Hellissandur
Encyclopedia
Hellissandur is a village and part of the Snæfellsbær
municipality at the north-western tip of Snæfellsnes
peninsula in western Iceland
.
Once an important fishing area, the village has experienced growth in tourism. The maritime museum has examples of the turf-roof houses once common across Iceland, as well as marine engines and Iceland's oldest rowing boat (1826). According to the 2011 census, Hellissandur and nearby Rif have 544 inhabitants.
One of the points of interest near Hellissandur is the Snæfellsjökull
glacier
, made famous by Jules Verne
in the Journey to the Center of the Earth. Just outside of the village, there is the northern entrance to the Snæfellsjökull National Park, which surrounds the western and southern sides of the glacier.
Noteworthy is the 412 metre tall Gufuskálar
-radio mast, the tallest structure in Western Europe, located 2 kilometres westward.
Snæfellsbær
Snæfellsbær is a municipality located in western Iceland.As of January 1, 2011, it had a total population of 1,723. The total area is 684 km². Its administrative centre is Ólafsvík and the majority of the residents live in Ólafsvík, Rif and Hellissandur....
municipality at the north-western tip of Snæfellsnes
Snæfellsnes
The Snæfellsnes is a peninsula situated to the west of Borgarfjörður, in western of Iceland.It has been named Iceland in Miniature, as many national sights can be found in the area, including the Snæfellsjökull volcano, regarded as one of the symbols of Iceland. With its height of 1446 m, it...
peninsula in western Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
.
Once an important fishing area, the village has experienced growth in tourism. The maritime museum has examples of the turf-roof houses once common across Iceland, as well as marine engines and Iceland's oldest rowing boat (1826). According to the 2011 census, Hellissandur and nearby Rif have 544 inhabitants.
One of the points of interest near Hellissandur is the Snæfellsjökull
Snæfellsjökull
Snæfellsjökull is a 700,000 year old stratovolcano with a glacier covering its summit in western Iceland. The name of the mountain is actually Snæfell, but it is normally called "Snæfellsjökull" to distinguish it from two other mountains with this name...
glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
, made famous by Jules Verne
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
in the Journey to the Center of the Earth. Just outside of the village, there is the northern entrance to the Snæfellsjökull National Park, which surrounds the western and southern sides of the glacier.
Noteworthy is the 412 metre tall Gufuskálar
Longwave radio mast Hellissandur
The Longwave radio mast Hellissandur is a 412 metre high guyed radio mast for longwave transmissions at Gufuskálar in the vicinity of Hellissandur on the peninsula Snæfellsnes of Iceland. This mast, which is the tallest structure in Western Europe, is insulated against ground and guyed in 5 levels...
-radio mast, the tallest structure in Western Europe, located 2 kilometres westward.