Blönduós
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| Basic data | |
|---|---|
| State : |
 Iceland
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| Region: | Norðurland vestra |
| Constituency : | Norðvesturkjördæmi |
| Sýsla : | Austur-Húnavatnssýsla |
| Population: | 939 (January 1, 2019) |
| Surface: | 183 km² |
| Population density: | 5.13 inhabitants / km² |
| Post Code: | 540, 541 |
| politics | |
| Community number | 5604 |
| Mayor: | Jóna Fanney Friðriksdóttir |
| Contact | |
| Address of the municipal administration: | Húnabraut 6 540 Blönduós |
| Website: | www.blonduos.is |
| map | |
Coordinates: 65 ° 40 ′ N , 20 ° 18 ′ W |
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The municipality of Blönduós [ 'plœntʏˌouˑs ] ( Icelandic Blönduósbær ) is located in the Norðurland vestra region in northwest Iceland .
On January 1, 2011 the community had 904 inhabitants, 842 of whom lived in the capital of the same name.
geography
The municipality is located at the mouth of the glacial river Blanda in the bay Húnaflói , actually in its branch, the fjord Húnafjörður , in the west of the Skagi peninsula .
Around 25 km southeast of Blönduós is the northern end of Kjölur , one of the slopes that lead into the Icelandic highlands . The path first touches the Blöndulón reservoir .
At a distance of around 30 km west of the village, also directly on the Hringvegur , is Vatnsdalur with the Vatnsdalshólar mounds .
The distance to Reykjavík is 150 miles.
Surrounding communities are Skagabyggð in the north, Skagafjörður in the east and Húnavatn in the south and southwest .
Surname
The name refers to the location of the place at the mouth of the Blanda and means exactly that. ós in Icelandic corresponds to the mouth of a river , whereas blanda corresponds to the German word mixture .
history
The area of Blönduós was already settled before the year 1000.
The present-day town was built in its western part on the land of the Hjaltabakka and Hnjúka farms, and in its eastern part on the Ennis farm.
In 1875 and 1876, respectively, the place received trading and port rights. The settlement initially grew around the trading house of Thomas J. Thomsen, a Norwegian from Bergen and his family, which, however, burned down in 1914.
A considerable improvement in the connection to Blönduós resulted initially from the construction of a steel bridge over the Blanda in 1897, which was replaced in 1963 by the first large prestressed concrete bridge.
In 1976 a memorial was erected in memory of the dealer.
Until 1914 the place was part of the rural community Torfalækjarhreppur and then became a separate rural community ( Isl. Blönduóshreppur ). In 1988 Blönduós received the status "kaupstaður", d. H. independent city (isl. Blönduoskaupstaður ). In June 2002, the rural community Engihlíðarhreppur was united with Blönduós.
Economy and Services
Blönduós has been the region's economic and service center since it was founded at the end of the 19th century. At the beginning of the 20th century, in addition to the trading house, the main employer was a slaughterhouse that processed the agricultural products of the area. A dairy was established in 1947. Despite the location by the sea, fishing never played a role here due to the difficult port conditions. However, crabs were processed here for around 30 years. There was also a wool processing facility.
The first power station was built on site as early as 1931.
From 1908 there was an elementary school on site.
Nowadays you can find gas stations, shops, banks, a comprehensive school, a music school, kindergartens, a hospital, a retirement home and a sports center with a swimming pool in Blönduós.
The place is also the seat of the highest administrative officer of the region ( Sýslumaður ).
Hotels and guest houses, a campsite and an information office are used for tourism. The area is particularly popular with amateur anglers because of the numerous salmon rivers .
There are also a number of smaller craft and processing companies in the village.
The place is supplied with hot water for heating and households by means of a 14 km long pipe, which was moved from Reykir við Reykjabraut in 1977 to this point.
On a high hill south of the village is the local transmitter for television and the like. Ä.
Transport links
In Blönduós two larger connecting roads cross, the ring road leading around the whole country and the road 74 crossing the northern Skagi peninsula to Sauðárkrókur in the municipality of Skagafjörður .
An airfield has also been maintained south of the town since 1973.
Churches and Parish
It was only shortly before the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries that the church and the Evangelical Lutheran parish were moved from Hjaltabakki to Blönduós. Consecrated in 1895, it has been a listed building since 1990 and has been private property since 1997.
The new parish church (1982–1993) with its special style, a design by the architect Maggi Jónsson , is famous for its acoustics and is therefore also used for concert performances. It contains an altarpiece by Jóhannes Sveinsson Kjarval , which shows Jesus with his disciples in Emmaus, and a baptismal font by Ríkarður Jónsson .
Attractions
The arts and crafts museum ( Heimilisiðnaðarsafn ) shows u. a. traditional wool processing. Parts of the museum consist of the estate of the Icelandic suffragette Halldóra Bjarnadóttir , who was a teacher at the Kvennaskólinn ( girls' school ), which existed here until 1976 , the buildings of which now belong to the museum. The British army had a camp near the former school during World War II .
Textílsetur Íslands, the Icelandic Textile Center, is also located in the building of the old girls' school. Among other things, the joint project of the Vatnsdæla tapestry is housed there. The aim of the project is to revive the Vatnsdæla saga in a modern way, using the old traditions of the craft. The tapestry will be just over 46 meters long. From June up to and including August visitors can be part of this project and embroider parts of the saga shown. The name of each person who supports the project will be recorded in a book held with the tapestry.
A Hafíssetrið ( Sea Ice Exhibition Center ) in the oldest house in the village, Hillebrandshúsið , has been showing information on the subject of pack ice and its influence on Icelandic seafaring since 2006 .
Hrútey , a small island, is right next to the village in the Blanda River. This is now under nature protection and is equipped with benches, walking paths and information boards.
Fishing in the area
Numerous salmon rivers in the region are among the best in Iceland. To this count v. a. Blanda, Laxá á Ásum and Víðidalsá .
Population development
As in only a few areas of Iceland now, apart from the southwest around the capital Reykjavík, the population development in Blönduós is declining (1997 to 2006: –14.5%). In 2007 the population rose again slightly.
| date | Residents |
|---|---|
| Dec. 1, 1997: | 1,043 |
| Dec. 1, 2003: | 958 |
| Dec. 1, 2004: | 917 |
| Dec. 1, 2005: | 903 |
| Dec. 1, 2006: | 892 |
| Dec. 1, 2007: | 895 |
Town twinning
See also
Web links
- Off. Blönduós website (Icelandic)
- Off. German-speaking tourist information
- Off. Website of isl. Angel rights owner (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ HU Schmid: Dictionary Icelandic - German. Buske, Hamburg 2001, p. 180.
- ^ HU Schmid: Dictionary Icelandic - German. Buske, Hamburg 2001, p. 25.
- ↑ T. Einarsson, H. Magnússon (Eds.): Íslandshandbókin. Náttúra, saga og sérkenni. Part 1. Örn og Örlygur, Reykjavík 1989, p. 343.
- ↑ cf. Jón Torfason: Húnaþing eystra frá jöklum til ystu stranda. Ferðafélag Íslands, árbók 2007. Reykjavík 2007, p. 109.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h T. Einarsson, H. Magnússon (eds.): Íslandshandbókin. Náttúra, saga og sérkenni. Part 1. Örn og Örlygur, Reykjavík 1989, p. 344.
- ^ Jón Torfason: Húnaþing eystra frá jöklum til ystu stranda. Ferðafélag Íslands, árbók 2007. Reykjavík 2007, p. 112.
- ↑ a b Jón Torfason: Húnaþing eystra frá jöklum til ystu stranda. Ferðafélag Íslands, árbók 2007. Reykjavík 2007, p. 113.
- ↑ a b c Archive link ( Memento from September 10, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Off. Blönduós website, on business and services (Icelandic); Accessed July 30, 2011
- ↑ http://www.blonduos.com/ (English); Accessed July 30, 2011
- ↑ cf. Landmælingar Íslands (Ed.): Vegahandbókin. Landmælingar Íslands, 2006, pp. 68f.
- ↑ a b http://www.nat.is/Kirkjur/Kirkjur%20NL%20blonduoskirkja.htm nat.is (Icelandic); Accessed July 30, 2011
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento from 23 August 2017 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Off. Site, Sea Ice Exhibition Center. ( Memento of July 22, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (English); Accessed July 30, 2011
- ^ Jón Torfason: Húnaþing eystra frá jöklum til ystu stranda. Ferðafélag Íslands, árbók 2007. Reykjavík 2007, p. 111.
- ↑ Blanda, off. Website of the isl. Fishing club (English); Accessed July 30, 2011
- ↑ Laxá á Ásum, off. Website of the isl. Fishing club (English); Accessed July 30, 2011
- ^ Víðidalsá, Off. Icelandic Fishing Club website: Víðidalsá (English); Accessed July 30, 2011
