Bolungarvík
Encyclopedia
Bolungarvík is a fishing village and municipality in the North-West of Iceland
, located at the Vestfirðir peninsula
, approximately 14 kilometres from the town of Ísafjörður
and 473 km from the capital city Reykjavík
.
Bolungarvík had 888 inhabitants on 1 January 2011.
It is one of Iceland's oldest fishing outposts, well positioned close to abundant fishing grounds. The quiet countryside attracts some tourists, mainly in summer. There is a camping site, an indoor swimming pool with a waterslide, A National history museum and an open air fishing museum. The surroundings of Bolungarvík are quite popular destinations for hiking, horse riding and birdwatching. People in town have a few apartments for rent and all basic facilities, such as bank, a post office, a bar, a sweet-shop, health-care centre, kindergartens, high-school and a community centre.
Bolungarvik was the location for Nói Albínói, a movie
by Dagur Kári
about a teenager living in a remote Icelandic village.
Þuríður sundafyllir settled in Bolungarvík around 940 along with her brother Þjóðólfur. Folklore says they had a disagreement and put a spell on each other, as they were both skilled sorcerers. Þuríður laid on her brother that he would spend eternity as a monolith on which all birds would defecate. Þjóðólfur in turn hexed his sister that she would forever stand where the wind blows most. The pillar that was said to be Þuríður collapsed in half in 1936. The legend says that same night "Þjóðólfur" sank in the sea. That night their spell washed away into the sea.
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, located at the Vestfirðir peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
, approximately 14 kilometres from the town of Ísafjörður
Ísafjörður
Ísafjörður is a town in the north west of Iceland, seat of Ísafjarðarbær municipality.The town draws its name from the fjord and the fjord was given its name simultaneously to the island...
and 473 km from the capital city Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
.
Bolungarvík had 888 inhabitants on 1 January 2011.
It is one of Iceland's oldest fishing outposts, well positioned close to abundant fishing grounds. The quiet countryside attracts some tourists, mainly in summer. There is a camping site, an indoor swimming pool with a waterslide, A National history museum and an open air fishing museum. The surroundings of Bolungarvík are quite popular destinations for hiking, horse riding and birdwatching. People in town have a few apartments for rent and all basic facilities, such as bank, a post office, a bar, a sweet-shop, health-care centre, kindergartens, high-school and a community centre.
Bolungarvik was the location for Nói Albínói, a movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
by Dagur Kári
Dagur Kári
Dagur Kári is an Icelandic film director.He was born in Paris, France to Icelandic parents and returned to Iceland when he was 3 years old. Dagur graduated from the National Film School of Denmark in 1999, with art house short movie Lost Weekend...
about a teenager living in a remote Icelandic village.
History and folklore
According to LandnámabókLandnámabók
Landnámabók , often shortened to Landnáma, is a medieval Icelandic written work describing in considerable detail the settlement of Iceland by the Norse in the 9th and 10th centuries AD.-Landnáma:...
Þuríður sundafyllir settled in Bolungarvík around 940 along with her brother Þjóðólfur. Folklore says they had a disagreement and put a spell on each other, as they were both skilled sorcerers. Þuríður laid on her brother that he would spend eternity as a monolith on which all birds would defecate. Þjóðólfur in turn hexed his sister that she would forever stand where the wind blows most. The pillar that was said to be Þuríður collapsed in half in 1936. The legend says that same night "Þjóðólfur" sank in the sea. That night their spell washed away into the sea.
External links
- Fisherman Hotel Suðureyri (in Icelandic, English and German)
- Official site (only IcelandicIcelandic languageIcelandic is a North Germanic language, the main language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese.Icelandic is an Indo-European language belonging to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. Historically, it was the westernmost of the Indo-European languages prior to the...
) - Tourist information