Breiðdalsvík
Village in Northeast Constituency, Iceland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Breiðdalsvík (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈpreiðˌtalsˌviːk]) is a fishing town in Iceland, located on a large cove of the same name.
Breiðdalsvík | |
|---|---|
Village | |
Breiðdalsvík seen from the air | |
 Location of the Municipality of Fjarðabyggð | |
  Breiðdalsvík Location in Iceland | |
| Coordinates: 64°46′N 14°0′W | |
| Country |  Iceland |
| Constituency | Northeast Constituency |
| Region | Eastern Region |
| Municipality | Fjarðabyggð |
| Population (2024)[1] | |
• Total | 147 |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
It is part of the municipality of Fjarðabyggð in the Eastern Region, and is at the mouth of Breiðdalur, the valley of the river Breiðdalsá. Route 95 branches off Route 1 near Breiðdalsvík and runs through the valley and over Breiðdalsheiði, a heath formed by an eroded volcano, to Egilsstaðir.[2]
The primary industry is fishing. The settlement was established relatively recently. The former general store, the oldest building in the town, is now a geological centre with exhibits devoted to the volcanologist George Walker and to the linguist and literary historian Stefán Einarsson, who was born in Breiðdalur.[3][4] The former fish factory has also been preserved. Breiðdalsvík has a hotel and a craft brewery. The Breiðdalsá is popular for salmon fishing.[2]
On 10 September 1942, Breiðdalsvík was the location of one of the few World War II air raids in Iceland: a German warplane strafed a residential building called Hamar, hitting it with 9 bullets. The building was occupied, but there were no injuries.[5]
