Eyrarbakki

Eyrarbakki
Coordinates	63 ° 52 ′ N , 21 ° 10 ′ W Coordinates: 63 ° 52 ′ N , 21 ° 10 ′ W
Basic data
Country	Iceland
region	Southurland
ISO 3166-2	IS-8
local community	Árborg
Residents	540 (January 1, 2019)

Eyrarbakki [ ˈeiːrarˌpahcɪ ] is a place in the municipality of Árborg in the Icelandic region of South Urland . Eyrarbakki had 569 inhabitants on January 1, 2011.

geography

The fishing and port town is located northwest of Stokkseyri and southwest of Selfoss at the mouth of the Ölfusá in the Atlantic.

Surname

The name comes from the old name Eyrar (dt. "Sandbanks"), which was used for the coast between the mouth of Ölfusá and Þjórsá . bakki means "(elevated) bank"

history

Húsið, built in Eyrarbakki in 1765

Eyrarbakki Church

One of the first settlers of Eyrarbakki, Bjarni Herjólfsson, is said to have been the first Viking to have reached North America before Leifur Eiríksson .

Because of its proximity to the old bishopric of Skálholt, it was one of the most important ports and trading locations in Iceland for centuries (from around 1100 to the first half of the 20th century).

Until the construction of dikes from the end of the 18th century, Eyrarbakki was threatened by storm surges again and again, with the so-called Básenda flood in 1799 proving to be the worst.

After 1602 the place was a port of the Danish monopoly trade.

Before the bridge over the Ölfusá estuary was built in 1988, Eyrarbakki was the ferry port to Óseyrarnes on the other side of the river.

The formerly independent municipality Eyrarbakki ( Eyrarbakkahreppur ) was merged with Sandvík ( Sandvíkurhreppur ), Stokkseyri ( Stokkseyrarhreppur ) and the city of Selfoss ( Selfosskaupstaður ) to form Árborg on June 7, 1998 .

Culture and sights

Eyrarbakki has an abundance of old and renovated houses. Húsið (Eng. "The house"), one of the oldest buildings in the country, was built in 1765 for the Danish commercial director. It is a listed building and now serves as a museum. There is a maritime museum nearby. Many other houses date from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church was consecrated in 1890 and can be one of Queen Louise, wife of the Danish King Christian IX. Present a hand-painted altarpiece.

Economy and Services

There is a comprehensive school, a kindergarten and a library on site, as well as shops and gas stations, as well as a campsite and restaurants. The school can look back on a long tradition, as it was the first general elementary school founded in Iceland (founded in 1852).

The inhabitants of Eyrarbakki work in the fishing industry and in the village, but many also commute to Selfoss or Reykjavík.

Iceland's largest prison Litla-Hraun is located near the village .

Twin cities

Denmark Kalundborg (Denmark)
Norway Lillesand (Norway)
Sweden Nynäshamn (Sweden)
Finland Kimito (Finland)

Daughters and sons

Sigfús Einarsson (1879–1939), composer
Sigurjón Ólafsson (1908–1982), sculptor

Individual evidence

^ Hagstofa (Stat. Office of Iceland) (Icelandic); Accessed September 5, 2011
^ HU Schmid: Dictionary Icelandic - German. Buske, Hamburg, 55
↑ ^a ^b Íslandshandbókin. Náttúra, saga og sérkenni. 2. bindi. Edited by T. Einarsson, H. Magnússon. Örn og Örlygur, Reykjavík 1989, 785
↑ ibid., P. 18
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Vegahandbókin. Ed. Landmælingar Íslands, 2006, 179

[1] Hagstofa (Stat. Office of Iceland) (Icelandic); Accessed September 5, 2011

[2] HU Schmid: Dictionary Icelandic - German. Buske, Hamburg, 55

[Ísl-3] Íslandshandbókin. Náttúra, saga og sérkenni. 2. bindi. Edited by T. Einarsson, H. Magnússon. Örn og Örlygur, Reykjavík 1989, 785

[4] ., P. 18

[Vega-5] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Vegahandbókin. Ed. Landmælingar Íslands, 2006, 179