Akureyri, Iceland - general view - postcard c.1970s

Postcard
• Picture / Image:  Akureyri, Iceland - general view
• Publisher:  Litbra HF, Reykjavik
• Postally used:  no
• Stamp:  n/a
• Postmark(s): n/a
• Sent to:  n/a
• Notes / condition: 

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Text from the free encyclopedia WIKIPEDIA may appear below to give a little background information (internal links may not  work) :

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Akureyri ['a?k??r?ei?r?] ( listen) is a town in northern Iceland. It is Iceland's second largest urban area (after the Greater Reykjavík area) and fourth largest municipality (after Reykjavík, Hafnarfjörður, and Kópavogur).

Nicknamed the Capital of North Iceland, Akureyri is an important port and fishing centre, with a population of 17,754. The area where Akureyri is located was settled in the 9th century but did not receive a municipal charter until 1786.^[3] The town was the site of Allied units during World War II. Further growth occurred after the war as the Icelandic population increasingly moved to urban areas.

The area has a relatively warm climate due to geographical factors, and the town's ice-free harbour has played a significant role in its history.

The Norse Viking Helgi magri (the slim) Eyvindarson originally settled the area in the 9th century. The first mention of Akureyri is in court records from 1562 when a woman was sentenced there for adultery.^[4] In the 17th century, Danish merchants based their camps at the current site of Akureyri, which was one of the numerous spits of land in Pollurinn. The main reasons for choosing this spot for trading operations were the outstanding natural harbour and the fertility of the area. The merchants did not live at Akureyri year round but returned home in the winter.^[3]

Permanent settlement at Akureyri started in 1778,^[4] and eight years later, the town was granted its municipal charter by the king of Denmark (and at the time Iceland also) along with five other towns in Iceland. The king hoped to improve the living conditions of Icelanders by this action because at the time, Iceland had never had urban areas. As far as the king was concerned Akureyri was unsuccessful, because it did not grow from its population of 12. It lost its municipal status in 1836 but regained it in 1862. From then on Akureyri started to grow because of the excellent port conditions and perhaps more because of the productive agricultural region around it. Agricultural products became an important sector of the economy.^[5]

Akureyri, with Hlíðarfjall behind, viewed from the eastern shore of Eyjafjörður, morning November 2007

During World War II, Akureyri was one of three air bases used by the Norwegian-British No. 330 Squadron RNoAF.^[6] The squadron, which was formed on 25 April 1941, flew Northrop N-3PB bombers: 'A' flight was based at Reykjavík, 'B' flight at Akureyri and 'C' flight at Budareyri.^[6] On 1 December 1940, 'A' and 'B' flights ceased operating from Norwegian bases, but 'C' flight continued to fly Northrop N-3PBs from Akureyri until 5 April 1943.^[6] No. 330 Squadron RNoAF also operated Catalina flying boats from Akureyri, which protected convoys from the United States to the United Kingdom and Murmansk from attack by German submarines.^[6][7]

In the 20th century, Iceland experienced an exodus from the countryside to the towns.^[8] Commerce and service industries grew to be the primary employers in Akureyri in the 1990s.^[5] Jón Sveinsson, a popular author of children's books, was born in Akureyri and died in 1944.^[9]

In the early 21st century, fishing industries have become more important in Akureyri as two of the major fishing companies of Iceland have become a more important source of revenue and are expected to grow further in coming years. The University of Akureyri was founded in 1987 and is growing rapidly.

Since 2004, the former municipality of Hrísey, an island 35 kilometres (22 miles) to the north, has been a part of Akureyri.^[10] Hrísey, which has a population of 210, is the second largest island off Iceland and is a site for pet and livestock quarantine. The settlement was previously the site of fishing processing.^[11] The town is located on the southern part of the island.^[11] The northern part consists of privately owned land that requires passes to enter.^[11]

It is surrounded by mountains, the highest being Kista (1447 metres) and another peak of 1538 metres at the head of Glerádalur. There is a narrow coastal strip of flat land; inland is a steep but low hill. In earlier times a few spits of land (Icelandic: eyri, thus Akur-eyri) jutted from the narrow coast, but a lot of land has since been reclaimed from the sea so that today the coastline is more even except for the largest, Oddeyri, which was formed by the river Glerá which runs through the town. It is thought that the name of the town is derived possibly from the name of a field which may have been situated near some of the sheltered locations by the river.^[12]

The body of sea between Oddeyri and the end of the fjord is known as Pollurinn (""the Pool"") and is known for calm winds and a good natural harbour. Akureyri today is centered on Ráðhústorg (Town Hall Square) near the north-west corner of Pollurinn. The districts of Akureyri are: Innbær, the oldest part of town on the strip of land between the hill and Pollurinn south of the central area; Brekkan, on top of the hill; Oddeyri on the peninsula with the same name; and Glerárhverfi on the north bank of the Glerá (also referred to colloquially as Þorpið, 'the Village'). Because of the town's position at the end of a long fjord surrounded by high mountains, the climate is actually more inland than coastal, meaning greater variations in temperature (warmer summers, colder winters) than in many other inhabited parts of Iceland. However the mountains shield the town from strong winds. The relatively warm climate (for its latitude) allows the Botanical Gardens to flourish without need of a greenhouse.^[13] The area around Akureyri has one of the warmest climates in Iceland even though it is merely 100 km (62 mi) from the Arctic Circle.^[14]

type=printed postcards

theme=topographical: rest of the world

sub-theme=other european postcards

county/ country=iceland

number of items=single

period=1945 - present

postage condition=unposted