Stykkishólmur

The town of Stykkishólmur is situated in the western part of Iceland, to the north of the Snæfellsnes peninsula. With its 1240 inhabitants, it is a center of services and commerce for the area. Most of the people make their living from fishing and tourism. A ferry called Baldur goes over the Breiðafjörður fjord to the West Fjords (Vestfirðir).

The favourable position of the town was discovered rather early and in 1550 a trading post was founded at the site. Today, the most important employer of the town after the fishing industry is a convent of Catholic nuns.

The town was named after a small island in front of the harbour with the name "Stykkið" (meaning "the piece" in Icelandic). The nearby mountain of Helgafell is the burial place of Guðrún Ósvífursdóttir, a heroine of the Icelandic sagas.

The sports club of Stykkishólmur is called Snæfell (Umf. Snæfell), named after a glacier which is located on Snæfellsnes, called Snæfellsjökull.

Popular Culture

In the novel "Red Storm Rising" from 1986, Stykkishólmur was the site of a landing by American Marines tasked to liberate Iceland from occupying Soviet forces.

The world known chess champion Bobby Fischer was planning on moving to Stykkishólmur before his sudden death in early 2008.

Town Festival

Every year the people in Stykkishólmur celebrate the "Danskir dagar" ("Danish days" in Icelandic) festival. This festival is held on the third weekend in August every year where the town's historic connections with Denmark is celebrated. This festival has been held every year since 1995.

ister city

* Kolding, Denmark

ee also

*List of settlements in Iceland
*Snæfellsjökull

External links

* [http://www.stykkisholmur.is/default.asp?sid_is=1649&tid=1 Official website of Stykkishólmur]
* [http://www.stykk.is/webcam.html Webcamera in Stykkishólmur]