Akureyri

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Akureyri City
(Akureyrarkaupstaður)
Coat of Arms of Akureyri.png
Basic data
State : IcelandIceland Iceland
Region: Norðurland eystra
Constituency : Norðausturkjördæmi
Sýsla : circular
Population: 18,925 (January 1, 2019)
Surface: 133 km²
Population density: 142.29 inhabitants / km²
Post Code: 600, 601, 602, 603 (Akureyri)
630 (Hrísey)
politics
Community number 6000
Mayor: Sigrún Björk Jakobsdóttir
Contact
Website: www.akureyri.is
map
Location of Akureyri City

Coordinates: 65 ° 41 ′  N , 18 ° 6 ′  W

Akureyri with Eyjafjörður

Listen to the city ​​and town of Akureyri [ 'aːkʏˌrɛiˑrɪ ] ? / i is the fourth largest city in Iceland with 18,925 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) after Reykjavík and its two suburbs Kópavogur and Hafnarfjörður . Audio file / audio sample

The port city represents the largest population center outside the capital district and the largest service center in the north of the country.

The island of Grímsey has also been part of the municipal area since May 31, 2009 .

geography

View from Hamrar over Eyjafjörður and Akureyri

Akureyri lies on the banks of the deep inland Eyjafjörður fjord and the Glerá river . To the west lies the mountainous Tröllaskagi peninsula with the Öxnadalur . North-west of Akureyri is the next larger town, Dalvík and the municipality of Hörgársveit .

Akureyri's local mountain, Súlur, is located south-southwest of the city. To the south lies the municipality of Eyjafjarðarsveit with the town of Hrafnagil and the river Eyjafjarðará . North-east of Akureyri is the place Svalbarðseyri in the municipality of Svalbarðsströnd . To the east of Akureyri is the municipality of Þingeyjarsveit .

Akureyri is only around 50 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle , which runs over the island of Grímsey , which can be reached from there by plane and ferry . The city is a good starting point for other sights in the north of Iceland, such as the Aldeyjarfoss and Goðafoss waterfalls, Lake Mývatn with its volcanic phenomena and Húsavík for whale watching. White smokers lie in front of the town of Akureyri in the Eyjafjörður fjord .

climate

According to its northern coastal location, Akureyri has a maritime- polar climate with comparatively mild winters and cool summers.

The mean temperature of the coldest months (January, February) is around −1.5 ° C. In July an average temperature of 11 ° C is reached. The annual mean temperature is 4 ° C, the temperature extremes are -23.2 ° C (1947) and +28.8 ° C (2008).

Every year there is around 450 millimeters of precipitation and the sun shines for almost 1000 hours, which is typical for the north coast of Iceland.

Akureyri
Climate diagram
J F. M. A. M. J J A. S. O N D.
 
 
55
 
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-6
 
 
43
 
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-5
 
 
43
 
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29
 
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19th
 
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28
 
13
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33
 
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39
 
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58
 
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54
 
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Temperature in ° C ,  precipitation in mm
Source: wetterkontor.de
Average monthly temperatures and rainfall for Akureyri
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Max. Temperature ( ° C ) 0.9 1.7 2.1 5.4 9.5 13.2 14.5 13.9 9.9 5.9 2.6 1.3 O 6.8
Min. Temperature (° C) −5.5 −4.7 −4.2 −1.5 2.3 6.0 7.5 7.1 3.5 −0.4 −3.0 −5.1 O 0.2
Precipitation ( mm ) 55 43 43 29 19th 28 33 34 39 58 54 53 Σ 488
Rainy days ( d ) 13 13 11 11 7th 8th 11 11 12 14th 13 15th Σ 139
Water temperature (° C) 4th 4th 4th 4th 5 7th 8th 8th 8th 6th 5 4th O 5.6
Humidity ( % ) 82 82 82 80 77 75 79 79 80 83 83 83 O 80.4
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
0.9
−5.5
1.7
−4.7
2.1
−4.2
5.4
−1.5
9.5
2.3
13.2
6.0
14.5
7.5
13.9
7.1
9.9
3.5
5.9
−0.4
2.6
−3.0
1.3
−5.1
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
N
i
e
d
e
r
s
c
h
l
a
g 		55
43
43
29
19th
28
33
34
39
58
54
53
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Source: wetterkontor.de

history

Akureyri (late 19th century)

The first settlers built their farms by the fjord around the year 1000. The town was founded in 1602 as a trading post for the Danes . These had determined that the place was favorable for the construction of a sea port because of the steeply sloping seabed.

Akureyri flourished gradually and received 1786 the city charter . The place remained quite small for another hundred years and consisted of only a few houses.

This changed with the end of the 19th century and the associated lifting of trade restrictions (see History of Iceland ). Already after 1840 the city had grown noticeably with the influx of craftsmen and wage workers. While the merchants lived in the southern part of the village, the craftsmen settled in the north (in the Oddeyri district ). For a long time there were constant disputes between the two districts. Even the grammar school ( menntaskóli ) was located exactly on the boundary line, which was specially measured.

Finally, the city experienced a stormy upswing from 1900 after a trading company ( Kaupfélag Eyfirðinga og Akureyrar ) was founded and ensured prosperity with its shops, warehouses and affiliated companies. The expansion of the trawler fishery got Akureyri well.

Today one lives from the industries mentioned above, to which the high-tech industry was added. In addition, the true tourism as a growth factor.

Akureyri University was founded in September 1987 .

On August 1, 2004 the rural community Hrísey ( Hríseyjarhreppur ), an island in Eyjafjörður, was incorporated. The incorporation of a further eight municipalities was rejected by them in referendums in October 2005. Since June 1, 2009, the island of Grímsey belongs to Akureyri.

population

Guðjón Samúelssons Church of Akureyri, the Akureyrarkirkja

In contrast to most areas outside the capital Reykjavík and the surrounding area, the population of Akureyri is growing (1997 to 2006: + 10%).

Population development
year population
1997 15,289 (territorial status 2004)
2003 16,228 (area 2004)
2004 16,450
2005 16,736
2006 16,822
2007 17,253
2009 17,633

economy

Downtown Akureyri

Numerous industrial companies have settled in Akureyri. In addition to the wool and fish processing industries, there is a large brewery.

traffic

The city is located on Ringstrasse 1 . It has its own airport , the runway of which was mostly built into the fjord, and a port that is also used by cruise ships. The traffic lights, whose red light shines in the shape of a heart, are unique worldwide. After the financial crash in 2008, the traffic lights were converted to give residents an incentive to think positively.

  • Freight and cruise terminal

  • Akureyri Marina

  • Airport runway

  • Heart shaped traffic light with red light

Culture

education

The Gamli Skóli, the old building of the Menntaskólinn við Akureyri

Akureyri has numerous schools and has a university since 1987 . The old building of the Menntaskólinn or grammar school was designed by the architect Guðjón Samúelsson and is the oldest school in town from 1880.

Attractions

Akureyrarkirkja

The image of the city center of Akureyri is strongly influenced by the Evangelical Lutheran Church above the city center. The church is simply referred to as Akureyrarkirkja ("Akureyris Church"). It was designed by the Icelandic architect Guðjón Samúelsson and inaugurated on November 17, 1940. On the architect's first drafts, the church was called Matthias Church, probably in honor of Matthías Jochumsson , who was a popular pastor and poet in Akureyri. However, this name did not catch on.

Remarkable in the bright and friendly interior of the church are reliefs by Ásmundur Sveinsson on the gallery and the large organ that was made in Oettingen in Bavaria . The church can also boast remarkable stained glass windows showing scenes from Icelandic church history, such as a scene in which images of gods were thrown into the named Goðafoss waterfall during the Christianization in 1000 . For a long time, until 2013, it was believed that one of the older window of the Second World War destroyed Coventry Cathedral in England comes from. You can also see a miniature sailboat attached to the ceiling in the church.

Glerárkirkja
Péturskirkjan, the Catholic Church in Akureyri

The Glerárkirkja, which was designed by the architect Svanur Eiríksson , is located in the Glerárhverfi district . Like Akureyrarkirkja, it also belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Iceland. The first part of the church was consecrated on February 15, 1987, and five years later, in December 1992, the large nave. The church is characterized by a modern design and colorful glass windows by the artist Leifur Breiðfjörð . A small wooden church above the town, called Lögmannshlíðarkirkja, also belongs to the community.

Other churches and prayer houses

Akureyri also has a Catholic church , St. Peter, which was built between 1998 and 2000 when a house was remodeled. There is also a Pentecostal church and houses of prayer for the Salvation Army and the Plymouth Brothers (Sjónarhæðarsöfnuður).

Nonnahús and other poets' apartments
Nonnahús
  • Nonnahús : The famous Jesuit and children's author Jón Sveinsson (1857–1944), who wrote the series of novels about the Icelandic boy Nonni , who travels the world, lived in this Danish-style house . The house is now a museum, with furniture from the 19th century and personal effects of the author.
  • Sigurhæðir ( Eng . The Victory Heights ): The house of the poet Matthías Jochumsson , poet u. a. the Icelandic national anthem, is also a museum today.
  • Davíðshús : You can also visit the house of the writer and librarian Davíð Stefánsson .

Museums

  • Akureyri Art Museum ( Listasafnið á Akureyrari ): The museum, a former dairy, is an example of the Icelandic Bauhaus style and houses changing exhibitions of mainly modern art. Since 2006, the museum, founded in 1993, has been the venue for the presentation of the Icelandic Visual Arts Award .
  • Local History Museum ( Minjasafn Akureyrar ): The museum in Villa Kirkjuhvoll presents objects, photos and manuscripts on the history of Akureyri and Eyjafjörður .
  • Natural History Museum ( Náttúrufræðistofnun Norðurlands ): It mainly shows animals and plants from the area.
  • The transport museum at the airport . It has a wide variety of different flying machines, cars, and other modes of transport.

Botanical Garden (Lystigarður Akureyrar)

The garden is located high above the fjord above Akureyrarkirkja in the southwest of the city. You can see over 6000 foreign species of flowers, trees and other plants as well as around 400 native species. In principle, it is open all year round from about sunrise to sunset.

Akureyri in literature and music

The city of Akureyri is next to Reykjavík the main setting of the novel Fatal Intrigue by Arnaldur Indriðason . The title of the original Icelandic edition is Bettý . In Akureyri - at the beginning of the 20th century - parts of the plot of the novel The Ice Painter by Kristín Marja Baldursdóttir take place.

In the Tintin volume "The Mysterious Star", the ship Aurora comes to the port to refuel there. The crew is denied fuel, but a trick ultimately allows them to refuel and after a day they can continue north.

The song Leuchten by the band Kantine refers to the city of Akureyri.

Sports

Well-known sports clubs are Thór Akureyri and KA Akureyri as well as the Icelandic ice hockey record champion Skautafélag Akureyrar .

Town twinning

Within Iceland there is a twinning with Hafnarfjörður .

sons and daughters of the town

Web links

and display information about the image
Akureyri - Panoramic view from the east, August 2009
Commons : Akureyri  - album containing pictures, videos and audio files
Wikivoyage: Akureyri  Travel Guide

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ cf. Univ. v. Akureyri et al. a.
  2. ↑ Akureyrarbær 2006–2010 ( Memento of November 14, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  3. ↑ on December 1st
  4. ↑ "þar sá hann í anda kirkju sr. Matthíasar" (S. Pálsson: Saga Akureyrarkirkju. Akureyri: Sóknarnefnd Akureyrarsóknar. 1990, page 179)
  5. ↑ Homepage of the parish viewed on February 13, 2008
  6. ↑ Bonifatiusblatt , edition 3/2018, p. 23.