Akureyri - North Iceland

Akureyri is one of the oldest towns in the country and has been a commercial port and market town since the 16th Century. Today, this “capital city of the North” boasts a population of over 15.000 people. It is regarded as the commercial centre of North Iceland, with a steady base in fisheries, agriculture and services. Tourism has recently increased the economy of Akureyri considerably with the numbers of visitors going up. This, in turn has helped local enterprise to flourish and Akureyri now offers an array of interesting shops, a wide range of accommodation, a rich cultural life, various recreation facilities and improved roads and transport.

I would particularly like to mention two places of interest. The first is our Folk Museum where there is an interesting exhibition from the time when this area was originally settled and its development. The second is our Botanical Gardens and park in the heart of town. It is one of its kind and has over 400 indigenous species as well as many other exotic plants.

One could say that the summer has been our busiest time of year for tourism but this is rapidly changing and Akuryeri is fast becoming one of the winter “hotspots”. We have fantastic facilities here for all sorts of snow and winter fun. Our ski-slopes are a mere 5 km from the town centre. Akureyri is also well located for sightseeing tours and we have much to offer that is within an hour’s radius. E.g. Lake Mývatn, whale-watching in Húsavík, daily flights to Grímsey on the Arctic Circle, etc.

Historical Snippets

The mouth of the fjord Eyjafjordur is only 40 km from the Arctic Circle (66°N) but the fjord itself is about 65 km long and then the valley continues a further 50 km inland. Akureyri is located at the base of the fjord and regarded as the capital of North Iceland. Eyjafjordur is surrounded by high impressive mountain ranges, many of which are flat on top as a result from plateaus caused by volcanic lava during the tertiary period about 5-10 million years ago. The bedrock beneath Akureyri is mainly basalt layers from the same era. During the last ice-age, the valleys and dales of the area were filled by glaciers and in conjunction with the volcanic activity it formed the landscape of Akureyri. The area was completely uninhabited and existed peacefully until the first Viking ships sailed into the fjord around 890. According to the book of Settlers, Helgi magri and Þórunn hyrna were the first to settle here.

Akureyri – the town on the fjord

Akureyri (field banks) was not recorded for certain until 1562. The name of the town is ancient and connected to agriculture and its development originally associated with shops and export of agricultural produce. The Danish commercial monopoly was lifted in Iceland in 1787 and Akureyri was one of six places to get market rights at the time. The stores were still mostly owned by Danish or descended keepers due to Iceland being part of the Danish Kingdom. Many positive influences were left in Akureyri by the Danes, such as potato patches, tree growing, architectural style and culture.

The actual old part of Akureyri is located on a narrow gravel bank which lies beneath Búðargil as a result of deposits brought by the river which ran down the gully. The first buildings of the town were raised there, with the oldest building Laxdalshús (Hafnarstræti 11), built in 1795.

Oddeyri, the next oldest section, was an ancient meeting place and is mentioned in the sagas of Viga-Glúmssaga and Ljósvetningasaga. This was where the last Catholic Bishop of Iceland, Jón Arason and his sons, were charged with high treason in 1551. The area of Oddeyri was under the control of Gránufélag which was the first time that Icelanders traded (established in 1872).

The outskirts to the north of the town was bordered by the river Glerá. The suburb that developed on the other side of the river was called “Glerá village” and after joining the council in 1955, the name was changed to Glerá suburb but locals still call it by its original name or even “the village”.

Other usefull Akureyri links:

• Interesting places

• Growth and greenery

• Art and culture

• Hiking and trails

• Sports and Recreation

• Shopping and Nightlife

• Economy and Society

• Map of Akureyri