Hvolsvöllur

Hvolsvöllur is a small town in the south of Iceland about 106 km to the east of Reykjavík.

Hvolsvöllur
Town
Location of the Municipality of Rangárþing eystra
Hvolsvöllur
Location in Iceland
Coordinates: 63°45′N 20°14′W
Country Iceland
Constituency[1]South Constituency
Region[2]Southern Region
MunicipalityRangárþing eystra
Population
 (2020)
 • Total1,036
Time zoneUTC+0 (GMT)
Websitewww.hvolsvollur.is
Gas station in Hvolsvöllur
Farm building near Hvolsvöllur

Hvolsvöllur, situated in the municipality of Rangárþing eystra, is an excellent location from which to base for exploration of South Iceland. Its central location makes it ideal for day trips in the region and then back for a good night's sleep in one of the area's many types of accommodation.[3]

Overview

The name of the town literally translates to "Hillfield". "Hvoll" (hvols in the genitive case) is an archaic form of the modern Icelandic word "hóll", meaning "hill", and "völlur" means "field". The name is derived from the name of the historic farm Stórólfshvoll ("Stórólfur's hill").

The hringvegur (road no.1) traverses the town which has 1036 inhabitants. In the surrounding areas there is an additional population of about 800 people, who are also part of the municipality.

Not far from Hvolsvöllur are an airfield and a port (Landeyjahöfn) that offer transportation to Vestmannaeyjar (Westman Islands).

Þórsmörk, a beautiful valley below the glacier Mýrdalsjökull, is also not too far away.

The area is the scene of one of the most famous sagas of Iceland, Njál's saga. The town of Hvolsvöllur has a Saga Centre dedicated to this and other Icelandic sagas.

In 2010, the volcanic eruptions at Eyjafjallajökull caused evacuations in the surrounding area, with people being relocated to Hvolsvöllur, where Red Cross mass care centres had been set up.[4]

Sports

See also
  • List of cities in Iceland

References
  1. Political division
  2. Mainly statistical division
  3. https://www.south.is/en/inspiration/towns/hvolsvollur
  4. "Hundreds evacuated after Icelandic volcano erupts, first since 1823". Thaindian News. 2010-03-21. Retrieved 2010-03-24.

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