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Vidfjordur

Region: East Iceland
Coordinates: 65.1° N 13.6167° W

About Vidfjordur

The Vidfjordur cove is the southernmost of the Nordfjordur Bay. Farmhouses, which were abandoned in 1955, are still standing, maintained and used as a summer residence.

Boat trips from the village Neskaupsstadur to the cove are very popular among those who want to enjoy the beautiful surroundings or hike across the mountain passes to the Reydarfjordur Bay.

Sagas of Iceland For centuries on end the farm was haunted and during the first half of the 20th century, the ghosts became unusually hostile, attacked people and then disappeared in smoke and sparks of fire. They were blamed for the drowning of three brothers, who were fishing on the bay in the autumn of 1936. One of the renowned authors of the country, Thorbergur Thordarson, wrote a novel based on these events in 1943. Before the farm was abandoned the same family had lived there since about 1750.

On a mound on the property, called Engihjalli, are supposedly some burial mounds of men who were killed in a battle between the people of Vidfiord and Sandvik. A long going dispute concerning the ownership of grazings eventually led to this bloody battle.

In the mountain pass Dys between the Vidfiord cove and the Reydarfiord Bay further south are also said to be burial mounds of 17-18 Spaniards, who were killed there by the people of the Vidfiord farm. It was considered good practice by passers by to throw stones on top of them for safe passages.

East Iceland Saga

Vidfjordur in Icelandic

Photo Credit: Visitfjardarbyggd.is

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Links in Vidfjordur