Skagaströnd

Sveitarfélagið Skagaströnd
Region	Northwestern Region
Constituency	Northwest Constituency
Manager	Magnús B. Jónsson
Area	53 km²
Population	498
Density	9.40/km²
Municipal number	5609
Postal code(s)	545
Website	skagastrond.is

Village church

The lighthouse of Kálfshamarsvík

Skagaströnd is a town and municipality on the north coast of Iceland, on the east coast of the bay Húnaflói.

Notable landmarks include the mountain Spákonufell and the Cap of Spákonufell.

History

Population

Skagaströnd has been a trading centre since the late 15th century. Today it is a thriving fishing port with seafood processing plants. The people of Skagaströnd have quite often shown their pioneering spirit to enhance the property of the village and its surrounding area. In Skagaströnd is a school for children up to 15 years old, a grocery store, a health care center, a church, service flats for the elderly, a sports center, swimming pool and hot pots, Café, the restaurant Borgin, a 9-hole golf course, a good campsite and much more. The distance from Reykjavik is 268 km.

A new kind of activities are taking place by the opening of the Nes artist residency and the marine biotechnology science hotel. In preparation is a prophet center for fortune tellers in the spirit of Þordís Spakona.

Sagas

The first information about a settlement at Skagaströnd comes from the 10th century. Then a prophetess by the name of Þordis lived there at Spákonufell (Prophetess Mountain). She crops up throughout the Icelandic sagas and her reputation was ambivalent as she was skilled in witchcraft. The sagas tell that that Þordis walked up to Spakonufell every day (646 m.) and combed her hair with a golden comb. It is said that she had hidden her gold in the mountain and put a spell on it so that no one could use it except women which were not baptized and who hadn't learnt any of Gods words. In the time of the trading monopoly Skagaströnd was the main trading center for the people in county until around 1900 when trading was established at the nearby town. Port building began in the 1930s and a fish factory was established in 1944 and a herring factory was built in 1946. There were plans to expand the town to about 3000-5000 people however the herring disappeared from Húnaflói and now there are 530 people living at Skagaströnd.

Main sights

Spánskanöf

Spánskanöf is situated in Skagaströnd just to the north of the estuary of Laxá in Refasveit. There can be found a very steep drop to the beach, about 40–50 meters. There is a lot of bird life is in the cliffs and reefs out from the shore. The Sagas tell that at this spot Spanish pirates came to land and headed for the vicarage at Höskuldsstaðir. The priest gathered his men to defend the site. The name derives from this encounter with the Spanish invaders .^[1]

Marine biotechnology science hotel

BioPol is a marine biotechnology science hotel established last year. The goal of the company is to examine the biota of Húnaflói-bay, undertake research in the field of biotechnology and support innovation in the field of marine biotechnology. Moreover, the company intends to undertake the marketing and sale of products made from marine organisms. The goals of such research could, among other things, be directed toward the possibility of utilising seafood without previously defined use or known characteristics. Moreover, the research could be directed toward environmental monitoring, with particular emphasis on monitoring changes in the biota, its causes and consequences. www.biopol.is

Nes Artist Residency

Nes artist residency was founded in March 2008. An international artist residency like Nes provides the artists with a workspace and living quarters during their stay in Skagaströnd. The studios are located in a former fishing plant. The living quarters are in three houses owned by the town. The residency has room for about 15 artists and is planning to expand include up to 20 to 25 artists at the time. The applications will be reviewed in cooperation with SÍM – The Association of Icelandic Visual Artists. Included in the price is a room, with shared kitchen and bathing facilities and a studio space. There will be a number of rooms for single artists but also two to three apartments for artists with families. www.neslist.is

References

↑ Spánskanöf (Historical Places in Northwest Iceland)

External links

Media related to Skagaströnd at Wikimedia Commons

Official website (Icelandic)

Cities and towns in Iceland

Álftanes Akranes Akureyri Blönduós Bolungarvík Borgarnes Dalvík Egilsstaðir Eskifjörður Eyrarbakki Fáskrúðsfjörður Garðabær Garður Grindavík Grundarfjörður Hafnarfjörður Hella Höfn Húsavík Hvammstangi Hveragerði Hvolsvöllur Ísafjörður Keflavík Kópavogur Mosfellsbær Neskaupstaður Njarðvík Ólafsfjörður Ólafsvík Patreksfjörður Reyðarfjörður Reykjavík Sandgerði Sauðárkrókur Selfoss Seltjarnarnes Seyðisfjörður Siglufjörður Skagaströnd Stokkseyri Stykkishólmur Þorlákshöfn Vestmannaeyjar Vík í Mýrdal Vogar Vopnafjörður

Municipalities of Iceland

Capital Region	Garðabær Hafnarfjarðarkaupstaður Kjósarhreppur Kópavogsbær Mosfellsbær Reykjavíkurborg Seltjarnarneskaupstaður

Southern Peninsula	Grindavíkurbær Reykjanesbær Sandgerðisbær Sveitarfélagið Garður Sveitarfélagið Vogar

Western Region	Akraneskaupstaður Borgarbyggð Dalabyggð Eyja- og Miklaholtshreppur Grundarfjarðarbær Helgafellssveit Hvalfjarðarsveit Skorradalshreppur Snæfellsbær Stykkishólmsbær

Westfjords	Árneshreppur Bolungarvíkurkaupstaður Ísafjarðarbær Kaldrananeshreppur Reykhólahreppur Strandabyggð Súðavíkurhreppur Tálknafjarðarhreppur Vesturbyggð

Northwestern Region	Akrahreppur Blönduósbær Húnavatnshreppur Húnaþing vestra Skagabyggð Sveitarfélagið Skagafjörður Sveitarfélagið Skagaströnd

Northeastern Region	Akureyrarkaupstaður Dalvíkurbyggð Eyjafjarðarsveit Fjallabyggð Grýtubakkahreppur Hörgársveit Langanesbyggð Norðurþing Skútustaðahreppur Svalbarðshreppur Svalbarðsstrandarhreppur Tjörneshreppur Þingeyjarsveit

Eastern Region	Borgarfjarðarhreppur Breiðdalshreppur Djúpavogshreppur Fjarðabyggð Fljótsdalshérað Fljótsdalshreppur Seyðisfjarðarkaupstaður Vopnafjarðarhreppur

Southern Region	Ásahreppur Bláskógabyggð Flóahreppur Grímsnes- og Grafningshreppur Hrunamannahreppur Hveragerðisbær Mýrdalshreppur Rangárþing eystra Rangárþing ytra Skaftárhreppur Skeiða- og Gnúpverjahreppur Sveitarfélagið Árborg Sveitarfélagið Hornafjörður Sveitarfélagið Ölfus Vestmannaeyjabær

Coordinates: 65°50′N 20°19′W / 65.833°N 20.317°W / 65.833; -20.317

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