- Stykkishólmur
The town of Stykkishólmur is situated in the western part of
Iceland , to the north of theSnæfellsnes peninsula. With its 1240 inhabitants, it is a center of services and commerce for the area. Most of the people make their living from fishing and tourism. A ferry called Baldur goes over theBreiðafjörður fjord to the WestFjord s (Vestfirðir ).The favourable position of the town was discovered rather early and in
1550 a trading post was founded at the site. Today, the most important employer of the town after the fishing industry is aconvent ofCatholic nun s.The town was named after a small island in front of the harbour with the name "Stykkið" (meaning "the piece" in Icelandic). The nearby mountain of
Helgafell is the burial place ofGuðrún Ósvífursdóttir , a heroine of theIcelandic sagas .The sports club of Stykkishólmur is called
Snæfell (Umf. Snæfell), named after a glacier which is located on Snæfellsnes, calledSnæfellsjökull .Popular Culture
In the novel "
Red Storm Rising " from 1986, Stykkishólmur was the site of a landing by American Marines tasked to liberate Iceland from occupyingSoviet forces.The world known
chess championBobby Fischer was planning on moving to Stykkishólmur before his sudden death in early 2008.Town Festival
Every year the people in Stykkishólmur celebrate the "Danskir dagar" ("Danish days" in Icelandic) festival. This festival is held on the third weekend in August every year where the town's historic connections with
Denmark is celebrated. This festival has been held every year since1995 .ister city
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Kolding ,Denmark ee also
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List of settlements in Iceland
*Snæfellsjökull External links
* [http://www.stykkisholmur.is/default.asp?sid_is=1649&tid=1 Official website of Stykkishólmur]
* [http://www.stykk.is/webcam.html Webcamera in Stykkishólmur]
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