Síldarminjasafn Íslands

The Herring Years
The many towns, villages and areas along the north and east coast of Iceland that were deeply affected by the arrival of the herring adventure were Bolungarvík, Ingólfsfjördur, Djúpavík, Skagaströnd, Dalvík, Hjalteyri, Dagverdareyri, Krossanes, Akureyri, Húsavík, Raufarhöfn, Thórshöfn, Vopnafjördur, Seydisfjördur, Neskaupstadur, Eskifjördur and Reydarfjördur.
Nowhere did the herring adventure have such an impact as in Siglufjördur. 

"Sigló"
The present day inhabitants of Siglufjördur still talk of the two Norwegian 'occupations' of the area: the first undertaken by the Viking Thormódur Rammi around 900 AD, the second being the 1903 herring influx that built the world's most famous herring town.

 Nowhere was the influence of the herring adventure felt more strongly than in Siglufjördur. Within forty years this once sparsely populated hamlet was transformed into a thriving town of more than three thousand inhabitants. For years the entire life of Siglufjördur centred around the herring catch and its processing - the town's twenty-three salting stations and five reducing factories were a living reminder of that.
Siglufjördur was also one of the most important ports in Iceland and on more than one occasion the herring exported from the town accounted for over 20% of the nation's total exports.

As the herring adventure progressed, a goldrush-like atmosphere settled over the town, leading to Siglufjördur been dubbed the "Atlantic Klondyke". The town also became a magnet for herring speculators who came and went, some making a lot of money during the stay, and others not. With its booming industry, Siglufjördur also became a mecca for tens of thousands of workers and labourers seeking employment.
When bad weather and storms broke, the sheltered waters of the fjord became home to a massed fleet of hundreds of herring ships. Life on land was just as colourful, the streets of Siglufjördur so jammed with crowds and activities that they resembled the teeming avenues of major cities. 

Modern Siglufjördur
Siglufjördur is the northernmost town in Iceland, and signs of its past glory as the herring capital of Iceland can still be seen. Although most of the old houses and piers of the herring era have disappeared, some prominent reminders remain. To name a few, there are: Róaldsbrakki, The Norwegian Sailors Home (now a music school), and SR-Mjöl's factory building, Icelands largest fish-meal extracting factory, built in 1946. It is also quite obvious, especially if you look at the main street in town, that some effort was made to turn Siglufjördur into a small-scale metropolis.

The town has about 1300 inhabitants, and all basic industries and services (e.g. for tourists) can be found in the town.