Hafnir

Hafnir (Eng. " ports " ) is a small town in southwestern Iceland, on the west side of the Reykjanes Peninsula, located on the southern shore of the bay Ósar.

On 1 January 2009 Hafnir had 142 inhabitants. The distance to the capital Reykjavík is about 50 kilometers.

Previously Hafnir was an important trading post and fishing village. The formerly independent municipality Hafnahreppur closed in 1994 along with Keflavík and Njarðvík the municipality Reykjanesbær.

Worth mentioning are the small rotbedachte and dark wooden church Kirkjuvogskirkja of 1861 as well as the marine aquarium. Five kilometers south of the village is the steep bird cliffs Hafnarberg.

In 1870 here was a ghost ship, the Jamestown, washed up without a crew, but with a full load of wood. Even today, there is this wood in numerous buildings of the town.

During archaeological excavations here were the remains of a farm from the 9th century, the time of the Conquest, have been found.

On the coast in the north of Hafnir since the 15th century, a trading post was named Básendar. A footpath leads from Hafnir to the north and around the bay, on which there was the place.

Daughters and sons of Hafnir

The sailors Jón Brandsson, Vilhjálmur Hákornarson, Sigurdur Ísleifsson and Ketill Ketilson came from Hafnir. They landed on 3 June 1844 on the rocky island Eldey and killed the last two copies of the Great Auk to sell the bellows a Danish collector.