Stykkisholmur

Stykkisholmur is the main town on Snaefellsnes and the port for the Breidafjordur ferry, built round a sheltered harbour with a basalt island, Sugandisey, standing over it. The old town has an unusually complete group of nineteenth century timber buildings, among them the Norwegian House of 1832, brought as a kit from Norway by the merchant Arni Thorlacius and now the district museum. The town also holds the Library of Water, an installation by the American artist Roni Horn in a former library: twenty-four glass columns filled with water collected from Icelandic glaciers, standing in a room with the harbour through the windows.

Background

Trade has shaped the town since 1550, when the value of its natural harbour was recognised and a trading post was set up. Today most residents earn their living from fishing and tourism, and the municipality has a population of 1200 on 10 square kilometres. Egilsenshús, a timber house from 1867, once belonged to a Danish merchant. The port was also a departure point for emigrants: about 500 people left here for North America between 1870-1914, and 1887 was the busiest year, when over 70 sailed. The ferry Baldur crosses Breiðafjörður to the Westfjords. In the 2013 film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, the town stood in for Nuuk in Greenland.

Source: Wikipedia, "Stykkishólmur"

What's there

• The Norwegian House of 1832 - shipped as a kit, now the museum.
• A group of timber houses - unusually complete for Iceland.
• The Library of Water - Roni Horn's columns of glacier water.
• Sugandisey over the harbour - the basalt island with the light on top.

When to go

May to September for ferries, museums and boat trips. Half a day.

Good to know

Museum and installation hours are seasonal and short in winter. The town is small and covered in an afternoon. Ferry sailings reduce off season. Accommodation fills in July and August.

Nearby

Helgafell is minutes south; Flatey is out in Breidafjordur.

Key facts