An abandoned ship in Seydisfjordur before the landslides of December 2020

An abandoned ship in Seydisfjordur, Iceland, before the landslides of December 2020.

Seyðisfjörður is a town and municipality in the Eastern Region of Iceland at the innermost point of the fjord of the same name.

A road over Fjarðarheiði mountain pass connects Seyðisfjörður to the rest of Iceland. Seyðisfjörður is surrounded by mountains with the most prominent Mt. Bjólfur to the west (1085m) and Strandartindur (1010m) to the east. The fjord itself is accessible on each side from the town, by following the main road that leads through the town. Further out the fjord is fairly remote but rich with natural interests including puffin colonies and ruins of former activity such as nearby Vestdalseyri, from where the local church was transported.

The town of Seyðisfjörður is well known for its old wooden buildings and has remnants of urban street configurations within its urban fabric.

There are several waterfalls in the town. A popular hiking path starts at the town center, following the East bank of the Fjarðará, the river that flows through the center of town. Further up the river there are 25 waterfalls. During the winter, a skiing area is used in Fjarðarheiði mountain pass.

The 2015 Icelandic mystery television series Trapped is set in the town, and was partially filmed there. The series aired on BBC4 in the UK in early 2016.

In December 2020, a series of mudflows hit the town after days of heavy raining, destroying several houses. After 10 houses where damaged on 18 December, including the headquarters of the local SAR team, a complete evacuation of the town was ordered. A month after the mudflow hit the town, the damage had been fully estimated. In all 39 houses had been damaged, twelve of them completely destroyed and five more significantly damaged. The total damage was estimated by the Government of Iceland at over 1 billion Icelandic Króna. (Description from Wikipedia)
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