Akrahreppur (, regionally also ), previously called BlönduhlÃÂðarhreppur, is a former municipality, or hreppur, situated in the Northwestern Region of Iceland, and located east of the Héraðsvötn, north of the Kyrfisá, and leading south to Hofsjökull. It is divided into a range of villages, including ÃÂbær. In February 2022, residents of Akrahreppur and the neighboring municipality of Skagafjörður voted to combine the two municipalities. In June 2022 the merger was formalized under the name of Skagafjörður.
Agriculture is the main industry in Akrahreppur and the area is sparsely populated. There are four churches in Akrahreppur in Flugumýri, Miklibær, Silfrastaðir, and ÃÂbær in Austurdalur, but the ÃÂbær parish is now completely abandoned.
A small amount of geothermal energy is used in some places in Akrahreppur, and a swimming pool was built in VÃÂðivellir in 1938, but it is no longer in use. Now a heating utility system has been built from VarmahlÃÂð, and it services almost all of BlönduhlÃÂð.
The municipality spans all BlönduhlÃÂð and Norðurádalur, Kjálki, and Austurdalur, except for the town of Bústaðir, which belongs to Skagafjörður County. Some abandoned farms in Vallhólmur also belong to Akrahreppur although they are now west of the Héraðsvötn because the boundary moved. Extensive pastureland, in Silfrastaðir and Nýibær, belong to the municipality.
Akrahreppur is the setting of many major events in the Age of the Sturlungs, including the Battle of ÃÂrlygsstaðir, the Battle of Haugsnes, and the Flugumýri Arson.
The poet Hjálmar Jónsson lived in various towns in Akrahreppur during the 19th century and is named after one of them, Bóla in BlönduhlÃÂð.
From 1949 to 2006, the hreppur's elementary school was the Héðinsminni community center in Stóra-Akrar, but in the wake of a dispute between parents and teachers, it was shut down, and since then the students have been driven to a school in VarmahlÃÂð.
Five representatives sat on the Akrahreppur council who were voted in through proportional representation every four years. The last Akrahreppur council was elected in the hreppur committee election on May 26, 2018.
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