The Town of Ísafjörður 150th Anniversary

According to the Book of Settlements there were two settlers in Skutulsfjörður, Helgi Hrólfsson and Þórólfur brækir. Helgi was probably the first to arrive, giving the fjord its name and building a farm. Its exact location is not known but Eyri, a tongue of land in Skutulsfjörður, is thought to have been the settlement site. Up until 1765 the only inhabitants in this area were the household of Eyri. When trade monopoly was abolished in 1788 the population started to increase and the town got its municipal rights. Norwegian and Danish merchants built shopping centres in town. In 1816, Skutulsfjarðareyri lost its township rights but regained them in 1866 and was then given the name of Ísafjörður. In the last decades of the 19th century it was among the largest towns in the country, its proximity to rich fishing grounds ensuring sufficient employment. Ísafjörður was the home of Iceland’s first motorized boat and first shrimp fishing enterprises. The year 1996 saw the unification of six municipalities in northern Westfjords: Þingeyri, Mýrahreppur, Mosvallahreppur, Flateyri, Suðureyri and Ísafjörður. The new municipality thus created was named the Town of Ísafjörður.