Húsavík


Húsavík is a town in Norðurþing municipality on the north coast of Iceland on the shores of Skjálfandi bay with 2,307 inhabitants. The most famous landmark of the town is the wooden church Húsavíkurkirkja, built in 1907. Húsavík is served by Húsavík Airport.

Overview

Income is derived from tourism and fishing, as well as retail and small industry. Until recently, Húsavík was the export harbour for silica that was extracted from nearby lake Mývatn.
According to the Landnámabók, Húsavík was the first place in Iceland to be settled by a Norse man. 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 Nattfari and two slaves, a man and a woman, and they established a farm here. The name of the town means "bay of houses", probably referring to Garðar's homestead, which may have been the only houses then in Iceland.

Tourism

Húsavík 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 downtown by the harbour.
In town there is also a civic museum about culture and biology.
Among other things, it shows a stuffed polar bear and ancient boats.
Each year in mid July, Húsavík holds a festival called Mærudagar, 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 about the history of human exploration. A monument honouring the Apollo astronauts that trained around Húsavík during the 1960s is located outside the museum.
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 is also not far from the town.

Sports

is the local football club. They last played in Iceland's top tier in the 1988 season.

Popular culture

Húsavík served as the setting of, and inspiration for a song in, the 2020 Netflix film . The film is a comedic story of two natives of Húsavík who represent Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest.

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Húsavík has a mild winter subarctic climate or a subpolar oceanic climate depending on the isotherm used, or, similar to the rest of coastal Iceland.

Daylight hours

Húsavík experiences midnight sun from 11 June until 29 June.
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.

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