Vík í Mýrdal

Vik í Mýrdal (Eng. " bay on the marshy valley " ) is the southernmost town on the mainland Islands and lies in the Icelandic community Mýrdalur.

On 1 January 2009, the city had 298 inhabitants. Vik is an important service and supply center dar. for residents around the Mýrdalsjökull

Geography

Vik í Mýrdal located south of Heiðarvatn lake on the south coast of Iceland. North West of the town is the mountain Reynisfjall, a good observation for ornithologists. There you can find in June and July many puffins and fulmars. The volcanic peninsula Dyrhólaey located south of Dyrhólaós and is located approximately 6 km west of the village. By Vik the river Víkurá flows into the Atlantic. Further east is the river Uxafótarlækur.

History

In the vicinity of Vik in August 1964 and launched in the summer of 1965, the French space agency CNES two French sounding rockets of the type Dragon 1 from a mobile launcher. The rocket reached a height between 420 km and 451 km.

Culture and sights

• The place has to have a famous beach. This consists of black lava. The sea in front is often wild and troubled. In 1991, the beach was elected by the " Islands Magazine" as one of the 10 most beautiful beaches in the world.
• On the beach there are black rock pinnacles, Dykes, the Reynisdrangar, " Skessudrangur ", " Landdrangur " and " Langsamur ". Legend has it that trolls wanted to bring a ship to shore and had been petrified it.
• On the beach there is the northern statue " The Traveler " - created by the Icelandic sculptor Steinunn Thorarinsdottir. An identical second copy - the southern statue - is located on the beach in the British city of Hull. Both figures thus form an imaginary bridge between the two island states.
• The memorial stone Iceland fisheries, which reminds perished at German deep-sea fishermen off Iceland and Icelandic helper, is also located on the beach.

Transport and Infrastructure

Vik i Myrdal is one of the few coastal places in Iceland who have no port. The distance to the Icelandic capital Reykjavik is 187 road miles. The place is situated by Iceland 's most important street, the Hringvegur.

Vik has besides supply infrastructure from a youth hostel, two hotels, a campsite with a swimming pool and a woolen factory warehouse sale, both of clothes and souvenirs.