Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Hafnarfjörður, Iceland

Hafnarfjörður is a small port town on the southwest coast of Iceland, about 10 km (~6.5  miles) south of Reykjavík

The town was founded in 1908.  With +26,400, it is the country's third-largest town.

The town is built on lava and so houses are built around it.  Hafnarfjörður is supposedly one of the most popular places for Icelandic elves, dwarfs and "hidden folk" to live.  


Each June, there is a Viking festival held in Fjörukráín - the Viking Village.
Me and Thor, the Norse god


This is one of the country's largest fishing centers and is the second largest harbor for import/export shipping.

The monumental arch by the harbor is to commemorate Iceland's first Lutheran church, built by Germans, in 1533.  The church was closed in 1603 and finally removed in 1608 by order of the Danish King Christian IV.

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