Akureyri was originally two settlements: The houses on the ‘øra’ where Gleráverfi is located today, and in the south, Old Akureyri, where you will find the Minjasafnið á Akureyri (Akureyri Museum). Today’s city center is basically situated between these. From the 17th century, trade was conducted here in the summer months, as there are good harbor conditions. However, the Danes did not stay at winter time until well into the 18th century. At Gleráverfi, in the 20th century, there were a number of ramps out into the sea during the herring fishing, and a lot of activity.
Akureyri Museum exhibits a number of old maps and also has a section on the topic Icelandic popular music. The museum is interesting, even if the selected subjects have little to do with each other.
There is an exhibition in the basement that emphasizes the Icelanders’ struggle to free themselves from the Danish trade monopoly. Iceland joined Norway into the Kalmar Union in 1397, and the Danes got a monopoly on all trade. The problem was that there were no duties attached to the trade rights. Although the need for imported goods was critical for the population, one could never be sure that Danish ships actually arrived on Iceland every year. At the same time, vessels from other countries, or the Icelanders themselves, risked large fines for trading – regardless of whether Danish ships actually traded or not. In short, a moving story, well told and definitely worth a visit!
After a visit to the museum, a swim is a good idea. Take the car and drive further into the fjord ending, to the forest Vaðlaskógur. The forest is named after the mountain Vaðlaheiði on the east side of Eyjafjörður (the fjord with an island). Before 1985, the road from Akureyri to Húsavík was both steep and winding over Vaðlaheiði and through a small canyon called Steinsskarð. Here one might be able to see the remains of a small shed, which some believe inspired the construction of Iceland’s longest word ever:
‘Vaðlaheiðarvegavinnuverkfærageymsluskúr‘ =
Vadlaheið’s road construction’s tool storage shed
Today there is a tunnel under Vaðlaheiði, called Vaðlaheiðargöng. At Eyafjörður, the tunnel opening is close to the village of Svalbarðseyri, that immediately gave Idun the good, homely feeling, even though it is otherwise not very similar to Longyearbyen, Svalbard, where she grew up.
Vaðlaheiðargöng opened in 2018, which shortened the route between Akureyri and Húsavík by 16 km. NB! You have 48 hours to pay the toll if you haven’t done so in advance. Tobatheornottobathe finds is hard to remember those kinds of deadlines and recommend paying in advance!
During the construction of the Vaðlaheiðargöng in 2014, there were problems with water seepage. But the misfortune turned to luck, as the water turned out to be a geothermal source! That, in turn, inspired the couple Sigríður Hammer and Finnur Aðalbjörnsson to build the Forest Lagoon.
Eyafarðar skogbruksforening got a contract with the land owner in 1936 to plant a forest on their marshes, at the inner end of Eyafjörður. The tree planting was completed in 1970, and today it is a strange feeling to enter an Icelandic forest here up in the north region, where there are no wild trees at all. The spa is very beautiful and has everything you could ever dream of: hot and cold baths, saunas, a restaurant, all with inspiration from the forest and rocky hill behind. Absolutely recommended!
