Fáskrúðsfjörður
Fáskrúðsfjörður is a village of around 700 people in the heart of Iceland's East Fjords, widely known as the French Town of Iceland. From 1880 until 1935 it served as the main operational base for French cod fishermen, primarily from Brittany and Normandy, who came annually to fish Icelandic waters. The legacy is visible throughout the village: street signs are posted in both Icelandic and French, 49 French and Belgian sailors are buried in a graveyard just outside town, and the centrepiece of the village is a beautifully restored 1903 French hospital that now houses a hotel and the French Museum.
The East Fjords Village Where French Fishermen Came Every Year for Half a Century
The French presence in Fáskrúðsfjörður was substantial and long-lasting. At the peak of operations, hundreds of French fishermen from Brittany and Normandy used the village as their Icelandic base each season, and the French community constructed a hospital, a consul's office, and a chapel to serve their needs. The hospital, built in 1903, operated until the First World War called the fishermen back to France. It subsequently fell into decades of disrepair before a careful restoration completed in 2014 gave it a new life as the Fosshotel Eastfjords and the French Museum. The museum covers the history of French seafaring in Icelandic waters with an award-winning exhibition. The graveyard at the edge of the village, where 49 French and Belgian sailors who died in Iceland are buried, is a quiet and affecting site. Fáskrúðsfjörður has a twinning arrangement with Gravelines in northern France, the port from which many of the fishermen sailed. French Days, a street festival held on the last weekend of July, celebrates the connection annually.
Beyond the French heritage, the village and its surroundings offer several natural attractions. Sandfell, a 743-metre rhyolite mountain between Fáskrúðsfjörður and Stöðvarfjörður, is one of the finest examples of a laccolithic mountain in Iceland, formed when molten rhyolite forced its way through older lava layers and cooled into a distinctive dome. The 2 to 3 hour hike to the summit gives panoramic views across the East Fjords. The Gilsá river trail leads from the edge of the village to Gilsárfoss waterfall, where visitors can walk behind the cascade. The coastal road along Route 955, which winds past the sea cliffs and the bird-rich island of Skrúður before reaching the village, is considerably more scenic than the tunnel route through the mountain and is strongly recommended in good weather. Petra's Stone Collection in nearby Stöðvarfjörður is a 10-minute drive.
Fáskrúðsfjörður is in the central East Fjords, approximately 75 kilometres from Egilsstaðir via the Fáskrúðsfjarðargöng tunnel through Reyðarfjörður. The tunnel, opened in 2005, has made the village considerably more accessible year-round. The longer coastal route via Road 955 from Breiðdalsvík is worth taking when driving south. Accommodation in the village includes the Fosshotel Eastfjords in the historic hospital building and a campsite with fjord views.
