Flatey, Breiðafjörður

Template: Infobox Island / Maintenance / surface missing template: Infobox Island / Maintenance / height missing

Flatey is the largest island in the fjord Breiðafjörður in Iceland.

The island is populated and holding station a ferry that crosses the fjord from the south to north and from Stykkishólmur traveling on the Snæfellsnes peninsula to Brjánslækur in the ( West Fjords ).

History

The same community ( Isl Flateyjarhreppur ) was incorporated in July 1987 after Reykhólar.

The settlement history of the island dates back to the time of the Conquest, as according Landnámabók a certain Þrándur mjóbeinn the islands west of Bjarnareyjarflói took possession. Since that time the island was continuously inhabited, and also an important trading center, which is occupied in a document from 1777.

In 1172 a monastery on the island was established, however, that already in 1184 the Helgafell ( Helgafellssveit ) was transferred Stykkishólmur. However, it has yet today leave visible traces on the island. So have some names like Klaustarhólur attention to the former location, even the holy water bowl is structured as a Klaustursteinn reportedly still visible.

Still in the first half of the 20th century many people lived on Flatey, which had at that time, inter alia, to have their own doctor. On 1 January 2011 were still reported in Flatey 10 inhabitants. In summer, however, the owners of summer houses and tourists will be added.

Literature and Film

The island is famous as the center of Icelandic culture and that is primarily the literature. Medieval manuscripts from the 14th century are Flateyarannáll and the manuscript Flateyjarbók, which are part of the annals. When Flateyjarbók is one of the best known medieval Icelandic manuscripts at all, the manuscript collection of many sagas. It was not written on the island, but kept there temporarily and thus was her name. In the 17th century it came into the possession of Brynjólfur Sveinsson, the then Bishop of Skálholt, which she gave to the Danish king. Only in 1971 she returned to Iceland.

Even in the 19th century Flatey was still considered important place of culture, etc because of the local publication of an influential magazine and one of the first public libraries in the country.

Flatey is also the Handlungsort of the detective novel " The Count of Flatey " the Icelandic author Viktor Arnar Ingólfsson. The Icelandic original of this book is entitled " Flateyjargáta ". The acting in the 1960 novel refers to the manuscript Flateyjarbók.

Flatey served several times as a backdrop for movies, among other things, there Nonni and Manni the television series was filmed.