Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
battles on north towards Iceland's most remote airport, Gjögur , handy for reaching this
forgotten corner of the country, and end-of-the-road Norðurjörður , where it finally
expires, marking the jumping-off point for ambitious overland treks north towards the
uninhabited wilds of Hornstrandir.
Hólmavík
A thriving fishing village on the southern shore of Steingrímsfjörður with a population
of around 390, HÓLMAVÍK was granted municipal status in 1890 but only really began
to grow during the twentieth century. Today life is centred around the natural harbour
at the northern edge of the village, home to around a dozen fishing boats and the
shrimp-processing plant, Rækjuvinnsla, that potent symbol of economic independence
in rural Iceland, of which locals are justifiably proud. The village economy is dependent
on the shrimps the local boats catch - inshore in the fjords in winter, deep-sea
shrimping in summer.
Other than the West Fjords' most offbeat exhibition, the Museum of Sorcery and
Witchcraft, there are no sights to speak of, though sooner or later you'll undoubtedly
come across the oldest building in the village, Riishús , on the main street, Hafnarbraut,
which runs parallel to the fjord. Built by and named after local merchant Richard Peter
Riis, the two-storey wooden structure dates from 1897 and now is home to the town's
only restaurant (see p.207).
Galdrasýning á Ströndum
Höfðagata 8-10 • Daily 9am-9pm • 800kr • W galdrasyning.is
Located in the turf-roofed building behind the shrimp plant, the Galdrasýning á
Ströndum (Museum of Sorcery and Witchcraft) should be your first port of call in
town. An English audio commentary guides you through the various exhibits, which
recount the occurrence of witchcraft and sorcery in this part of the country during the
seventeenth century. The Strandir region, always one of Iceland's most remote, seems to
have hung onto Viking superstitions longer than elsewhere, and even today is reputed
as the home of cunning. During the late 1600s, twenty men and one woman were
burnt at the stake in the West Fjords for sorcery, which included the practice of
wearing nábrók (“ necropants ”), a supernatural means of getting rich quick; having
gained the permission of a living man to dig up his body after death, the sorcerer
would skin the body from the waist down and step into the skin, which would become
one with his own. On placing a coin in the dead man's scrotum, the coin would
continually draw money from other living people. A copy of a pair is on display in the
museum, alongside other items such as a tree trunk with shackles and birch twigs for
whipping offenders. Look out, too, for the eerie stone bowl , kept in a glass cabinet off
reception, which is thought to have been used for sacrifices. Discovered at nearby
Góðadalur in 2003, the bowl appears to show traces of human blood from heathen
sacrificial rituals.
4
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
HÓLMAVÍK
By bus Buses from the N1 filling station at the entrance to
the village link Hólmavík with Ísafjörður - a full 223km
away - during the summer, and with Reykjavík year-
round, offering connections for Akureyri at Bifröst.
Destinations Ísafjörður (3 weekly June-Aug; 3hr 40min);
Reykjavík (3 weekly; 3hr 15min).
Tourist information The o ce (daily 9am-9pm; T 987
6525, W holmavik.is/info) is at the museum at Höfðagata
8-10, and also has free internet access.
Services Hólmavík functions as a service centre for the
surrounding sheep farms and boasts a large supermarket
(Mon-Fri 9am-10pm, Sat & Sun 10am-10pm) at
Höfðatún 4, a post o ce and bank (both Mon-Fri
9am-4.30pm) together at Hafnarbraut 19, as well as an
outdoor swimming pool with two hot pots (June-Aug
daily 9am-9pm; rest of the year Mon-Thurs & Sat 6-9pm),
at the entrance to the village off Hólmavíkurvegur.
 
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