Húsavík town
“Where the mountains sing through the screams of seagulls, Where the whales can live ‘cause they’re gentle people” That’s where you will find the beautiful town of Húsavík.
The town became more famous after the Netflix movie “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga” and the song “Húsavík” which was nominated for Best Original Song at the 93rd Academy Awards, for Best Song at the 26th Critics’ Choice Awards and for Best Original Song in a Feature Film at the 11th Hollywood Music in Media Awards.
The song also won for the Outstanding Original Song for Visual Media in 2021 at the Society of Composers and Lyricists Awards and the Hollywood Critics Association Awards for Best Original Song. The lyrics of the song describe perfectly the picturesque atmosphere and the local color of the town of Húsavík.
Even if the movie was not an all-time cinematic masterpiece, it brought the audience closer to the Icelandic culture and aroused the curiosity of people to discover the town of Húsavík.
However, not only the de Netflix movie that brought Húsavík into the world’s spotlight, but the little town in the North of Iceland was and still is famous for whale watching, being known as the best place for whale watching in Europe.
Húsavík is located in Skjálfandi Bay in the northern part of Iceland and has a community of over 2000 people. The name of the town means “the Bay of Houses” and the legend says it was settled before 874 AD, even if this is the official date of settlement in Icelandic history.
The official date was established as the settlement date when Garðar Svavarsson who came out from Sweden stayed over the winter in Iceland in 874 AD. When he left, he let a man and two slaves set a farm there and the legend says that the town was named after their houses in the bay.
An impressive building that differs from others in Iceland with its architecture and design is the Húsavíkurkirkja church. The church was built in 1907 and has a wooden structure.
Along with the church, there is the civic Museum for Culture and Biology where you can find a stuffed polar bear and many ancient boats that document the fishing and seafaring tradition in Iceland.
As I mentioned in the beginning, Húsavík is best known for whale watching and all the whale watching agencies there have a 100% rate of spotting the whales during summertime.
In the waters around Húsavík town, you can spot Humpback whales which are the most common there, and also White Beaked Dolphins and Harbor Porpoises. Together with all marine fauna, you will also spot different species of birds including the famous Puffin. So if you visit Húsavík during summertime those are some of the most popular activities there: the whale and puffin watching.
You will find a lot of restaurants and different kinds of accommodation in Húsavík. You can enjoy both delicious Icelandic dishes and breathtaking views over the Skjálfandi Bay from Húsavík.
