The island was first settled in 930 A.D., although some sorces claim that fishing village had been established there much earlier and that, by that time, Isish monks had already been to Heimaey, too.

Living in Vestmannaeyjar
In Vestmannaeyjar live about 4600 residents and economy is primarily based on commercial fishing. Over 50 fishing vessels work out from Vestmannaeyjar employing 500 people. Two large fishing plants and several smaller ones employ another 400 residents.
The island has a hospital, retirement home and apartments for the elderly, several nursery schools, two elementary schools and one secondary school. A scientific research institude operates in cooperation with the University of Iceland and the town of Vestmannaeyjar.

Nature and geology
The Vestmannaeyjar´s natural majesy is rich sea and bird life and the island is also home to a burgeoning ecotourism industry. Visitors can tour the island both on land and sea and a visit to the aquarium devoted to local wildlife is an experience one should not miss.
The Vestmannaeyjar archipelago is group of 15 islands first formed by volcanic eruptions some 10.000 years ago. The latest island, Surtsey, formed in 1963 in an eruption from the bottom of the ocean.
An eruption on Heimaey in 1973 destroyed 417 houses and the island needed to be evacuated durring the night. Over 5000 town residents left in a hurry on sea or air and the eruption added a total of 250 million cubic meters of new volcanic material to the island. To save the port people used sea to stop and re-direct the lava flow and today the Vestmannaeyjar port is good, one of the best in the world in fact.

Puffins
The puffin colony in Vestmannaeyjar is the largest in the world. Millions of Atlantic puffins return to Vestmannaeyjar each spring and summer and provide base for a traditional, seasonal industry. Residents collect puffin eggs and hunt birds using nets, according to an elaborate and age-old set of rules and ethics. Annucal catches do not exceed 1% of the total puffin population.

Sports
The island is well known for cliff-hanging, a sport centuries old and involves climbing and descending the island´s most dramatic rock formations using ropes suspended from the clifftops. Children and teenagers still practice this sport for its own sake as well as a puffin-hunting technique. Island´s children also save young puffins that have lost their way and direct them to the ocean. They also compete which puffin flies the farest.

Interesting places
Two overlooks with interpretive signage give breathtaking views of Klettsvik Bay and the town of Vestmannaeyjar. East of Eldfell is a monument to Guðlaugur Fridþórsson, who swam for six hours to reach shore in 1984, when his boat sank five kilometers east of Heimaey.
At Hamarinn, on western Heimaey, there is a monument to Jón Vigfússon, who in 1928, scaled what is considered an unclimbable vertical cliff after his boat stranded, thereby saving the lives of his comrades as well as his own.
A small sanctuary or oasis in the middle of the lava field called Eldfellshraun is cultivated by Erlendur Stefánsson and Guðfinna Ólafsdóttir. It throws into high relief the great contrasts in Vestmannaeyjar landscape.

Activities
One of the best 18 hole golf courses in Iceland can be found on the island. It is situated in an old volcanic crater under steep cliffs. In spring there is a deep-sea fishing contest and a jazz festival. In summer the islanders host the national soccer tournaments for children and the annual islands festival is in August. Cliffscaling on ropes, can be observed, horses can be rented and many marked hiking trails up volcanoes, over lava fields and through puffin colonies interest visitors. Bird watching is great on the island and the island has a good swimming pool with sauna and hot tubs. A movie about the eruption and rebuilding of the town can be seen and the Folk and Art Museum should not be missed.