BolungarvÃÂk (, regionally also ) is a small town and the only built-up area in the municipality of BolungarvÃÂkurkaupstaður in the northwest of Iceland, located on the Westfjords peninsula, approximately from the town of ÃÂsafjörður and from the capital city ReykjavÃÂk.
BolungarvÃÂk is close to abundant fishing grounds and has been used as an outpost for fishing since the 17th century, making it one of the earliest in Iceland. The village was not accessible by road until 1950, and in 2010 the BolungarvÃÂkurgöng tunnel was opened under the ÃÂshlÃÂð mountain to bypass the old road, which was frequently subject to avalanches and rock falls.
Tourist sites include the ÃÂsvör Maritime Museum, featuring a restored 19th-century fishing hut, a natural history museum, which houses taxidermied animals including a polar bear and the biggest bird collection in Iceland, and an indoor swimming pool with outdoor hot tubs and a water slide. SkálavÃÂk bay can be reached by a gravel road from June through August, and that same road also leads to the top of the Bolafjall mountain (638 m.) with views of the village of BolungarvÃÂk, the Latrar Air Station, the ÃÂsafjarðardjúp fjord, the Jökulfirðir fjords, the Hornstrandir nature reserve and the Denmark Strait. The surroundings of BolungarvÃÂk are destinations for hiking, horse riding, sea angling and birdwatching.
According to , ÃÂurÃÂður Sundafyllir settled in BolungarvÃÂk around 940 along with her brother ÃÂjóðólfur. Folklore says they had a disagreement and put a spell on each other, as they were both skilled sorcerers. ÃÂurÃÂður laid on her brother that he would spend eternity as a monolith on which all birds would defecate. ÃÂjóðólfur in turn hexed his sister that she would forever stand where the wind blows most. The pillar that was said to be ÃÂurÃÂður collapsed in half in 1936. The legend says that same night the cliff "ÃÂjóðólfur" sank in the sea. That night their spell washed away into the sea.
Based on the climate data for the most recent reference period, BolungarvÃÂk has either a subarctic climate (Köppen: Dfc) or a subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc) bordering very closely on a Tundra climate (ET), depending on the isotherm used.