Borgarnes
Encyclopedia
Borgarnes (ˈpɔrkarˌnɛs) is a town located on a 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"....

 at the shore
Shore
A shore or shoreline is the fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water, such as an ocean, sea, or lake. In Physical Oceanography a shore is the wider fringe that is geologically modified by the action of the body of water past and present, while the beach is at the edge of the shore,...

 of Borgarfjörður
Borgarfjörður
Borgarfjörður is a fjord in the west of Iceland near the town of Borgarnes. The waters of Borgarfjörður appear to be calm, however the fjord is on the contrary a rather dangerous part of the sea because of its undercurrents and shallows....

 in Iceland
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...

.

It has a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...

 of 1,763 (As of January 2011). The town is located 60 km north of the capital 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...

 and is connected to other places in Iceland through the second largest bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...

 in Iceland, Borgarfjarðarbrú. Borgarnes is the biggest town in the Borgarbyggð
Borgarbyggð
Borgarbyggð is a municipality of various amalgamated populated rural areas in the West or Vesturland region of Iceland.The biggest township in the municipality is that of Borgarnes, which has a population of 1,763 inhabitants...

 municipality.

History of Borgarnes

Borgarnes is first noted in Egils Saga
Egils saga
Egils saga is an epic Icelandic saga. The oldest transcript dates back to 1240 AD. The saga is centered on the life of Egill Skallagrímsson, an Icelandic farmer, viking and skald...

 but in the saga
Saga
Sagas, are stories in Old Norse about ancient Scandinavian and Germanic history, etc.Saga may also refer to:Business*Saga DAB radio, a British radio station*Saga Airlines, a Turkish airline*Saga Falabella, a department store chain in Peru...

 it is called Digranes. The first Settler to live there was called Grani, a shipmate of Skallagrímur, the first landlord and settler of the Borgarfjörður
Borgarfjörður
Borgarfjörður is a fjord in the west of Iceland near the town of Borgarnes. The waters of Borgarfjörður appear to be calm, however the fjord is on the contrary a rather dangerous part of the sea because of its undercurrents and shallows....

-area. There is no known history of settlement in Borgarnes after Grani's days until the 19th century.

Just after Iceland gained freedom
Freedom (political)
Political freedom is a central philosophy in Western history and political thought, and one of the most important features of democratic societies...

 from the Danish trading monopoly, there was a great demand for a trading place in the area and the Danish King
Frederick VII of Denmark
Frederick VII was a King of Denmark. He reigned from 1848 until his death. He was the last Danish monarch of the older Royal branch of the House of Oldenburg and also the last king of Denmark to rule as an absolute monarch...

 authorized Borgarnes as a trading place in 1861.

The first building
Building
In architecture, construction, engineering, real estate development and technology the word building may refer to one of the following:...

 built in Borgarnes was a canning
Canning
Canning is a method of preserving food in which the food contents are processed and sealed in an airtight container. Canning provides a typical shelf life ranging from one to five years, although under specific circumstances a freeze-dried canned product, such as canned, dried lentils, can last as...

 factory
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...

. It was built in 1857 but was torn down a few years later. A trading house was built in Borgarnes in 1877, and a few years later settlement in Borgarnes began in earnest.
In 1913, Borgarnes officially became a town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...

 called Borgarneshreppur but had its name changed to Borgarnesbær in 1987. Later on, in 1994, Borgarnesbær united with Hraunhreppur, Norðurárdalshreppur, and Stafholtstungnahreppur under the name Borgarbyggð
Borgarbyggð
Borgarbyggð is a municipality of various amalgamated populated rural areas in the West or Vesturland region of Iceland.The biggest township in the municipality is that of Borgarnes, which has a population of 1,763 inhabitants...

, using the Borgarnes seal
Seal (device)
A seal can be a figure impressed in wax, clay, or some other medium, or embossed on paper, with the purpose of authenticating a document ; but the term can also mean the device for making such impressions, being essentially a mould with the mirror image of the design carved in sunken- relief or...

 and offices. In 1998, Álftaneshreppur, Borgarhreppur and Þverárhlíðarhreppur also became a part of Borgarbyggð.

Economy

Kaupfélag Borgfirðinga (KB)

KB was founded in 1904 as a mutual company. It was the biggest supplier of work in Borgarnes in the 20th century.
Like among most local mutual companies (and members of SÍS, the Federation of Iceland Cooperatives Societies) in Iceland, Kaupfélag Borgfirðinga had shops, supermarkets, petrol stations
Filling station
A filling station, also known as a fueling station, garage, gasbar , gas station , petrol bunk , petrol pump , petrol garage, petrol kiosk , petrol station "'servo"' in Australia or service station, is a facility which sells fuel and lubricants...

, a slaughterhouse
Slaughterhouse
A slaughterhouse or abattoir is a facility where animals are killed for consumption as food products.Approximately 45-50% of the animal can be turned into edible products...

, a milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...

 processing factory, a bakery
Bakery
A bakery is an establishment which produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cakes, pastries and pies. Some retail bakeries are also cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who wish to consume the baked goods on the premises.-See also:*Baker*Cake...

, etc. under its name. KB also had shares in many other factories and companies in the Borgarnes area and elsewhere in Iceland.
At the end of the 20th century, KB's financial powers and status began to decline and it was changed to a holding company
Holding company
A holding company is a company or firm that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow...

 called KB Borgarnesi EHF.
The KB logo and trademark will no longer be used for what is left of KB's operations in the beginning of 2005.

See also: Kaupfélag Borgfirðinga.

Major industries in Borgarnes

Borgarnes is the center of commerce for a large part of western Iceland. The town's economy is mostly based on service to people traveling from 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...

, farmers and owners of summer houses in the countryside around the town, and also various industries.

Shops and trading

  • Samkaup, Supermarket
    Supermarket
    A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...

    .
  • Húsasmiðjan, Hardware store
    Hardware store
    Hardware stores, sometimes known as DIY stores, sell household hardware including: fasteners, hand tools, power tools, keys, locks, hinges, chains, plumbing supplies, electrical supplies, cleaning products, housewares, tools, utensils, paint, and lawn and garden products directly to consumers for...

    .
  • Framköllunarþjónustan, Photographic processing
    Photographic processing
    Photographic processing is the chemical means by which photographic film and paper is treated after photographic exposure to produce a negative or positive image...

    .
  • Hyrnan, Supermarket, shop, restaurant
    Restaurant
    A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...

     and a bus stop
    Bus stop
    A bus stop is a designated place where buses stop for passengers to board or leave a bus. These are normally positioned on the highway and are distinct from off-highway facilities such as bus stations. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage...

    , owned by KB.
  • Bónus
    Bónus
    Bónus an Icelandic no-frills supermarket chain owned by Hagar. Bónus operates 24 stores in Iceland and four in the Faroe Islands. It follows the no-frills format of limited hours, simple shelves and having a giant fridge instead of chiller cabinets....

    , A discount
    Discounts and allowances
    Discounts and allowances are reductions to a basic price of goods or services.They can occur anywhere in the distribution channel, modifying either the manufacturer's list price , the retail price , or the list price Discounts and allowances are reductions to a basic price of goods or services.They...

     supermarket, owned by Baugur Group
    Baugur Group
    Baugur Group was an Icelandic investment company. The group applied for bankruptcy protection in February 2009, after placing its UK arm in administration.- History :...

    .
  • Vínbúð
    Vínbúð
    Vínbúð is a chain of 46 stores run by the Icelandic alcohol and tobacco monopoly ÁTVR, locally called ríkið . It is Iceland's sole legal vendor of alcohol for off-premises consumption, though in practice most bars and restaurants will not prevent you from leaving with purchased drinks...

    , Wine shop, owned by the Icelandic state.
  • Tvest , Electronics store selling, amongst other things, computers and TVs.

Banking

  • Sparisjóður Mýrasýslu. The local savings bank
    Savings bank
    A savings bank is a financial institution whose primary purpose is accepting savings deposits. It may also perform some other functions.In Europe, savings banks originated in the 19th or sometimes even the 18th century. Their original objective was to provide easily accessible savings products to...

    .

Manufacturing

  • BM Vallá. Steel industry: nails, steel plates, truck modifications, etc.
  • Loftorka. Concrete
    Concrete
    Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...

    ; premade house walls, pipes etc.
  • Borgarnes Kjötvörur (former Kjötiðnaðarstöð KB). Various kinds of meats.
  • Eðalfiskur. Salmon
    Salmon
    Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...

     processing.

Transportation

The second-largest bridge in Iceland, Borgarfjarðarbrú connects Borgarnes to Route 1
Route 1 (Iceland)
Route 1 or the Ring Road is a main road in Iceland that runs around the island and connects all habitable parts of the country . The total length of the road is ....

 (the Ring Road) and connects it with other parts of the country.
The Borgarnes Harbour has not been used for transportation for years so all transportation to and from Borgarnes is by land.

Sports Clubs and Youth Associations

  • Skallagrímur. The biggest sports club in Borgarnes. Badminton
    Badminton
    Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...

    , athletics, basketball
    Basketball
    Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

    , football (soccer)
    Football (soccer)
    Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

    , swimming
    Swimming (sport)
    Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...

     and other activities like acting
    Acting
    Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....

    .
  • Kveldúlfur. The sports club of the handicapped in Borgarnes.
  • Golfklúbbur Borgarness. The Borgarnes Golf Club.
  • Mýgrútur FC. Football club.
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