Húsavík (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈhuːsaˌviːk]) is a town in Norðurþing municipality on the northeast coast of Iceland on the shores of Skjálfandi bay with 2,485[1] inhabitants. The most famous landmark of the town is the wooden church Húsavíkurkirkja, built in 1907. Húsavík is served by Húsavík Airport.
Húsavík | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Aerial panorama of the town and the harbour | |
 Location of the Municipality of Norðurþing | |
  Húsavík Location in Iceland | |
| Coordinates: 66°03′N 17°19′W / 66.050°N 17.317°W | |
| Country | Iceland |
| Constituency | Northeast Constituency |
| Region | Northeastern Region |
| Municipality | Norðurþing |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Kristján Þór Magnússon |
| Population (2018) | |
• Total | 2,307 |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
| Post Code | 640, 645 |
| Website | Official website |
Overview
editHere income is derived from tourism and fishing, as well as from retail and small industries. Until recently, Húsavík was the export harbour for silica that was extracted from nearby lake Mývatn.
According to the Landnámabók ("Book of Settlement"), Húsavík was the first place in Iceland to be settled in by a Norseman. The Swedish Viking Garðar Svavarsson stayed there for one winter around 870 A.D. When he left the island in spring of 870, after a winter's stay, he left behind a man named Náttfari and two slaves, a man and a woman, and they established a farm here.[2] The name of the town means "bay of houses", probably referring to Garðar's homestead, which was probably the only houses then in Iceland.
Tourism
editHúsavík has become a centre of whale watching in Iceland due to whales of different species that frequently enter the bay. The Húsavík Whale Museum is located in the town centre by the harbour. [3]
In the town there is also a civic museum of culture and biology. Among other things, it shows a stuffed polar bear (arrived in Grímsey in 1969) and ancient boats.
Each year in mid July, Húsavík holds a festival called Mærudagar [ˈmaiːrʏˌtaːɣar̥], which translates to “Candy Days”. Thousands of people from all over Iceland come to the tiny town to enjoy this occasion which consists of music, colourful decorations, and an array of food and drink.
Húsavík is also home to The Exploration Museum, a museum of the history of human exploration. A monument honouring the Apollo astronauts who got trained up around Húsavík during the 1960s is located outside the museum.[4]
The Eurovision Museum, dedicated to the Eurovision Song Contest, had its soft opening in October 2021. An official grand opening was scheduled to happen sometime in 2022.[5]
The region of Mývatn, with its interesting geology and diverse animal life, is nearby. Jökulsárgljúfur National Park with the horseshoe-shaped canyon Ásbyrgi and the waterfalls Dettifoss, Hafragilsfoss and Selfoss are also not far from the town.
Húsavík Airport is located close to the town. Until 2024, there were regular flights to Reykjavík Airport. The Vaðlaheiðargöng tunnel opened in 2019 which shortened the travel time to Akureyri to within an hour. Flights from Húsavík Airport have therefore ceased.[6]
Sports
editÍF Völsungur is the local football club. They last played in Iceland's top tier in the 1988 season. The town also offers many opportunities for recreational sports. A 9 hole golf course, hiking and walking paths, two gym facilities and an outdoor public swimming pool. [7]
Popular culture
editHúsavík served as the setting of the 2020 Netflix film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, a comedic story of two Húsavík natives representing Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest, with one of the film's songs named after the town. The song itself was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 93rd Academy Awards.
The song's taped Best Original Song performance was filmed on location in Húsavík. In a break with Oscar tradition, all five songs had their performances pre-taped due to the COVID-19 pandemic instead of being performed live. "Húsavík" was the only one of the five nominated songs to have its pre-taped performance taking place outside of the United States.
On 25 April 2021, the performance was aired along with pre-taped performances of the other four nominated songs in that year's category. All five song performances were shown during the red carpet pre-show special that took place just before the main ceremony began.[8]
Residents of the town reported a significant jump in tourism following the film's release.[9] In 2021, The Eurovision Museum opened in Húsavík telling the story of the song contest and the film.
International relations
editTwin towns – Sister cities
edit- Karlskoga, Sweden
- Fredrikstad, Norway
- Riihimäki, Finland
- Aalborg, Denmark[10]
- Qeqertarsuaq, Greenland
- Fuglafjørður, Faroe Islands
- Eastport, Maine, USA[11]
Climate
editHúsavík has either a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb) or an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb) depending on the isotherm used, −3 °C (27 °F) or 0 °C (32 °F), similar to much of coastal Iceland.
| Climate data for Húsavík (2000–2019) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 13.1 (55.6) |
17.2 (63.0) |
19.0 (66.2) |
20.0 (68.0) |
23.5 (74.3) |
26.7 (80.1) |
28.3 (82.9) |
27.6 (81.7) |
22.4 (72.3) |
19.0 (66.2) |
19.0 (66.2) |
15.8 (60.4) |
28.3 (82.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 1.3 (34.3) |
1.6 (34.9) |
1.4 (34.5) |
5.9 (42.6) |
10.7 (51.3) |
13.8 (56.8) |
14.3 (57.7) |
13.6 (56.5) |
10.8 (51.4) |
6.3 (43.3) |
2.6 (36.7) |
1.4 (34.5) |
7.0 (44.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −1.1 (30.0) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
1.0 (33.8) |
2.9 (37.2) |
6.9 (44.4) |
12.0 (53.6) |
13.4 (56.1) |
13.1 (55.6) |
10.2 (50.4) |
5.4 (41.7) |
2.0 (35.6) |
0.7 (33.3) |
5.5 (41.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −4.2 (24.4) |
−3.7 (25.3) |
−4.0 (24.8) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
1.9 (35.4) |
5.4 (41.7) |
7.2 (45.0) |
6.9 (44.4) |
3.8 (38.8) |
1.0 (33.8) |
−2.3 (27.9) |
−4.0 (24.8) |
0.5 (32.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −18.0 (−0.4) |
−16.5 (2.3) |
−21.2 (−6.2) |
−17.4 (0.7) |
−9.8 (14.4) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
0.5 (32.9) |
0.3 (32.5) |
−5.8 (21.6) |
−10.2 (13.6) |
−15.0 (5.0) |
−17.5 (0.5) |
−21.2 (−6.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 78.6 (3.09) |
60.2 (2.37) |
62.7 (2.47) |
50.4 (1.98) |
37.2 (1.46) |
42.0 (1.65) |
43.3 (1.70) |
58.2 (2.29) |
90.1 (3.55) |
101.4 (3.99) |
87.3 (3.44) |
77.1 (3.04) |
788.5 (31.03) |
| Source: Icelandic Met Office[12] | |||||||||||||
Daylight hours
editHúsavík experiences midnight sun from 11 June until 29 June.[13]
Although Húsavík doesn't experience polar night in December solstice, the shortest daylight hours in Húsavík are 2 hours 45 minutes, from 11:45 UTC until 14:30 UTC on 21 December.[13]
Gallery
edit-
Húsavík harbour -
Church of Húsavík, Húsavíkurkirkja -
Whales in Skjalfandi near Húsavík
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Mannfjöldatölur". Hagstofa Íslands. Statistics Iceland. Archived from the original on 5 July 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
- ^ Guðni Th. Jóhannesson (9 January 2013). The History of Iceland. ABC-CLIO. pp. 6–7, 19–20. ISBN 978-0-313-37621-4.
- ^ "Whale museum homepage". Archived from the original on 6 July 2010.
- ^ Hnefill, Örlygur (12 August 2015). "Apollo astronauts revisit training area in Iceland and explore a new lava flow". The Exploration Museum. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
- ^ "Eurovision Museum opens in Húsavík, Iceland". 27 October 2021.
- ^ Gunnarsson, Oddur Ævar (20 February 2024). "Vilja breiðfylkingu um flug til Húsavíkur - Vísir". visir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 13 October 2024.
- ^ "Iceland 1988". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ "Watch Molly Sandén Perform Original Song "Husavik" from 'Eurovision Song Contest' at 2021 Oscars".
- ^ Pearson, John (23 April 2021). "Húsavík, My Boomtown: Eurovision Lifts The North". the Reykjavik Grapevine.
- ^ "Aalborg Twin Towns". Europeprize.net. Archived from the original on 7 September 2013. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
- ^ "Nordurthing homepage" (in Icelandic). nordurthing.is.
- ^ "Climatological Data for Húsavík". Icelandic Meteorological Office. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
- ^ a b "Húsavík, Iceland daylight calculator (number of daylight hours, with sunrise and sunset, and daylight saving time)". jan.moesen.nu.
External links
edit
- Official tourist information website
- Official website (in English and Icelandic)
- Whalewatching and information about whales
- Húsavík whale watching