Svalbarðseyri

Svalbarðseyri is the capital of the municipality Svalbarðseyri in northern Iceland. On 1 January 2009, the city had 239 inhabitants.

Geography

The town is located on the eastern shore of the Eyjafjörður north of the town of Akureyri. East of the town is the Vaðlaheiði and the wooded Fnjóskadalur. North of Svalbarðseyri is the mountain pass Víkurskarð. In Svalbarðseyri the river Ljótsstaðaá in Eyjafjörður opens.

History

Svalbarðseyri is a former trading post: Iceland's first and oldest Kaupfélag, a kind of trade association, which was founded in 1882 Kaupfélag Þingeyinga, began his work in 1885 in the village. The place was built in 1894 the town charter granted. Norwegians built and in 1900 operated a salt herring station.

Culture and sights

Safnasafnið ( "the Icelandic Folk and Outsider Art Museum ") is an art museum founded in 1995 near the town.

The church of the village, Svalbarðskirkja, was built in 1957.

Economy and infrastructure

In Svalbarðseyri there is a meat processing factory, a primary school, a swimming pool, guest houses and a small sports court.

Traffic

East of the town runs the Hringvegur, Iceland's most important thoroughfare. A small, orange lighthouse ( Svalbarðseyrarviti ) is located in the village on the banks of Eyjafjörður.