Djúpivogur Explained

Djúpavogshreppur
Settlement Type:Town and former municipality
Mapsize:250px
Pushpin Map:Iceland
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Iceland
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Eastern Region
Subdivision Type2:Constituency
Subdivision Name2:Northeast Constituency
Subdivision Type3:Municipality
Subdivision Name3:Múlaþing
Leader Title1:Manager
Leader Name1:Gauti Jóhannesson (IP)
Unit Pref:Metric
Area Total Km2:1,133
Population Total:509
Population Density Km2:auto
Postal Code Type:Postal code(s)
Postal Code:765

Djúpivogur (pronounced as /is/) is a small town and former municipality (Djúpavogshreppur in Icelandic pronounced as /ˈtjuːpaˌvɔksˌr̥ɛhpʏr̥/) located on a peninsula in the Austurland region in eastern Iceland, near the island of Papey and on the fjord Berufjörður. The municipality was formed by the merger of rural communities Berunes in Icelandic pronounced as /ˈpɛːrʏˌnɛːs/, Buland in Icelandic pronounced as /ˈpʏːlant/, and Geithellur in Icelandic pronounced as /ˈceitˌhɛtlʏr̥/ on October 1, 1992. The coastline consists of three fjords Berufjörður, Hamarsfjörður in Icelandic pronounced as /ˈhaːmar̥sˌfjœrðʏr̥/, and Álftafjörður. The town of Djúpivogur is located on a peninsula between Berufjörður and Hamarsfjörður.

Approximately 900 m west of the town is a work of art named "Eggin í Gleðivík" in Icelandic pronounced as /ˈɛcːɪn iː ˈklɛːðɪˌviːk/ (The Eggs of Merry Bay) by Sigurður Guðmundsson. The work is a replica of the eggs of 34 nesting birds in the area, and was installed in the summer of 2009.[1]

Djúpivogur is home to Langabúð in Icelandic pronounced as /ˈlauŋkaˌpuːθ/, one of Iceland's oldest commercial buildings. The south end dates back to 1790, but the building only took on its present appearance when the northern part was constructed in 1850. Langabúð served many purposes, being a warehouse and slaughterhouse. Today, it is home to a café, the heritage museum and an exhibition on the Icelandic sculptor Ríkarður Jónsson, who was native to the village.[2]

In 2020, the municipality of Djúpavogshreppur merged with Borgarfjarðarhreppur, Fljótsdalshérað and Seyðisfjarðarkaupstaður to form the new municipality of Múlaþing.

Climate

Djúpivogur features a cold tundra climate (Köppen: ET). Approximately 5 kilometres west of Djúpivogur lies Teigarhorn in Icelandic pronounced as /ˈtʰeiːɣarˌhɔ(r)tn̥/,[3] a farm on the shores of Berufjörður, where weather observations began in 1874.[4] It is one of the oldest weather stations in the country and holds the record for the highest temperature ever recorded in Iceland, 30.5C recorded on June 22, 1939.[5] [6] It is also claimed that Teigarhorn reached 36C in September 1940, but that is not recognized by the Icelandic Meteorological Office. Temperatures above 30C are very rare in Iceland, and have occurred only 5 times since weather observations first began in Iceland in the 19th century.[7] Teigarhorn features a cold tundra climate (Köppen: ET) because it does not have any month that has a mean temperature above 10C, but the winter temperatures are mild for a cold tundra climate, and thus closely resembles a mild tundra climate or a subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc), the climate generally seen in coastal Iceland.

History

By the early nineteenth century, Djúpivogur was 'a tiny port with a Danish colonial trading base'. Hans Jonatan, who had been a slave in Copenhagen, escaped there and became one of Iceland's first people of colour.[8]

Culture

Djúpivogur is the first and only Cittaslow town in Iceland. Cittaslow's goals include improving the quality of life in towns by slowing down its overall pace, especially in a city's use of spaces and the flow of life and traffic through them. Cittaslow is part of a cultural trend known as the slow movement.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Eggs of Merry Bay. 25 Nov 2016. 26 November 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161126132017/https://beiceland.is/the-eggs-of-merry-bay. dead.
  2. Web site: Langabúð . sagatrail.is . 2019-12-24.
  3. Web site: Google Maps. 28 July 2016.
  4. Web site: TEIGARHORN BERUFJORDUR EAST ICELAND – Iceland travel. 28 July 2016. 11 September 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20030911033230/http://www.nat.is/travelguideeng/plofin_teigarhorn.htm. dead.
  5. Einarsson, Markús. Climate of Iceland pg 683. Retrieved 29 April 2009.
  6. http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16539&ew_0_a_id=309709 Heat Wave Hits Iceland, New Records Set
  7. Web site: Hæsti hiti á Íslandi – Teigarhorn 22. júní 1939. 28 July 2016.
  8. Kristín Loftsdóttir and Gísli Pálsson, 'Black on White: Danish Colonialism, Iceland and the Caribbean', in Scandinavian Colonialism and the Rise of Modernity: Small Time Agents in a Global Arena, ed. by Magdalena Naum and Jonas M. Nordin, Contributions To Global Historical Archaeology Volume, 37 (New York: Springer, 2013), pp. 37--52 (quoting p. 47).