Westman Islands

The largest of the 15 islets in the archipelago is Heimaey (Home Island). It is also the only island that is inhabited by people. The population of the islands grew over the centuries until Algerian pirates discovered the island in 1627. They came to Ræningjatangi (the Spoilers’ Disputes) and murdered 40 men of the settlers and kidnapped another 250. At that time this was more than half of the total population. Most of them ended up as “exotic” slaves in the Ottoman Empire. Similar invasions by Turks led to the total devastation of the island. Because of this a law was issued in Iceland to kill every Turk who set foot on Heimaey. The law was official until it was revoked in 1970.
The biggest tragedies however were natural disasters. In 1783 the volcano Laki erupted which lead to the emission of highly poisonous gasses and dust that killed over half of the lifestock in Iceland and in due course 25% of the Icelandic population. Another great tragedy was the eruption of the Eldfell volcano on the island on January 23, 1973. Lava flows destroyed a large part of Heimaey and came dangerously close to the bay where the port is located. After the eruption ended most of the settlement was rebuilt. The result of the eruption, vast lava fields, can be seen all around the volcano and the ground is still warm at places.

In the early morning of January 23th 1973, the Eldfell volcano erupted on the island of Heimaey. As a result approximately 400 houses (1/3 of all buildings on the island) were destroyed and covered under 2 million tonnes of ashes. Many years later during excavation works a perfectly preserved house was discovered. This was the starting point of building a museum to commemorate the eruption. The house is now the main point of interest in the Eldheimar Museum. Visitors to the museum, which name literally translates as “Fire Worlds”, can admire the dramatic effects of such a life changing event in the past and learn about the history of the surrounding volcanoes during an interactive exhibition.

The Herjolfsdalur Valley has the shape of a horseshoe, and was named after Herjólfur Bárðarson. He was one of the first settlers of the Vestmannaeyjar. Surrounded by mountains, it is a good shelter and is annually the place to be for one of the largest summer music festivals in Iceland. Visitors can also visit here the excavated ruins of a 10th-century farm, which according to the legend was once the residence of the first settler. In 2006 a replica of the alleged appearance of the farm was recreated here. In the valley there is also a well-equipped camping ground.

During the eruption, which occurred in 1973, on the eastern side of the island of Heimaey a huge volcanic cone was formed up to a height of 221m. Local residents gave it the name Eldfell: “Mountain of Fire”. Today you can climb the crater on its northern wall. It is a great hiking trip, but be careful, the volcano is still so hot at places you could bake a bread in the ground. Guests can also visit the lava field Eldfellshraun (Mountain of fire lava). In the lavafield plates are placed to locate some of the destroyed houses.

Storhöfði promontory is located at the southern end of the Heimaey Island and is considered the windiest place in Europe. It has an old weather station that has been in operation since 1921. On December 2nd 1929 the lowest atmospheric pressure ever experienced on land was recorded here. Windy weather is not the only feature of Storhöfði, it is also known for the richness of bird species and is home to the largest puffin colony in the world. For those who want to stay in the kingdom of puffins, a special wooden house was built on the rocks. From this spot you can safely peep at these beautiful birds.

This unusual rock formation, which is an obligatory point of interest for all guests visiting the Vestmannaeyjar Islands, is located in the immediate vicinity of the Halldórsskora cliffs on the north-west coast of the island of Heimaey. It resembles the appearance of a huge elephant submerging a trumpet deep in the Atlantic. The Elephant is best seen from the boat as you can get the closest. When you look carefully at the basalt rocks an extremely wrinkled structure can be seen that really resembles the skin of an elephant. Boat trips (Ribsafari) are available from April to the end of August.

When visiting the islands of Westman Islands don’t forget to visit the aquarium. In this museum you can meet and greet the local heroes: Puffins! It started several years ago with Toti. An orphan puffin who got so domesticated in his rehabilitation he was unable to return to nature and became the permanent resident of the aquarium. This was the perfect chance to see a live puffin from close by. In 2018 Toti sadly passed away but as the aquarium is involved in the rehabilitation of other orphan puffins frequently there is still the possibility to meet this magnificent bird.
In the aquarium you can also find many specimens of sea creatures which are living in the surrounding waters and there is an exhibition of other birds and animals living on the islands. Aquarium has been a significant part of the Vestmannaeyjar culture for many years. Children always consider the museum and possibility to meet puffins as an adventure. Often the children come back as students to work on scientific projects and come back with their children and grandchildren. The small and charming aquarium has always had a special place in the hearts of the islanders.

In geological terms the Vestmannaeyjar Islands are considered infants. The oldest island emerged as a cone from a submarine volcano over 10,000 years ago. The youngest island is Surtsey. This island arose from the sea as a result of a series of dramatic eruptions, lasting 4 years, which began in 1963. Thanks to the prosperous fishing community and a fleet of 60 cutters, the economy of the island of Heimaey was doing very well. The same fleet also enabled the safe evacuation of the entire population (5,000 people at the time) during the volcanic eruption that occurred in January 1973. The volcano remained active until July of that year and covered 30% of the city with lava and dust adding 230 million cubic meters of volcanic material to the island.