds and the favorable landing site for the rowing boats.

Ólafsvík is the first Icelandic place that - in the 17th century, more precisely in 1687 - received a trade license from the Danish king. Until the 19th century remained an important trading center Ólafsvík.

The sailing ship Svanen

In the 18th and 19th century thought of Ólafsvík from a built in Eckernförde sailing ship, the Svanen, the connection between Iceland and Western Europe upright. They eventually sank in 1891 during a storm in the port of Ólafsvík. Your Reeder was the most prominent merchant of the place and time around, Hans A. Clausen. The people's poet Steingrímur Þorsteinsson sailed on the Svanen what inspired him to a well-known poem about the Snæfellsjökul.

School

1887 one of the first public schools in Iceland was opened in Ólafsvík. 30 years (school office) had been collected for their edification in the so-called Skólasjóð. A sports hall and a swimming pool were added only in 1970.

Parish

Ólafsvík is seat of a parish priest. The church was initially located in froda, 1892 in the village. The current church was completed in 1967. With her fish form it symbolizes the wealth of the place and Hákon Hertervig was designed. A pulpit in the interior originates from the Fróðárkirche and had been given her in 1710. The stained glass windows are the work of the artist Gerður Helgadóttir.

20th and 21st centuries

In 1900 Ólafsvík one of the largest villages in Iceland. But from 1905 made ​​him to create the lack of an accessible for motor boats harbor. Such was only built in the 1960s.

Located on a semicircular bay of the place is now important for fishing and trading center for the local farmers.

On 1 April 1990, the country was incorporated into community Fróðárhreppur Ólafsvík. The community Ólafsvík ( Isl Ólafsvíkurbær ) lost on June 11, 1994 their autonomy. It formed with the villages Staðarsveit, Breiðuvíkurhreppur and Neshreppur the new community Snæfellsbær.

Additional points of interest

In Gamla Pakkhúsið, the oldest house in the village in 1844, there is a small museum.

Transport links

For centuries Ólafsvík relatively difficult -to-reach place.

The pier for boats was exposed northern storms. Thus was from the Middle Ages to the beginning of the 17th century, the main trading port of the area in more northern Rif.

Roads for vehicles was not known in the area until the beginning of the 20th century. There was way over the Fróðárheiði between the south and north of the Snæfellsnes peninsula. But the area itself is still notorious for particularly heavy (winter ) storms.

To the west, in the direction of the Rif steep and eroded slopes of Ólafsvíkurenni (410 m) blocked the way. The path around it led to an approximately 1200 m long piece over rocks that could cross only with difficulty at low tide. From top threatened rockfalls, landslides and avalanches in winter. The mountain is the subject of a poem from the Icelandic romantic Jónas Hallgrímsson. On the east side to get through was not easier before the construction of the road 54. There, the eroded rock outcrop Búlandshöfði blocked the way.

The Ólafsvíkurenni to have inhabited a nasty troll woman to land acquisition time. She has, according to legend Ingjaldur, the first settlers of the area, created and thrown him on his farm Ingjaldshóll with stones.

The first way was passable by normal car, only in 1963 was blasted into the hillside. The existing road today is from 1983. Alte way links can be above and below quite clearly.

Daughters and sons

  • Erró ( born 1932 ), painter
  • Jóhannes Jónsson (1896-1932), writer

Population figures ( Ólafsvíkurhreppur )

Twinning

615467
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