ÃÂsafjörður (pronounced , meaning ice fjord, literally fjord of ices) is a town in the northwest of Iceland.
The oldest part of ÃÂsafjörður with the town centre is located on a spit of sand, or eyri, in Skutulsfjörður, a fjord which meets the waters of the larger fjord ÃÂsafjarðardjúp. With a population of about 2,600, ÃÂsafjörður is the largest settlement in the peninsula of Vestfirðir (Westfjords) and the administration centre of the ÃÂsafjarðarbær municipality, which includesâÂÂbesides ÃÂsafjörðurâÂÂthe nearby villages of HnÃÂfsdalur, Flateyri, Suðureyri, and ÃÂingeyri.
According to the Landnámabók (the book of settlement), Skutulsfjörður was first settled by Helgi Magri Hrólfsson in the 9th century. In the 16th century, the town grew as it became a trading post for foreign merchants. Witch trials were common around the same time throughout the Westfjords, and many people were banished to the nearby peninsula of Hornstrandir, now a national nature reserve. The town of ÃÂsafjörður was granted municipal status in 1786.
The former Danish trading post Neðstikaupstaður, established in the 18th century, contains the oldest collection of timber frame houses in Iceland. These include Krambúð (1757), Faktorshús (1765), now the Danish consulate, Tjöruhúsið (1781), now a restaurant, and the site of the Westfjords Heritage Museum Turnhúsið (1784).
The Westfjords are known to be the coolest area in Iceland at sea level. ÃÂsafjörður has a tundra climate (Köppen climate classification: ET), closely bordering on either a dry-summer subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification: Dsc) or a cold-summer mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csc), depending on using the or the isotherm. The climate is characterised by cold winters and cool summers. The warmest month is July with the mean temperature of ; the wettest is November with of precipitation. The climate has significantly warmed in recent years due to climate change. ÃÂsafjörður experiences high winds and very few clear days throughout the year. <div style="width:80%;">
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The town is connected by road and a road tunnel to BolungarvÃÂk which lies to the northwest, and to the village of SúðavÃÂk to the east. The partly one-lane Vestfjarðagöng (Vestfirðir Tunnel), completed in 1996, leads to the towns of Flateyri and Suðureyri, and to the western parts of the Westfjords. ÃÂsafjörður has an airport with regular flights to ReykjavÃÂk.
Fishing has been the main industry in ÃÂsafjörður, and the town has one of the largest fisheries in Iceland. A severe decline in the fishing industry for a variety of reasons, such as fishing restrictions in the early 1980s, and a decline in the fish population, has led the inhabitants to seek work elsewhere, leading to a decline in the town's population. The harbor also serves ferries to nearby settlements as well as larger cruise ships for tourists visiting the area. The tourist industry is growing; it is a major access point to the nature reserve on the Hornstrandir Peninsula, an uninhabited wilderness area to which ferries run daily during summer.
Despite its size, small population, and historical isolation from the rest of the country, the town has a relatively urban atmosphere. ÃÂsafjörður has a school of music, as well as a hospital. The older former hospital building now accommodates a cultural center with a library and showrooms. Recently, the small town has become known in the country as a center for alternative music outside of Iceland. A yearly festival, Aldrei fór ég suður, provides a platform for local musicians and bands from around Iceland and even from overseas. A university center, Háskólasetur Vestfjarða, which acts as a distance learning center for the 7,000 residents of the Westfjords, was established in March 2005.
ÃÂsafjörður is the home to the University Centre of the Westfjords. The University Centre offers four master's degree programs: Coastal & Marine Management, Icelandic language, Coastal Communities and Regional Development, and Marine Innovation. Students graduate from the University of Akureyri.
The only gymnasium located in the Westfjords, Menntaskólinn á ÃÂsafirði, is in ÃÂsafjörður. The students range from 16 to 20 years of age, as is traditional in Icelandic gymnasia.
Major employers in the region include Arctic Fish, Hraðfrystihúsið-Gunnvör, ÃÂslandssaga, Klofningur, Orkubú Vestfjarða and Skaginn 3X. ÃÂsafjörður is also the base of several noteworthy start-up companies including Fossadalur and Kerecis.
The town hosts varied and widely popular events, in the realms of both culture and outdoor recreation. These events include, but are not limited to:
Aldrei fór ég suður â ÃÂsafjörður Rock Festival
In 2004, ÃÂsafjörður's own Mugison (a.k.a. ÃÂrn ElÃÂas Guðmundsson) and his father organized the first Aldrei fór ég suður Music Festival as a free concert to support the burgeoning music community in ÃÂsafjörður. The event has been established as an annual festival in mid April. The name Aldrei fór ég suður (I never went south) is taken from a Bubbi Morthens song of the same name, and may refer to a movement among young Icelanders to establish cultural events outside ReykjavÃÂk, and draw attention back to the nation's roots in the countryside. The festival's subtitle is "rokkhátið alþýðunnar" or "rock festival for the people."
Við Djúpið Music Festival
Since its inception in 2003, the Við Djúpið Music Festival has offered master classes and concerts featuring distinguished artists from Iceland and around the world. Notable past participants include renowned cellist Erling Blöndal Bengtsson, pianist Vovka Ashkenazy, and the acclaimed Pacifica Quartet. In 2007, clarinetist and composer Evan Ziporyn, a member of the celebrated group Bang on a Can, led a master class and performed in ÃÂsafjörður. The following year, 2008, saw performances from Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto, pianist Simon Crawford-Phillips, and Norwegian pianist HÃÂ¥kon Austbø. The festival has also hosted unique and collaborative performances by Decoda, an affiliate ensemble of Carnegie Hall, and the innovative Orchester im Treppenhaus from Germany.
ÃÂsafjörður is the home of ÃÂþróttafélagið Vestri and Knattspyrnufélagið Hörður multi-sports clubs. Vestri fields departments in basketball, football, volleyball and bicycling. Its men's and women's basketball teams have played in the top-tier basketball leagues in the country while its men's volleyball team was promoted to the top-tier division in 2019.
Knattspyrnufélagið Hörður was originally a football club but has fielded other departments, most prominently in handball, track & field, skiing and Icelandic wrestling.