Siglufjordur 100th Anniversary

The town of Siglufjörður is situated at the fjord with the same name in the north of Iceland. Trading began in 1788 with Siglufjörður becoming an authorized trading centre in 1818. In 1918 the district became a township. On January 1, 2010, it had 1214 inhabitants, a substantial decrease from its heydays in the forties and fifties when it was the fifth largest town in Iceland. The prosperity of Siglufjörður was the consequence of excellent herring fisheries north of Iceland starting in 1903.

This era is still celebrated with an annual town festival „The Herring Adventure“. In January 2006 Siglufjörður merged with neighbouring Ólafsfjörður. The merger took effect on June 11, 2006, and the new municipality received the name of Fjallabyggð (Mountain District). Cultural activities abound in Siglufjörður. The town has a Folk Music Centre which sponsors annual folk music festivals. The Herring Era Museum is one of the most renowned museums in Iceland, and has received a number of awards, among them the European Museum of the Year Award in 2004. The Icelandic Poetry Institute began in Siglufjörður in 2011.