Engey () is the second largest island of the Kollafjörður (Faxi Bay) fjord in western Iceland. The name is composed of (meadow or uncut grassland) and (island). is the second-largest island on the southeastern side of the fjord after Viðey. The government bought the island from its last inhabitant (Sigurður GÃÂslason of Hamraendar) after World War II. Ownership was later transferred to the city of ReykjavÃÂk in 1978.
Located north of the capital ReykjavÃÂk, the now-uninhabited island is in length and around in width. A lighthouse, originally built in 1902, is located towards the northern end of the island. The lighthouse was damaged and later restored in 1937.
In the bend off the southern tip of the island there is a long shoal called (also called ). The shoal only comes up during higher low tide and is the sea can often be seen breaking on it. A buoy across from ReykjavÃÂk harbor marks the end of the breaker.
The oldest sources about the settlement of come from Njáls saga. There was a church on the island from 1379 to 1765.
In the 19th century, 's shipbuilders were well-known and the so-called ( style) of boat became the most common boat shape throughout Faxi Bay. The greatest of these shipbuilders was Kristinn Magnússon who built 220 boats, including larger ships, from 1853âÂÂ1875. He also developed the rigging for a ship that became common in the Faxi Bay area for fishing using decked ships in partnership with Geir Zoëga and others.
The ( family) is named after the island. They are the descendants of Snorri Sigurðsson rÃÂka ("the rich") who lived on the island for a long time and died there in 1841 when he was in his late 80s. Family members include Bjarni Benediktsson (prime minister of Iceland from 1963 to 1970), and former government ministers Björn Bjarnason and Ragnhildur Helgadóttir.
was inhabited until 1950. All the houses on the island were burned down in 1966 since all the buildings were rotted and on the verge of collapse. There are some remains of military installations on including an underground base. During World War II, forts were built there to defend the channel of ReykjavÃÂk harbor. Artifacts there are better preserved than those found in other places because the island became deserted shortly after the war ended.