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36-460: A road over Fjarðarheiði mountain pass (elevation 600 m or 2,000 ft) connects Seyðisfjörður to the rest of Iceland; 27 kilometres (17 miles) to the Ring Road and Egilsstaðir . Seyðisfjörður is surrounded by mountains with the most prominent Mt. Bjólfur to the west (1085 m) and Strandartindur (1010 m) to the east. The fjord itself is accessible on each side from the town, by following

72-564: A tundra climate ( Koppen ET ), bordering on subpolar oceanic ( Cfc ). However, the high annual precipitation over 1,650 mm (65 in) and the drying trend in summer are very atypical for tundra areas, which are normally very dry and peak in precipitation in summer. Seyðisfjörður is the twin town of Sandur in the Faroe Islands . Route 1 (Iceland) Route 1 or the Ring Road ( Icelandic : Þjóðvegur 1 or Hringvegur pronounced [ˈr̥iŋkˌvɛːɣʏr̥] )

108-841: A clockwise direction from Reykjavík. Travelling clockwise (initially northward) from Reykjavík, the following communities and settlements are located on Route 1. During the 2016 summer solstice , the Icelandic band Sigur Rós filmed and broadcast a live Slow TV event tour of Iceland driving along the entire route. The event was broadcast live in 360-degree video with a soundtrack of constantly evolving music based around elements of their track "Óveður". [REDACTED] Wikimedia Atlas of Iceland Technical Museum of East Iceland The Technical Museum of East Iceland ( Icelandic : Tækniminjasafn Austurlands [ˈtʰaihknɪˌmɪnjaˌsapn ˈœystʏrˌlan(t)s] ), located in Seyðisfjörður , Iceland ,

144-414: A landing strip no longer in use and an oil tanker SS  El Grillo that was bombed and sunk. It remains a divers' wreck at the bottom of the fjord. With the recent demise of the local fish-processing plant, the village has shifted its economy to tourism . It still remains a significant fishing port on the east coast of Iceland, with harbours, ship construction facilities and a slip. In December 2020,

180-482: A regular expressway , and can be upgraded to a 4 lane road when traffic necessitates it. Currently, the section between Kjalarnes and the Hvalfjörður tunnel is being upgraded to a [2+1 road] and should be complete by 2023. The 7.4km long Vaðlaheiðargöng tunnel near Akureyri in the north of the country shortened the route by 16km and improved winter safety, bypassing a mountain road. In more rural parts of

216-445: A series of mudflows hit the town after days of heavy raining, destroying several houses. After 10 houses where damaged on 18 December, including the headquarters of the local SAR team, a complete evacuation of the town was ordered. A month after the mudflow had hit the town, the damage was fully estimated. In all, 39 houses had been damaged, twelve of which being completely destroyed and five more significantly damaged. The total damage

252-627: A swimming pool, a library, hospital, post office, liquor store, and other retail activity. There are several waterfalls in the town. A popular hiking path starts at the town center, following the East bank of the Fjarðará, the river that flows through the center of town. Further up the river there are 25 waterfalls. During the winter, a skiing area is used in Fjarðarheiði mountain pass. Skálanes nature and heritage centre can be found 17 km (10.6 mi) east of

288-578: Is 1,322 kilometres (821 mi), making it the longest ring road in Europe. The road was completed in 1974, coinciding with the 1,100th anniversary of the country's settlement when the longest bridge in Iceland, crossing the Skeiðará river in the southeast, was opened. Previously, vehicles intending to travel between southern settlements, e.g. Vík to Höfn, had to travel north of the country through Akureyri, making

324-448: Is a national road in Iceland that circles the entire country. As a major trunk route , it is considered to be the most important piece of transport infrastructure in Iceland as it connects the majority of towns together in the most densely populated areas of the country. Economically, it carries a large proportion of goods traffic as well as tourist traffic. The total length of the road

360-480: Is popular with tourists since it covers most of the country and many sights of interest are located near to the route. It has long been a popular route with Icelandic families going on summer vacation, but in recent years the route is becoming more popular with foreign tourists who either rent a car or bring their own on the ferry to Seyðisfjörður . Traffic levels on the road vary considerably between locations: in and near Reykjavík around 20,000-50,000 vehicles use

396-510: The Faroe Islands . It is the only car ferry between Iceland and other countries. Seyðisfjörður is connected to the Icelandic ring road Route 1 at Egilsstaðir , via Route 93 which departs west from Seyðisfjörður. Route 951 travels east along the northern side of Seyðisfjörð and Route 952 also travels east, but along the southern side of the fjord . The local football club Huginn play in Iceland's third tier (3rd Division). The colours of their kit are yellow and black. Seyðisfjörður has

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432-549: The Westfjords ), making it a popular itinerary to take for tourists and vacationing locals alike in Iceland. The Ring Road is paved for all of its length and is mostly two lanes wide: one lane going in each direction. The Icelandic Road Administration, Vegagerðin , oversees the maintenance and operation of the Ring Road. The road is generally of good quality, recent road improvement projects have improved safety considerably. However

468-485: The 1970s. In addition, the Skeiðarársandur plain is subject to frequent glacial floods during or after eruptions on the nearby Grímsvötn volcano . Bridges and other stretches of road over the plains have had to be rebuilt as a result, notably during the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in 2010 , when the ring road was severed for several days in the south. These are not considered to a be a risk to everyday travellers as

504-478: The country, mostly in the glacial plains of the south and the Eastfjords , 31 single-lane bridges exist on the Ring Road. Dating back to the original construction of the road in the 1970s, they are sometimes constructed of wood or steel. Vehicles who approach the bridge first have the right of way. These are often narrow and long, making passing difficult, especially when there is high traffic. Non-locals, unaware of

540-621: The country. Heavy summer traffic is especially a problem during the summer at the town of Selfoss , where a single two lane bridge, Ölfusárbrú, is routed through the town carries practically all of the traffic in the south of the country, a significant bottleneck. This is planned to be replaced by a new bypass road and new 4-lane bridge over the Ölfus river, with current plans seeing it complete by 2025. The ring road has complete coverage of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations , with around 30 DC fast charging sites spaced approximately 50-80km apart. They are located in almost all towns along

576-566: The east of Iceland. From 2000 to 2024 the town also was host to the LungA Art Festival . The 2015 Icelandic mystery television series Trapped ( Icelandic : Ófærð ) is set in the town, and was partially filmed there. The series aired on BBC4 in the UK in early 2016. Every week the car ferry MS Norröna of Smyril Line comes to Seyðisfjörður from Hirtshals in Denmark and Tórshavn in

612-477: The entire fjord. The ruin of a burned-down stave church at Þórunnarstaðir [ˈθouːrˌʏnːarˌstaːðɪr̥] was excavated in 1998-1999 and carbon-dated to the 11th century. The town settlement in the Seyðisfjörður area started in 1848. The town was settled by Norwegian fishermen. These settlers also built some of the wooden buildings which still exist in the town. Another now-deserted settlement nearby in

648-434: The fjord, Vestdalseyri was the site for the world's first modern industrialized whaling station. It was established in 1864 by American whaler Thomas Welcome Roys and run by him and his workforce until 1866. Both settlements served primarily as fishing and trading posts. The first telegraph cable connecting Iceland to Europe made landfall in Seyðisfjörður in 1906, making it a hub for international telecommunications well past

684-411: The main road that leads through the town. Further out the fjord is fairly remote but rich with natural interests including puffin colonies and ruins of former activity such as nearby Vestdalseyri [ˈvɛstˌtalsˌeiːrɪ] , from where the local church was transported. Settlement in Seyðisfjörður traces back to the early period of settlement in Iceland . The first settler was Bjólfur, who occupied

720-406: The middle of last century. In 1913, a dam was made in the main river, harnessing power for the country's first high-voltage AC power plant together with a distribution network for street lighting and home use, also the first of its kind in Iceland. Seyðisfjörður was used as a base for British/American forces during World War II and remnants of this activity are visible throughout the fjord, including

756-466: The opening a major transport improvement to the country. Many popular tourist attractions in Iceland, such as the Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss waterfalls, Dyrhólaey cliffs, Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, as well as Mývatn lake, Dettifoss and Goðafoss waterfalls in the north are easily accessible from the Ring Road. The road passes through almost all areas of the country (everywhere apart from

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792-403: The ring road. In the southwestern corner of the country, near Reykjavík , between the larger towns of Mosfellsbær and Selfoss , the road is usually divided by a barrier and has three or four lanes of traffic, mostly being a 2+1 lane partly- controlled access highway , similar to a 2-lane expressway . At current traffic levels, 2+1 lane roads provide similar safety and traffic requirements to

828-415: The road daily, rural sections serving routes between Reykjavik and Akureyri in the west and Reykjavík and Vík in the south see traffic volumes of around 2,000 to 5,000 vehicles per day. The stretches farthest away from larger towns, mostly in the sparsely inhabited east of the country see an average around 500 vehicles per day. Traffic on the ring road is also subject to considerable variation between

864-445: The road is passable. The speed limit is 90 kilometres per hour (56 mph) on open sections; 70 kilometres per hour (43 mph) in tunnels and 50 kilometres per hour (31 mph) through urban areas. A few speed cameras operate on roads just outside of Reykjavík and in all tunnels. In recent years, due to increased traffic and demands for higher road safety, many large improvements have been made in both capacity and safety of

900-477: The road still has hazards, going over many higher-altitude mountain passes in all parts of the country, which can have steep gradients and sharp curves, as well as blind curves and summits and single-lane bridges, especially in the more rural east of the country. Driving in winter one must take special precautions and pre-check driving conditions with the Icelandic Road Administration to ensure

936-404: The road, or for maintenance teams to clear the road of snow after major snowfalls. A few major mountain passes prone to closure in heavily trafficked parts of the ring road: Winter closures used to be more common in the past. In recent years, new tunnels such as the 7.4km long Vaðlaheiðargöng near Akureyri in the north, have reduced the need to close the road due to snow. Prior to rerouting,

972-414: The roads are closed well in advance of a warning of a volcanic eruption. Since its completion, the ring road has seen constant growth in traffic, and has seen an even quicker growth during the recent rise in number of tourists arriving in Iceland. Average traffic recorded along the ring road rose from a consolidated count of 57,000 vehicles per day in 2005 to over 90,000 vehicles per day in 2019. Route 1

1008-531: The route between Breiðdalsvík and Egilsstaðir (over the Breiðdalsheiði plateau) in the east was often closed in winter. Route 1 was rerouted in November 2017, now using the somewhat sinuous coastal route via Reyðarfjörður , using (now former) Routes 96 and 92 to travel between the towns. Route 1 crosses a few glacial plains, such as Skeiðarársandur , which made the original road construction difficult in

1044-812: The route, as well as rest stops and other locations. Each site has anywhere from 2-16 charging posts and they are operated by various companies including N1 , Orka Nattúrinnar and Tesla . Charging power at each site ranges from 50-250kW and are CCS Type 2 standard, with most also supporting the older CHAdeMO standard. The longest stretch between chargers is a 113km section in the northeast, from Mývatn to Skjöldólfsstadir - where there are no amenities (including gasoline). The ring road first became covered by EV charging stations in 2018, initially by Orka Nátturinnar . Additionally, there are many slower AC charging stations at hotels, tourist attractions and towns. The route goes by many names depending on its location. The following table shows road names (excluding tunnels) in

1080-408: The rules of single-lane bridges, have ended in head-on and serious collisions using these bridges. Considered a major safety issue, the Icelandic Road Administration aims to rebuild/upgrade all bridges on the ring road to modern two lane standards. Single-lane bridges were reduced from around 60 in 2010 to 32 in 2020. Within the next five years, an additional 14 bridges are to be rebuilt, mostly along

1116-402: The southern coast. Route 1 has the highest priority for snow removal from the Icelandic Road Administration and is serviced seven days a week during the winter, with teams keeping the road open as weather allows. Conditions are monitored 24/7 and relayed to the public through their website and telephone helpline. During extreme weather it may take hours until the weather calms down to open

Seyðisfjörður - Misplaced Pages Continue

1152-406: The town. The nature reserve is home to a diverse range of wildlife, as well as catering for visitors and anyone wanting to explore the south side of the fjord. Seyðisfjörður also has a vibrant cultural scene. The renowned Swiss artist Dieter Roth had a residence and art studio in Seyðisfjörður and, with others, created a visual art collective in the town in 1996. The Skaftfell Center for Visual Art

1188-409: The winter and summer, with the traffic in summer often being double or more than during the winter. This is due to a lower flow of tourist and agricultural traffic, as well as the roads being less passable or even closed during the winter. Traffic can become considerably heavy on weekends during the summer, when locals flock to travel around the country for holidays, camping and summer house visits across

1224-464: Was established in 1984 as one of four specialized museums in the so-called Eastfjords area of Iceland. The museum later accepted the responsibility of also being a local heritage museum for the Seyðisfjörður area. The museum is closed at the moment because of a mud slide in 2020 that damaged large parts of the museum. 65°15′55″N 13°59′33″W  /  65.2652°N 13.9924°W  / 65.2652; -13.9924 This article about

1260-510: Was estimated by the Government of Iceland at over 1 billion Icelandic Króna (US$ 7.5m). Residents were allowed to return to their homes (if not destroyed) in October 2021 after protections were installed. The town of Seyðisfjörður is well known for its old wooden buildings and has remnants of urban street configurations within its urban fabric. There is a camping ground, facilities for campers, hotels,

1296-509: Was later established in 1998. It is the principal center for visual art in the eastern region of Iceland. The center is open to the public and houses an exhibition space, a library of artist books, and a bistro. The town also houses the Technical Museum of East Iceland as well as LungA School , an independent art school that runs outside of the summer months, and the Herðubíó, the only cinema in

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