Borgarnes () is a town located on a

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on a ...

at the shore of

Borgarfjörður Borgarfjörður () is a fjord in the west of Iceland near the town of Borgarnes. Although the waters of Borgarfjörður appear calm, the fjord has significant undercurrents and shallows. The many flat islands lying in the fjord are for the most ...

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...

and is the largest town in the

Borgarbyggð Borgarbyggð () is a municipality in the west of Iceland. The biggest township in the municipality is Borgarnes, with a population of 1,887 inhabitants. Other densely populated areas in the municipality include Bifröst, Hvanneyri, Kleppjárnsre ...

municipality with a population of about 3800 residents. It is a main junction in Iceland and the gateway to the Snaefellsnes National Park. Iceland's capital Reykjavik is 69 kilometers from the center of Borgarnes. The second largest bridge in Iceland, the

Borgarfjarðarbrú Borgarfjarðarbrú (, "Borgarfjörður bridge") is the second longest bridge in Iceland, after Skeiðarárbrú. It crosses Borgarfjörður, linking Borgarnes to Route 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list ...

, connects traffic to and from Reykjavik.

Local area

There are four national forests in the region (approximately 40 km from the town center) which are overseen by the Icelandic Forest Service. The forest in Borgarfjardur are mix of Birch woods and native conifers. These forests are Vatnshorn, Norðtunga, Selskógar, Stalpastaðir and Jafnaskarð. Borgarnes has the oldest and tallest of the birch trees in Iceland.

History

Borgarnes was founded in the late nineteenth-century, in a region that served as the setting of

Egil's Saga ''Egill's Saga'' or ''Egil's saga'' ( non, Egils saga ; ) is an Icelandic saga (family saga) on the lives of the clan of Egill Skallagrímsson (Anglicised as Egill Skallagrimsson), an Icelandic farmer, viking and skald. The saga spans the years ...

. The town draws its name from

Borg á Mýrum Borg á Mýrum () is a settlement due west of Borgarnes township in Iceland. Its recorded history reaches back to the settlement of Iceland. One of the country's original settlers was Skallagrímur Kveldúlfsson (''Skalla-Grímr''), who claimed th ...

, the farm of

Egill Skallagrimsson Egil or Egill is a masculine given name derived from Old Norse. It may refer to: Characters * Egil (Hymiskvida), farmer in the poem ''Hymiskvida'' * Egil, brother of Volund, hero of Völundarkviða and the Thidreks saga * Egil One-Hand, hero from ...

, the saga's poet-hero protagonist. A museum in Borgarnes, the Settlement Center, is devoted to the region's ties to Egill Skallagrimsson.

Arts & Culture

The Safnahús Borgarfjarðar is a civilization museum that displays cultural artifacts and historical photos. Safnahús Borgarfjarðar was one of Iceland's first collections to receive the formal recognition of the Saga Council in (2013). BorgarnesSkallagrímsgarður

Borgarnes is famous for its park ''Skallagrímsgarður''. A small hill in the park is said to be the grave of a viking hero, Skallagrímur Kveldúlfsson. Borgarnes is also one of the filming locations in the Hollywood film ''The Secret Life of Walter Mitty''. The Geirabakari Kaffihus, which is featured in the film, was transformed into Papa John's during the filming. Borgarnes is the birthplace of Icelandic composer

Anna Thorvaldsdottir Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century) * Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 1221) ...

. Borgarnes is the hometown of

Magnús Scheving Magnús Örn Scheving (; born 10 November 1964) is an Icelandic writer, entrepreneur, television producer, actor and athlete. He is the creator, director, and star of the children's television show '' LazyTown'', in which he also portrayed th ...

, an athlete and entrepreneur best known for creating, directing, and starring in children's television show '' LazyTown.'' He cites Borgarnes as a unique experience, having only 3 other students in his grade at school.

Local area

History

Arts & Culture

Economy

References

External link