Stykkishólmur
| Stykkishólmsbær | |
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Skyline of Stykkishólmsbær
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Coat of arms of Stykkishólmsbær
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 Stykkishólmsbær
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| Region | Western Region |
| Constituency | Northwest Constituency |
| Mayor | Sturla Böðvarsson |
| Area | 10 km2 (3.9 sq mi) |
| Population | 1,195 |
| Density | 109.50/km2 (283.6/sq mi) |
| Municipal number | 3711 |
| Postal code(s) | 340, 345 |
| Website | stykkisholmur |
Stykkishólmur (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈstɪhcɪsˌhoulmʏr̥]) is a town and municipality situated in the western part of Iceland, in the northern part of the Snæfellsnes peninsula. 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 the Breiðafjörður fjord to the Westfjords. It also is the gateway to Flatey. The origin of Stykkishólmur can be traced to one important thing, a natural harbor. Because of these excellent conditions Stykkishólmur became an important trading post early in Iceland’s history. The first trading post in Stykkishólmur is traced back to the late 16th century, even before Denmark implemented the notorious Danish–Icelandic Trade Monopoly (1602 – 1787). From that time trading has been at the heart of Stykkishólmur history. In 1828 Árni Thorlacius built a large house for his home and companies, the Norwegian house. That marvelous house is still standing and was renovated some years ago and accommodates the local museum.
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 summer-time tourism.
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 of Guðrún Ósvífursdóttir, a heroine of the Icelandic sagas.
The town's former library has been restored as a public hall and contains an installation by the American artist Roni Horn.
The sports club of Stykkishólmur is called Snæfell, named after a glacier which is located on Snæfellsnes, called Snæfellsjökull. The town's most popular sport is basketball.
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Wikipedia