Faskrudsfjordur

From the middle of the nineteenth century until the 1930s, French schooners fished off eastern Iceland in large numbers, many crewed from Brittany and Normandy, and Faskrudsfjordur became their base on shore: a hospital, a chapel, a consulate and a cemetery were built for them. Hundreds of French sailors are buried in Iceland, some of them here. The village keeps the connection deliberately - streets carry names in both languages, the restored French hospital houses a museum about the fishery, and a French days festival is held in summer. It is a small place at the head of a fjord, and the story is what makes it worth the detour.

History

The village had a hospital for the French fishermen who worked off its coast until 1935; the former hospital building of 1903 has been restored as a hotel, street signs are still in Icelandic and French, and the French cemetery holds 49 graves of fishermen from France and Belgium (Wikipedia, Fáskrúðsfjörður).

Highlights

• Street signs in two languages - Icelandic and French.
• The restored French hospital - now a museum about the fishery.
• A French cemetery - sailors buried far from home.
• A summer French festival - the connection kept up.

When to go

June to August for the museum and the festival. Half a day.

Practical notes

The museum keeps summer hours and closes for much of the year. The village is small and quickly walked. Getting there means the fjord road or the tunnel from Reydarfjordur. Facilities are limited off season.

Nearby

Reydarfjordur is through the tunnel; Stodvarfjordur is south along the coast.

Key facts