Borgarnes
title: "Borgarnes" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["populated-places-in-western-region-(iceland)", "borgarbyggð"] topic_path: "general/populated-places-in-western-region-iceland" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borgarnes" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Borgarnes |
| native_name | |
| settlement_type | Town |
| image_skyline | {{multiple image |
| border | infobox |
| total_width | 290 |
| image_style | border:1; |
| perrow | 1/3/2/2 |
| image1 | 1 borgarnes aerial pano 2017.jpg |
| image2 | Borgarnes - Kirche.jpg |
| image3 | Egill Skallagrímsson 1995-IS-02-00.jpg |
| image4 | 2009 Borgarnes Stadtkern.jpg |
| image5 | 2005-05-25 11 58 59 Iceland-Borgarnes.jpg |
| image7 | View of Borgarnes Iceland.jpg |
| image8 | The Boat (161127103).jpeg |
| image_caption | Borgarnes |
| image_map | Borgarbyggd map.png |
| map_caption | Location of the Municipality of Borgarbyggð |
| pushpin_map | Iceland |
| pushpin_label_position | right |
| pushpin_map_caption | Location in Iceland |
| subdivision_type | Country |
| subdivision_name | Iceland |
| subdivision_type1 | Constituency |
| subdivision_name1 | Northwest Constituency |
| subdivision_type2 | Region |
| subdivision_name2 | Western Region |
| subdivision_type3 | Municipality |
| subdivision_name3 | Borgarbyggð |
| unit_pref | Imperial |
| area_total_km2 | |
| area_land_km2 | |
| population_as_of | 2015 |
| population_total | 1,875 |
| timezone | GMT |
| utc_offset | +0 |
| coordinates | |
| elevation_footnotes | |
| postal_code_type | Post Code |
| :: |
|name = Borgarnes
|other_name =
|native_name =
|nickname =
|settlement_type =Town
|motto =
|image_skyline = {{multiple image
| border = infobox
| total_width = 290
| image_style = border:1;
| perrow = 1/3/2/2
| image1 = 1 borgarnes aerial pano 2017.jpg
| image2 = Borgarnes - Kirche.jpg
| image3 = Egill Skallagrímsson 1995-IS-02-00.jpg
| image4 = 2009 Borgarnes Stadtkern.jpg
| image5 = 2005-05-25 11 58 59 Iceland-Borgarnes.jpg
| image6 =
| image7 = View of Borgarnes Iceland.jpg
| image8 = The Boat (161127103).jpeg
|imagesize =
|image_caption = Borgarnes
|image_flag =
|flag_size =
|image_seal =
|seal_size =
|image_shield =
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|image_map = Borgarbyggd map.png
|mapsize =
|map_caption = Location of the Municipality of Borgarbyggð
|image_map1 =
|mapsize1 =
|map_caption1 =
|pushpin_map = Iceland
|pushpin_label_position = right
|pushpin_map_caption = Location in Iceland
|pushpin_mapsize =
|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_name = Iceland
|subdivision_type1 = Constituency
|subdivision_name1 = Northwest Constituency
|subdivision_type2 = Region
|subdivision_name2 = Western Region
|subdivision_type3 = Municipality
|subdivision_name3 = Borgarbyggð
|government_footnotes =
|government_type =
|leader_title =
|leader_name =
|established_title =
|established_date =
|established_title2 =
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|area_magnitude =
|unit_pref =Imperial
|area_footnotes =
|area_total_km2 =
|area_land_km2 =
|area_water_km2 =
|area_urban_km2 =
|area_metro_km2 =
|population_as_of = 2015
|population_footnotes =
|population_note =
|population_total = 1,875
|population_density_km2 =
|population_metro =
|population_density_metro_km2 =
|population_urban =
|population_density_urban_km2 =
| timezone = GMT
| utc_offset = +0
| timezone_DST =
| utc_offset_DST=
|coordinates =
|elevation_footnotes =
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|postal_code_type =Post Code
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|footnotes =
Borgarnes () is a town located on a peninsula at the shore of Borgarfjörður in Iceland and is the largest town in the Borgarbyggð municipality with a population of about 3800 residents. It is a main junction in Iceland and the gateway to the Snaefellsnes National Park. Iceland's capital Reykjavík is 69 kilometers from the center of Borgarnes. The second largest bridge in Iceland, the Borgarfjarðarbrú, connects traffic to and from Reykjavík.
Local area
There are four national forests in the region (approximately 40 km from the town center) which are overseen by the Icelandic Forest Service. The forest in Borgarfjörður are mix of birch woods and native conifers. These forests are Vatnshorn , Norðtunga , Selskógar , Stalpastaðir and Jafnaskarð . Borgarnes has the oldest and tallest of the birch trees in Iceland.
History
Borgarnes was founded in the late nineteenth-century, in a region that served as the setting of Egil's Saga. The town draws its name from Borg á Mýrum, the farm of Egill Skallagrímsson, the saga's poet-hero protagonist. A museum in Borgarnes, the Settlement Center, is devoted to the region's ties to Egill Skallagrímsson.
Arts and culture
The Safnahús Borgarfjarðar is a civilization museum that displays cultural artifacts and historical photos. Safnahús Borgarfjarðar was one of Iceland's first collections to receive the formal recognition of the Saga Council in (2013). ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/BorgarnesSkallagrímsgarður.jpg" caption="''Skallagrímsgarður'' Park"] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/BorgarnesSkallagr.Grave.jpg" caption="Skallagrímur Kveldúlfsson's grave"] ::
Borgarnes is famous for its park Skallagrímsgarður . A small hill in the park is said to be the grave of a viking hero, Skallagrímur Kveldúlfsson.
Borgarnes is also one of the filming locations in the Hollywood film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. The Geirabakari Kaffihus, which is featured in the film, was transformed into Papa John's during the filming. Borgarnes is the birthplace of Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir.
Borgarnes is the hometown of Magnús Scheving, an athlete and entrepreneur best known for creating, directing, and starring in children's television show LazyTown. He cites Borgarnes as a unique experience, having only 3 other students in his grade at school.
Economy
Borgarnes' commerce is primarily based on agriculture, tourism and culture.
Climate
|location= Hvanneyri, 6.6 km (4.1 mi) from Borgarnes (1964–1993) |metric first= Yes |single line= Yes |Jan record high C = 11.5 |Feb record high C =10.8 |Mar record high C =15.8 |Apr record high C =15.9 |May record high C =20.8 |Jun record high C =19.5 |Jul record high C = 26.1 |Aug record high C =22.0 |Sep record high C =18.6 |Oct record high C =15.0 |Nov record high C =13.4 |Dec record high C =11.8 |Jan high C= 1.1 |Feb high C=2.1 |Mar high C=2.4 |Apr high C= 5.1 |May high C=9.2 |Jun high C= 12.1 |Jul high C= 13.6 |Aug high C=13.1 |Sep high C=9.7 |Oct high C= 6.0 |Nov high C=2.8 |Dec high C=1.5 |Jan mean C= -2.3 |Feb mean C=-1.1 |Mar mean C=-0.8 |Apr mean C=1.9 |May mean C=5.6 |Jun mean C= 8.6 |Jul mean C= 10.3 |Aug mean C=9.7 |Sep mean C=6.4 |Oct mean C= 3.0 |Nov mean C=-0.2 |Dec mean C=-1.9 |Jan low C= -6.1 |Feb low C=-4.4 |Mar low C=-4.0 |Apr low C= -1.3 |May low C=2.0 |Jun low C= 5.3 |Jul low C= 7.1 |Aug low C=6.4 |Sep low C=3.1 |Oct low C= -0.1 |Nov low C=-3.5 |Dec low C=-5.5 |Jan record low C = -24.2 |Feb record low C =-22.0 |Mar record low C =-20.8 |Apr record low C = -23.1 |May record low C =-10.1 |Jun record low C = -3.7 |Jul record low C = 0.0 |Aug record low C =-4.7 |Sep record low C =-7.3 |Oct record low C = -15.6 |Nov record low C =-18.2 |Dec record low C =-22.0 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 90.9 |Feb precipitation mm =98.8 |Mar precipitation mm =85.6 |Apr precipitation mm = 67.4 |May precipitation mm =48.6 |Jun precipitation mm = 53.1 |Jul precipitation mm = 51.0 |Aug precipitation mm =73.5 |Sep precipitation mm =69.1 |Oct precipitation mm = 100.9 |Nov precipitation mm =97.2 |Dec precipitation mm =100.0 |source = Icelandic Met Office}}
Notable people
- Egill Skallagrímsson, warrior, poet and berserker
- Sigurður Páll Jónsson, member of parliament
- Magnús Scheving, athlete and creator of LazyTown
References
References
- "Iceland forest service {{!}} Skógræktin".
- "Vesturland {{!}} Skógræktin".
- (2018-08-27). "Saga Spots: Searching for Egill in Borgarnes".
- Iceland, West. "The Settlement Center".
- grapevine.is. (2016-03-24). "Take A Moment: There's More To Borgarnes Than Bónus And N1". The Reykjavík Grapevine.
- "Safnahús Borgarfjarðar – Borgarnes Museum".
- "Ben Stiller breytir Geirabakarí í Borgarnesi í pizzastaðinn Papa Johns". Pressan.is.
- "Magnús Scheving: Turning Health Into a Game (MOVE Congress 2019)".
- (2009-02-11). "Borgarnes Settlement Center Museum Awarded". Iceland Review.
- "Monthly Temperature and Precipitation Averages for Hvanneyri". [[Icelandic Meteorological Office]].
- "Sigurður Páll Jónsson".
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