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Isafjördur - History

Ísafjördur in Iceland has been a trading centre since 1569 and the regional “capital” of the West Fjords.

The oldest part of the town rests on a sandbank that juts out into the fjord. It has been the site of a church for centuries and was called "Eyri" by locals, the parish being called Eyrarhreppur.

According to "Landnamabok" ("The Book of Settlement"), Helgi Hrolfson was the first to settle in Skutulsfjordur and built his farm there.

In the second half of the 16^th century, foreign merchants put up a trading post on the sandbank in Skutulsfjordur, which developed into the main trading centre of the West Fjords. In 1786 Ísafjördur was given municipal status as one of the six official trading centres in Iceland.

Three warehouses dating from the 18^th century stand near the harbour, including Tjoruhusid (built 1734), the oldest preserved building in Iceland.

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