Akureyri

The Norse settler Helgi magri, "the slim", took the land around Akureyri in the 9th century, but the town itself is first mentioned only in 1562, in a court record of a woman sentenced there for adultery. In the 17th century Danish merchants set up their summer camps on one of the spits of land in Pollurinn, drawn by the excellent natural harbour and the fertile farmland around it; they went home each winter. Permanent settlement began in 1778, and in 1786 King Christian VII granted Akureyri a municipal charter along with five other Icelandic towns, hoping urban life would improve conditions in a country that had never had towns. It did not take: the population stayed at twelve, and the charter was lost in 1836 and only regained in 1862.

From then on Akureyri grew, on its ice-free harbour and still more on the farming district around it. Agricultural products became an important part of the economy, and the population rose from 2,239 in 1910 to 7,711 in 1950. During the Second World War the Norwegian-British No. 330 Squadron flew from Akureyri, its Catalina flying boats guarding convoys to Murmansk, and German invasion plans named the town as one of two landing ports.

After the war, people from the countryside moved into towns, and Akureyri kept growing. The church was completed in 1940, the University of Akureyri was founded in 1987, and by the 1990s commerce and services were the main employers. The island of Hrísey joined the municipality in 2004, and the Vaðlaheiðargöng tunnel opened in 2018.

Akureyri has a stronger folk culture than Reykjavík and a full set of town institutions: the Hof culture house, an art museum in a former dairy that hosts the Icelandic Visual Arts Awards, one of the largest libraries in the country, and the galleries of Listagil. The folk-dance ensemble Vefarinn comes from Akureyri. The town keeps the houses of its writers — Nonni's House, childhood home of the children's author Jón Sveinsson, and Davíðshús, home of the poet Davíð Stefánsson, are museums, and Sigurhæðir, home of Matthías Jochumsson, who wrote the national anthem, is a culture house.

Many speakers in Eyjafjörður keep harðmæli, the 'hard', aspirated p, t and k of northern Icelandic. Sport divides the town between its two big clubs, KA and Þór, whose joint women's football team, Þór/KA, won national titles in 2012 and 2017. The ice-hockey club Skautafélag Akureyrar is the most successful in the history of the Icelandic league, and the golf club, founded in 1935, holds the Arctic Open each summer solstice on the world's most northerly 18-hole course.

Winter sport is close at hand: Hlíðarfjall, northern Iceland's largest ski area, is about six kilometres from town. In summer the town turns outward, with festivals in the area such as the medieval days at Gásir, and cruise passengers crowd the centre.

Akureyri had a population of 20,284 in 2026, counting the islands of Hrísey and Grímsey in the municipality. It is the largest municipality outside the Capital Region, with Akureyri Hospital, one of the two major hospitals in Iceland, the university, two upper-secondary schools and an airport.

Fishing has historically been the backbone of the economy, and two of the five largest fishing companies in Iceland are headquartered here, partly because of the ice-free port; Samherji and Brim are among the town's large companies. The dairy Norðurmjólk and Vífilfell, the largest brewery in Iceland, are also based in town, alongside services, tourism and a growing higher-education sector.

Much of the town has been heated geothermally since the late 1970s. Snow lies from late October to April, and the light swings from barely any sun in midwinter to near-endless summer days. The port handles fish, freight and, in the summer months, cruise ships, and local buses within the town have been free since 2008.

Akureyri eats as the north does. Hangikjöt, smoked lamb, is eaten here as throughout Iceland, and laufabrauð, leaf bread, began in the north: paper-thin rounds cut into geometric patterns and fried, made by whole families as part of the Christmas preparations. Skyr, the soft yogurt-like cheese eaten across Iceland, is a staple here too. Dense rye bread, rúgbrauð, was traditionally also baked by burying the dough in casks in the ground near a hot spring.

Everyday eating centres on Hafnarstræti and Kaupvangsstræti. The Icelandic hot dog, pylsur, made from Icelandic lamb, pork and beef and served with fried and raw onion, ketchup, sweet mustard and remoulade, is sold from a stand on the main street, and Brynja's ice cream is locally famous.

Eyjafjörður has several breweries. Einstök is brewed in Akureyri and has a taproom on Kaupvangsstræti, Vífilfell, the country's largest brewery, is based here, and along the fjord Kaldi has been brewed at Árskógssandur in the Czech tradition since 2006.