Húsavík

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For the Faroe Islands village, see Húsavík, Faroe Islands.
Húsavík
Town
View from the harbor
Location of the Municipality of Norðurþing
Húsavík
Location in Iceland
Coordinates: 66°03′N 17°19′W / 66.050°N 17.317°W / 66.050; -17.317Coordinates: 66°03′N 17°19′W / 66.050°N 17.317°W / 66.050; -17.317
Country Iceland
Constituency Norðausturkjördæmi
Region Norðurland eystra
County Norður-Þingeyjarsýsla
Municipality Norðurþing
Government
 • Sveitarstjóri Bergur Elías Ágústsson
Population (2011)
 • Total 2,237
Time zone GMT (UTC+0)
Post Code 640, 645
Website Official website

Húsavík is a town in Norðurþing municipality on the north coast of Iceland on the shores of Skjálfandi bay with 2,237 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 ("Book of Settlement"), 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. The name of the town means "bay of houses" which probably refers to Garðar's homestead. Which 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. [1]

In town there is also a civic museum about culture and biology. Among other things, it shows a stuffed polar bear (arrived in Grimsey in 1969) and ancient boats.

Húsavík is also home to The Exploration Museum, located in a building that previously housed the Icelandic Phallological Museum.[2][3]

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

ÍF Völsungur is the local football club. They last played in Iceland's top tier in the 1988 season.[4]

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Iceland

Twin towns – Sister cities

Climate

Climate data for Husavik
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 1
(34)		 2
(35)		 3
(37)		 5
(41)		 10
(50)		 12
(54)		 14
(58)		 14
(57)		 11
(52)		 5
(41)		 3
(38)		 3
(37)		 6.9
(44.5)
Average low °C (°F) −4
(25)		 −3
(26)		 −3
(26)		 −1
(30)		 2
(36)		 6
(42)		 7
(45)		 7
(44)		 4
(40)		 0
(32)		 −1
(30)		 −2
(29)		 1
(33.8)
Precipitation mm (inches) 36
(1.4)		 23
(0.9)		 33
(1.3)		 23
(0.9)		 18
(0.7)		 43
(1.7)		 53
(2.1)		 66
(2.6)		 61
(2.4)		 104
(4.1)		 56
(2.2)		 50
(2)		 566
(22.3)
Source: Weatherbase[7]

Photogallery

  • View from the mountain

  • Húsavík harbor (1)

  • Húsavík harbor (2)

  • Church of Húsavík

  • Whales in Skjalfandi near Húsavík

  • A street in Húsavík

  • Húsavík - town, harbour and church

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Whale museum homepage". 
  2. ↑ Strong, Bob (15 May 2008). "Icelandic museum offers long and short of male organ". Reuters. 
  3. ↑ Vísir – Ætlar að flytja Reðursafnið til Reykjavíkur
  4. ↑ Iceland 1988 – RSSSF
  5. ↑ "Aalborg Twin Towns". Europeprize.net. Retrieved 19 August 2013. 
  6. ↑ "Nordurthing homepage" (in icelandic). nordurthing.is. 
  7. ↑ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Husavik, Iceland". Weatherbase. 2011.  Retrieved on 24 November 2011.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Húsavík.


1Icelandic settlements with city or town status. Not to be confused with the municipalities.
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