Höfn
Encyclopedia
Höfn or Höfn í Hornafirði is an Iceland
ic fishing town in the south-eastern part of the country.
As of 2011, the population of the town was 1,641. This harbour town, the second largest in the south-eastern part of Iceland, gives scenic views of Vatnajökull
(the largest ice cap
in Europe by volume). The community is also known as Hornafjarðarbær.
Höfn is located on a peninsula in the south-east of Iceland. The name Höfn means harbour and it is a fishing port surrounded on three sides by the sea, with beaches on the long shoreline on the south-east. Sand bars and glacial rivers traverse this area with many shifting lagoons and sand reefs being formed. Höfn is surrounded by several small islands, the largest of which is Mikley, followed by Krókalátur and Hellir to the east of the town.
Höfn is one of very few harbours in the southern part of Iceland and it needs to be navigated with care due to the changing pattern of shoals. Dredging is an essential requirement to remove sand accumulated near the harbour to let ships moor in the harbour. The entrance channel to Höfn port has a minimum depth of 6–7 m (19.7–23 ft). However, the depth at the entrance itself is 7–8 m (23–26.2 ft). The harbour at Höfn is reported to freeze during severe winter months.
Eagle Airways
operates domestic flights from Höfn's airport
and the town is a major centre for visits to the Vatnajökull Glacier. Höfn lies at the end of Road 99, which leaves Iceland's National Road 1
several kilometres north of the town. A tunnel is located near the town, measuring 1,300 metres in length, which is named Almannaskarðsgöng
. It was opened in 2005.
Nearby areas include Suðursveit (birthplace of Þórbergur Þórðarson
), Öræfasveit
, Lón
, Mýrar and Nes. In Nes there is a small village called Nesjahverfi. Reykjavík
, the capital of Iceland, is about 474 kilometres (294.5 mi) from Höfn along the south coast.
are also processed there. Ten large and a few smaller boats operate from Höfn. During the summer tourist season, trips are offered to the nearby Vatnajökull glacier. The surrounding area has served as a filming location
for feature films including the James Bond
movies Die Another Day
and A View to a Kill
, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
, and a Batman
film.
Höfn has two supermarkets, two cloth shops,a flower shop and a computer shop, four hairdressers, a gym, a golf course, two banks and four schools. Höfn contains a few hotel
s, most notably the Hótel Höfn, which was built in 1966. Located in the centre of the town, the hotel has 68 rooms, five conference rooms and a dining room that can serve up to 140 guests. The hotel also has a smaller restaurant named Ósinn, which serves pizza, steak and lobster. Also of note is the Fosshótel Vatnajökull, located near the Vatnajökull glacier and the Árnanes hotel, a small farm hotel. Notable restaurants include Kaffi Hornið and Víkin Restaurant.
The tourist office has a display of Vatnajökull and the south-eastern corner of Iceland, and also strange-looking glacial mice. The headland of the town is called the Ingólfshöfði, which is 76 metres (249.3 ft) high and 85 kilometres (52.8 mi) (in a direct line) from the town. Sea birds such as skua
s, guillemots, fulmar
and puffin
s can be seen from the headland.
festival) held on the first weekend of July, although today the Humarhátíð has been described by some as a "drink'n fun festival". During the summer season, the Glacier Exhibition is held in the old supermarket building.
Höfn contains several museums, including the Höfn Glacier Museum
(which has a variety of displays on the geology, ecology and history of the glacier and various examples of explorers' tents, models and climbing ropes), Höfn Folk Museum and Höfn Nautical Museum.
and the Vocational School in Neskaupstaður
. The school has modern teaching facilities such as wireless internet, a computer centre, availability of laptop computers for students, overhead projectors and in-built sound systems.
, which plays in the Icelandic 4th tier.
, was constructed between March 2004 and October 2004. The tunnel measures exactly 1,312 metres in length (although the sign rounds it off to 1,300) and was opened on June 24, 2005. The tunnel passes through the narrow and steep pass between Hornafjörður and Lón district, running through some 1,150 metres of solid rock and some 162 metres of concrete portals, bringing the total length to 1,312 metres. The road is two lanes wide, although there are three passing places in the tunnel for emergency traffic. The southern tunnel entrance is located at 39 metres above sea level, whilst the northern tunnel entrance is located at 82 metres to the north, making the incline of the tunnel 4.6%. Hornafjörður Airport
is located nearby to the town.
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...
ic fishing town in the south-eastern part of the country.
As of 2011, the population of the town was 1,641. This harbour town, the second largest in the south-eastern part of Iceland, gives scenic views of Vatnajökull
Vatnajökull
Vatnajökull is the largest glacier in Iceland. It is located in the south-east of the island, covering more than 8% of the country.-Size:With an area of 8,100 km², Vatnajökull is the largest ice cap in Europe by volume and the second largest in area Vatnajökull is the largest glacier in...
(the largest ice cap
Ice cap
An ice cap is an ice mass that covers less than 50 000 km² of land area . Masses of ice covering more than 50 000 km² are termed an ice sheet....
in Europe by volume). The community is also known as Hornafjarðarbær.
Geography
Höfn is one of very few harbours in the southern part of Iceland and it needs to be navigated with care due to the changing pattern of shoals. Dredging is an essential requirement to remove sand accumulated near the harbour to let ships moor in the harbour. The entrance channel to Höfn port has a minimum depth of 6–7 m (19.7–23 ft). However, the depth at the entrance itself is 7–8 m (23–26.2 ft). The harbour at Höfn is reported to freeze during severe winter months.
Eagle Airways
Eagle Airways
Eagle Airways is a regional airline based in Hamilton, New Zealand with ten crew bases from Kerikeri in the Bay of Islands to Blenheim in the Marlborough region. It is wholly owned by Air New Zealand and operates regional services under the Air New Zealand Link brand...
operates domestic flights from Höfn's airport
Hornafjörður Airport
Hornafjörður Airport or Hornafjordur Airport is an airport serving Höfn, Iceland....
and the town is a major centre for visits to the Vatnajökull Glacier. Höfn lies at the end of Road 99, which leaves Iceland's National Road 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 ....
several kilometres north of the town. A tunnel is located near the town, measuring 1,300 metres in length, which is named Almannaskarðsgöng
Almannaskarðsgöng
Almannaskarðsgöng is a tunnel along Route 1, located near Höfn in Austurland in eastern Iceland. The tunnel measures 1312 metres exactly in length and was opened on June 24, 2005...
. It was opened in 2005.
Nearby areas include Suðursveit (birthplace of Þórbergur Þórðarson
Þórbergur Þórðarson
Þórbergur Þórðarson was an Icelandic socialist author and Esperantist...
), Öræfasveit
Öræfasveit
Öræfasveit or Öræfi is a western region in Austur-Skaftafellssýsla, between Breiðamerkursandur and the river Skeiðará, east of the village Kirkjubæjarklaustur and south of the volcano Öræfajökull...
, Lón
Lon
Lon may refer to:In television and film:* Alice Lon , singer and dancer on the Lawrence Welk Show* Lon Chaney, Jr. , American character actor* Lon Chaney, Sr...
, Mýrar and Nes. In Nes there is a small village called Nesjahverfi. 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...
, the capital of Iceland, is about 474 kilometres (294.5 mi) from Höfn along the south coast.
Economy
In this small harbour town, the main economic activities are fishing and tourism. Fishing involves both sea fishing and then processing and packaging in the factories; one major fish processing factory, Skinney-Þinganes is one of the largest fish factories in the eastern part of Iceland, which employs a large number of people. The main production of these factories is bacaloa (saltfish) and processed lobster. Herring and capelinCapelin
The capelin or caplin, Mallotus villosus, is a small forage fish of the smelt family found in the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. In summer, it grazes on dense swarms of plankton at the edge of the ice shelf. Larger capelin also eat a great deal of krill and other crustaceans...
are also processed there. Ten large and a few smaller boats operate from Höfn. During the summer tourist season, trips are offered to the nearby Vatnajökull glacier. The surrounding area has served as a filming location
Filming location
A filming location is a place where some or all of a film or television series is produced, in addition to or instead of using sets constructed on a movie studio backlot or soundstage...
for feature films including the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
movies Die Another Day
Die Another Day
Die Another Day is the 20th spy film in the James Bond series, and the fourth and last film to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond; it is also the last Bond film of the original timeline with the series being rebooted with Casino Royale...
and A View to a Kill
A View to a Kill
A View to a Kill is the fourteenth spy film of the James Bond series, and the seventh and last to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Although the title is adapted from Ian Fleming's short story "From a View to a Kill", the film is the fourth Bond film after The Spy Who Loved...
, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is a 2001 adventure thriller film adapted from the Tomb Raider video game series. Directed by Simon West and starring Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft, it was released in U.S. theaters on June 15, 2001. The film was a commercial success...
, and a Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
film.
Höfn has two supermarkets, two cloth shops,a flower shop and a computer shop, four hairdressers, a gym, a golf course, two banks and four schools. Höfn contains a few hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
s, most notably the Hótel Höfn, which was built in 1966. Located in the centre of the town, the hotel has 68 rooms, five conference rooms and a dining room that can serve up to 140 guests. The hotel also has a smaller restaurant named Ósinn, which serves pizza, steak and lobster. Also of note is the Fosshótel Vatnajökull, located near the Vatnajökull glacier and the Árnanes hotel, a small farm hotel. Notable restaurants include Kaffi Hornið and Víkin Restaurant.
The tourist office has a display of Vatnajökull and the south-eastern corner of Iceland, and also strange-looking glacial mice. The headland of the town is called the Ingólfshöfði, which is 76 metres (249.3 ft) high and 85 kilometres (52.8 mi) (in a direct line) from the town. Sea birds such as skua
Skua
The skuas are a group of seabirds with about seven species forming the family Stercorariidae and the genus Stercorarius. The three smaller skuas are called jaegers in North America....
s, guillemots, fulmar
Fulmar
Fulmars are seabirds of the family Procellariidae. The family consists of two extant species and two that are extinct.-Taxonomy:As members of Procellaridae and then the order Procellariiformes, they share certain traits. First, they have nasal passages that attach to the upper bill called...
and puffin
Puffin
Puffins are any of three small species of auk in the bird genus Fratercula with a brightly coloured beak during the breeding season. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crevices among...
s can be seen from the headland.
Culture
A cultural highlight of the town is the annual Humarhátíð (lobsterLobster
Clawed lobsters comprise a family of large marine crustaceans. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important, and are often one of the most profitable commodities in coastal areas they populate.Though several groups of crustaceans are known as lobsters, the clawed lobsters are most...
festival) held on the first weekend of July, although today the Humarhátíð has been described by some as a "drink'n fun festival". During the summer season, the Glacier Exhibition is held in the old supermarket building.
Höfn contains several museums, including the Höfn Glacier Museum
Höfn Glacier Museum
Höfn Glacier Museum is a museum in Höfn in eastern Iceland. It has a variety of displays on the geology, ecology and history of the nearby Vatnajökull glacier and various enactments of explorer tents and models and climbing ropes from the Jöklafari Expedition of 1950.-References:...
(which has a variety of displays on the geology, ecology and history of the glacier and various examples of explorers' tents, models and climbing ropes), Höfn Folk Museum and Höfn Nautical Museum.
Education
Höfn used to have three schools: Nesjaskóli, located in Nesjahverfi, Hafnarskóli and Heppuskóli. Now, the three schools have been merged into one school called Grunnskóli Hornafjarðar. In the secondary school Framhaldsskólinn í Austur-Skaftafellssýslu 70 to 100 students study in the day school and over 100 students are under distance-study programmes. The school maintains close collaboration with other schools in Iceland, the College in EgilsstaðirEgilsstaðir
Egilsstaðir is a town in east Iceland on the banks of Lagarfljót river.It is part of the municipality of Fljótsdalshérað, the county seat of Norður-Múlasýsla and the largest settlement of the Austurland region with, as of 2011, a population of 2,257 inhabitants.-Overview:Egilsstadir is located at...
and the Vocational School in Neskaupstaður
Neskaupstaður
Neskaupstaður is a town located on the fjord Norðfjörður on the eastern side of Iceland. It is part of the municipality of Fjarðabyggð and, as of 2011, it has a population of 1,437.-History:...
. The school has modern teaching facilities such as wireless internet, a computer centre, availability of laptop computers for students, overhead projectors and in-built sound systems.
Sports
The local football club is SindriUMF Sindri Höfn
UMF Sindri Höfn, commonly known as Sindri, is an Icelandic football club from the town of Höfn located on the east coast of Iceland....
, which plays in the Icelandic 4th tier.
Transport
Höfn is well connected via Route 1, which circles Iceland. In the past, during the harsh winter months, the road would often become blocked because of regular snow, hampering communications and access. To address this, a new tunnel, named AlmannaskarðsgöngAlmannaskarðsgöng
Almannaskarðsgöng is a tunnel along Route 1, located near Höfn in Austurland in eastern Iceland. The tunnel measures 1312 metres exactly in length and was opened on June 24, 2005...
, was constructed between March 2004 and October 2004. The tunnel measures exactly 1,312 metres in length (although the sign rounds it off to 1,300) and was opened on June 24, 2005. The tunnel passes through the narrow and steep pass between Hornafjörður and Lón district, running through some 1,150 metres of solid rock and some 162 metres of concrete portals, bringing the total length to 1,312 metres. The road is two lanes wide, although there are three passing places in the tunnel for emergency traffic. The southern tunnel entrance is located at 39 metres above sea level, whilst the northern tunnel entrance is located at 82 metres to the north, making the incline of the tunnel 4.6%. Hornafjörður Airport
Hornafjörður Airport
Hornafjörður Airport or Hornafjordur Airport is an airport serving Höfn, Iceland....
is located nearby to the town.