Siglufjörður History

North

Siglufjörður carried extraordinary economic weight for much of the 20th century. Herring from the waters off the Tröllaskagi peninsula generated a large share of Iceland's total export income, and at the peak in the 1950s this settlement at 66 degrees north swelled to over 3,000 residents. Seasonal workers arrived from across Iceland and Scandinavia. In the late 1960s the stocks disappeared and the town never recovered its former scale. What remained was a well-preserved historic core. The Herring Era Museum, spread across three harbour buildings, is the main draw and won a European museum prize in 2004. The Folk Music Centre hosts a folk festival each July. The harbour itself — colourful boats, mountains falling almost to the water — gives the place a character difficult to find elsewhere in the north. Until 2010, reaching Siglufjörður meant a difficult drive prone to closures. The Héðinsfjörðargöng tunnel now links the town through to Akureyri, roughly 90 minutes away on paved road year-round. The town centre is compact and walkable; parking is easy.

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