Reykholar, a tiny village on the north part of the Westfjord, is a place of natural beauty and historical interest. The village, with a population of about 120 inhabitants, is blessed with plenty of geothermal water in the surrounding area.
Culture and industry in Reykholar
This source of hot water is the key to the success of a seaweed processing factory being the main industry in Reykholar. The company harvests the abundant seaweed rock grounds at Breidafjordur and produces pure dried algal meal, using the geothermal water.
The Reykholar farm – one of the biggest and most valuable farm in Iceland for centuries – was perhaps so prosperous because of the diversity of natural wealth in the area. From the abundance of seals, fish and mussels, to the collection of seaweed and eider down.
The National Museum of Iceland maintains the church at nearby Stadur, built in 1864. The church is quite unusual and well preserved. It is one of the first painted wooden churches in Iceland, in times when tar was the usual preservative.
